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Fort Worth singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, pictured in 2026. His new album,\u00a0Happiness Anytime, is produced by Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of the British band Jungle.<\/p>\n
Joshua Kissi<\/p>\n
Musicians love to throw out thank-yous from the stage \u2014 to opening acts, sound mixers, whoever brought tequila to the dressing room, you name it.<\/p>\n
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Leon Bridges<\/a> went one better. He put all that gratitude into a song.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the new tune \u201cTears of Joy,\u201d the Fort Worth artist looks back in awe at his charmed life since 2015 and envisions \u201c10 more years of glory.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for a little bit over a decade, and it\u2019s been an out-of-body experience,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s surreal just thinking about all the amazing milestones I hit, all the music I got to make. [In the song] I\u2019m just thinking about my decision, really early on in my life, to make music that\u2019s uplifting to people.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a better description of Happiness Anytime<\/a>, Bridges\u2019 fifth album, recorded in Los Angeles and due Sept. 25. Bridges \u2014 a habitual collaborator \u2014 teamed up with Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of the British band Jungle for a joyride through Afro-pop, dub reggae, soul and R&B. Since July, he\u2019s already released eight of the songs on two EPs.<\/p>\n I spoke with the 37-year-old singer by phone from Fort Worth, where he was \u201cjust staying in recluse mode, kicking it at the crib, trying to recharge after this summer\u2019s travels.\u201d Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n How\u2019d you meet the members of Jungle?<\/p>\n We’ve crossed paths a few times, like at a festival in Copenhagen. I always just loved their dance-y vibe, and I felt they were ideal collaborators. It was the most freeing experience of creating music. We built everything on drum loops and we\u2019d just pass the guitar around until we landed on something cool. And Lydia, man, her vocals, in my opinion, really carry a lot of these songs.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n There’s a strong Afrobeat feel. \u2026 Several tunes reminded me of Fela Kuti. Where you a Fela fan beforehand?<\/p>\n I knew a few Fela tunes. But then I was at the GQ party at Chateau Marmont and heard \u201cExpensive S—\u201d by Fela, and it just sparked more ideas. What I do a lot is, when I hear instrumental stuff, I\u2019ll start freestyling over it. That song …\u00a0 inspired songs like \u201cIllusion\u201d and the deeper, introspective vibe of the album.<\/p>\n That song and last year\u2019s \u201cElegantly Wasted\u201d (with Hermanos Guti\u00e9rrez) reminded me how hypnotic your music can be. Are you trying to put us all into a deep trance?<\/p>\n [Laughs.] That’s the beautiful thing about music. It\u2019s a form of escapism. I\u00a0wanna make music that feels infectious, and I\u2019m so grateful to really have that divine inspiration with some of the melodies and vibes that I\u2019ve put into music. There are so many great people before me that did that, people who inspired me, like Neil Young or Curtis Mayfield or Bobby Womack.<\/p>\n Leon Bridges’ Happiness Anytime drops Sept. 25, 2026, though several of the album’s tracks have already been released.\u00a0<\/p>\n Columbia Records Group<\/p>\n \u201cWatch You Dance\u201d will get people moving and grooving. When did you first fall in love with dancing?<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n I was 11 or 12. I saw this Michael Jackson anniversary performance on TV with Whitney Houston, Usher, so many greats. I recorded it on tape and everything, and I was literally practicing my moonwalk and my glide for a school dance. And when I was at [Tarrant County College], I was in a dance company called Velocity. I’m always dancing, man. I go out dancing a lot, even by myself. I love going dancing in Deep Ellum and finding a good vibe. I don’t really deem myself an amazing dancer. But I feel like I have my own style and expression.<\/p>\n \u201cIllusion\u201d seems to be about oppressors, especially the line \u201cThey got your money \/ Down on your knees.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s about humanity, with lyrics that are almost stream-of-consciousness. I think the lesson is, like, \u201cDon\u2019t get too caught up in things that are fleeting in this world.\u201d Everything around us is an illusion.\u00a0 Focus on what\u2019s meaningful.<\/p>\n Are you good at that? Can you turn off the screens and find \u201chappiness anytime,\u201d as you put it?<\/p>\n I’m not perfect at anything, you know? But this whole album is about cultivating pockets of happiness and almost creating my own reality. It\u2019s not [ignoring] issues of the world. Black people are no strangers to suffering and pain. But we’ve created the most beautiful art that’s come from our suffering. It’s just all about living in that perpetual state of joy. If there’s chaos around, you can’t freak out or lose your cool. You gotta stand firm-rooted. That\u2019s kind of what the album is for me.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “Fort Worth is forever gonna be home,” says singer-songwriter Leon Bridges.<\/p>\n Joshua Kissi<\/p>\n In 2021<\/a>, you talked with me about being introverted and said \u201cI don’t see myself being the frontman in the future.” Has your perspective changed?<\/p>\n I\u2019m always gonna make music. But yeah, my next goal is to just help aspiring artists, locally and everywhere. I cross paths with so many super-talented artists who don\u2019t have the resources. I actually had this thought to put together a crew of house musicians, almost like a Muscle Shoals vibe. Whoever wants to make cool stuff, let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n Related: Leon Bridges reckons with stardom and finds his way home on new album<\/a><\/p>\n But you also keep headlining bigger stages, like the Hollywood Bowl and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Are you getting more comfortable with the spotlight?<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Yeah. I think my way of coping with that is just turning off that fear. It’s almost like when I\u2019m on a stage, it\u2019s tapping into a persona. You try to be charismatic and dance and give people a good show. And thankfully, it doesn’t wear me down too much. I feel like I’m definitely in a better place now of just coming to grips with the reality of being a frontman.<\/p>\n In the last year, Fort Worth honored you with street signs<\/a> and featured you in a hometown tourism video<\/a>. You\u2019re almost like the city\u2019s official ambassador.<\/p>\n Man, you know, Fort Worth is forever gonna be home. When everything slows down, I\u2019m gonna try to get started on [building a house on a plot of land he owns]. I love that the people here are honest and kind. Fort Worth is always going to be my place of refuge, my place where I can come back and just be close to people who love me for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fort Worth singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, pictured in 2026. 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