Singer-Songwriter Leo Kalyan Uses Summery Pop To Lay His Soul Bare

In most situations, a person repeatedly asking you are you listening? Are you listening to me? would seem pretty aggressive. In the hands of London-based singer-songwriter Leo Kalyan, though, the question becomes a summertime refrain, buried in an R&B beat and a wash of watercolor synths and vocals. His new single "Fingertips," taken from the upcoming debut EP Silver Linings, tells a story of desperation, longing, and maybe regret, but dresses it up in all the lush ingredients of a laid-back summer jam.

"'Fingertips' is a song about attempting to escape a memory, but never fully being able to shake it off," Kalyan explained to The FADER over email. "It’s lyrically one of my most honest songs, and was a challenging one to write because there was nothing to hide behind. Someone once told me that it takes courage to be vulnerable—those words are what I was thinking of when I wrote it." Stream it below, and if you're in London catch Kalyan's headline show at The Waiting Rooms on July 29th.