While most kids are concerning themselves with Twilight or the latest games console at the age of 12, Leddra Chapman picked up an acoustic guitar for the first time, sat down and began to write her first song. Since that day the young singer-songwriter has never looked back. Realising she had a powerful knack of capturing her thought provoking emotions in her lyrics, Leddra continued to write when the mood took her until she had enough quality songs together to get herself into local venues to play them live.
With a quintessentially English voice, which is both pure and unique, it wasn’t long before she was being asked to play venues all over the country. At the same time Leddra spent as much time as possible teaching herself piano as well as learning to produce demos of her songs in a small home-studio. This work resulted in an invite to play Britain’s premier new music showcase – Manchester’s In The City Music Conference. Leddra played a beautiful thirty minute set to a packed out crowd at the Warchild Acoustic Showcase and was subsequently chosen as a Best of ITC in Music Week magazine who described her as ‘filling a similar space to early Alanis Morissette and Joni Mitchell’.
Having worked on completing her debut album through 2009 with some of the best musical collaborators the UK music scene has to offer, Leddra released the album ‘Telling Tales’ in late November of last year. Featured on this collection of ‘pitch-perfect acoustic pop’ (The Independent) is ‘Story’, a track championed by Sir Terry Wogan throughout his final months presenting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show. ‘Story’ was subsequently B-Listed on Radio 2 for 7 consecutive weeks. This period of time culminated in a televised live performance of ‘Story’ on ITV’s This Morning. Follow up single ‘Summer Song’ achieved similar radio success, also playlisted by BBC Radio 2. Refusing to rest on her laurels, Leddra and her live band followed that media activity by heading out around the UK for two extremely successful nationwide tours as well as selling out renowned venues across the capital.
With heartfelt and honest lyrics that come straight from her delicate soul, Leddra Chapman is one of the most gifted young songwriters and vocalists in Britain today. 2011 has been just as strong a year as the last, with recent single ‘Edie’ enjoying a great run on national and regional radio playlists (including once again BBC Radio 2) and a 20 date UK tour in February/March. Leddra followed this tour up with a promo trip to the Netherlands and Belgium where she appeared on live television (Belgian TV OOST) and performed sold out shows at the famous Paradiso venue and a number of other Dutch venues. Summer 2011 sees Leddra recording new material for an Autumn EP release as well as supporting Tom Jones at three ‘Picnic Concert’ shows.
“Undoubtedly a terrific songwriter who deserves a bigger audience” (Q Magazine Online)
