Today we’d like to introduce you to Leeann Skoda.
Hi Leeann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m from Phoenix, Arizona originally and I started singing in a school choir when I was nine years old. I was constantly consuming music as a kid — I spent many hours in my room with my boombox making mixtapes by recording the radio. Early on, I was too shy to pursue music as a career. Then my early 20’s I was teaching English in Spain, and that’s when I started singing in bands and performing in bars and clubs. There I decided I wanted to go for it– to move back to the states and make music.
I moved to Los Angeles, started practicing guitar and took any and every gig I could find. Now I’ve been in LA for the better part of a decade now and in those years, I’ve played countless shows, recorded and performed my own music, signed a record deal, and worked as a background singer and guitarist for other artists (such as Noah Cyrus, Jason Hawk Harris, and Psychic Temple). I’ve been really blessed to find such a wonderful community of musicians here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The career path of a musician is anything but linear. You have to be willing to live with some degree of uncertainty and that comes with challenges. I always say that it’s not easy, but it is interesting! The biggest challenge for me, though, has been one of mindset. I started later in life than most musicians I know and I’ve struggled with feeling like I should be more accomplished by a certain age– that sort of thing. But I’ve found that pretty much everyone, no matter what level they’re at, deals with that feeling in some way. The only thing to do is to work on being better today than I was yesterday and I’m working that. Haha.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself a singer first and I also play guitar and write music. I’ve got a new EP coming out on November 5th called “Lucky Penny” which I recorded in Nashville a couple of years ago. It’s sonically different than anything I’ve done before and really bridges my love of Americana/ country with the kind of songs I’ve been writing lately which have more of a pop bent.
I also love singing with other people. Harmony singing is one of my first loves and it’s a great way to work with all kinds of different musicians.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned so far is that I am responsible for my own life and work.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.LeeannSkoda.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lskoda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leeannskoda
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/leeannskoda
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/leeleephx
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0VG5qD52z7aAeJUIAX9bBx?si=ITmNnIJ-SBKaYJOtOmAmEg&dl_branch=1
Image Credits:
Nathan Zucker, Jacob Boll, Madelyn Burke, @MediaMandy
