By Kerry Doole
Lex Leosis - Wanted (Independent): This Toronto-raised hip-hop artist releases a new EP, Terracotta, tomorrow, preceded by this single. Her debut full length, Mythologies, came out last year, but the Covid lockdown sabotaged its promotion.
Wanted is described as an outlaw anthem, and that is reflected on the eye-catching accompanying video. In a press release Leosis says, "The Wanted video is the perfect pairing to my record. I was so excited to create a video that was as high-energy as the song."
On the song itself, she says, "While in lockdown, I had been watching so many classic movies...Thelma and Louise, Heist, Catch Me If You Can. I wanted to make a song that felt like a getaway moment. Instead of making a track for a specific movie, I envisioned that this track WAS a movie. I went into this full-on vision of my best friend (Keysha Freshh) and I on the run."
The track showcases her fluent and robust rhyming, while the smart percussion-accented production is by BMTJ (Korea) and Rainer Blanchaer (Toronto) with drums from Taabu (Toronto) and cuts from DJ Killa-Jewelz (Quebec). Blanchaer (Drake, The Weeknd, French Montana, The 1975) serves as executive producer on the entire EP.
Wanted confirms Leosis is an artist on the rise. She has spent a lot of time performing and honing her chops in the US, and she made a mark as a member of the Toronto hip-hop quartet The Sorority, alongside Haviah Mighty.
During the lockdown, Leosis began daily duets on Tiktok and has amassed over a million views on her videos and drawn the attention of TikTok Canada and numerous artists from The Arkells to K Flay.
Links
Publicity: Leigh Greaney / leigh@bighassle.com
Management: Brodie Metcalfe, Meta Arts
