by emma schoors
photo by willie jane
With the upcoming arrival of her debut EP, Michal Leah has graciously opened a door to being further understood and embraced by her fans. “I feel like I’m finally getting a chance to introduce myself to the world for who I really am and who I want to become,” Leah says. We had the pleasure of catching up with the songstress to dive into her upcoming debut EP, her reaction to “The Way I Love You”s widespread resonance, and more.
“Creativity definitely goes on for generations in my family,” Leah says. “As a kid, my mom sent both me and my brother to a music preschool, so it was all around us.” Constant exposure to song undoubtedly inspired her pursuit of musicianship, but it’s also provided her with fond memories to look back on. “I remember sitting in the piano room with my fellow preschoolers and sitting on the round rug on the floor,” she recollects. “We were singing ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. That song will forever give me a cozy, comforting feeling.” Music isn’t Leah’s only passion, however. While the emotional response music elicits is her calling, the wonders of wildlife and nature have also piqued her curiosity.
Marine biology sparked Leah’s interest from an early age. “I mean, 95% of the ocean is undiscovered,” she says, joking that the percentage may not be totally accurate. “I always wanted to be able to care for and understand marine animals. Maybe I still can someday!” Leah emphasizes her current focus on music: “Right now I adore being a musician and wouldn’t want to be pursuing anything else,” but the future could pull her back towards the waves. “The ocean has always fascinated me, and is still something I love to learn about.”
On standout single “The Way I Love You,” written about someone special to her, Leah’s innermost tenderness is laid to bare. “It was such an amazing process to be able to express the way I feel about him in words,” she says. “I was also super excited about this song because I couldn’t wait to see if people felt the way I did about their significant others.” Since its release, the song has soundtracked thousands of relationships via social media. “I don’t know if you’ve seen all the videos people are posting using the song, but it’s the most heartwarming content I’ve ever seen,” she beams. The response has been “truly magical” for the singer. “It’s a big honor to be a part of something that had such a positive impact on the internet even just for a quick moment,” she says. “It also made me so happy that people felt good in their relationship, whether it be a significant other, a friend, or their little puppy Richard.”
Most recently Leah released her debut EP’s lead single “Used To It,” in which the singer is more artistically immersive than ever. “You don't always have to get over someone, there's no map or blueprint or step by step process. It's important to just be okay with that,” she says. If it feels like Leah is singing directly to your situation, or uncovering feelings you thought previously inaccessible, there’s a good reason why: “With this song I wanted to paint a picture of heartbreak — I wanted people to hear this and be able to see themselves inside their own story.”
“Pretending,” another heartwrenching song on the tracklist, arose from Leah’s experience adjusting to adulthood. “Graduating high school last year was a tougher transition than I anticipated and came with a lot of change,” she says. “I think growing out of friendships and relationships is a big part of learning about who you are and who you want to be. For me, this song feels like a marker on the timeline of my teen years.” Stylistically, Leah takes inspiration from Frank Sinatra, Daniel Caeser, Brandi Carlile, Adele, Billie Eilish, and Etta James, reaffirming her musical versatility. “I also really admire the energy that Coldplay has in their live shows and can’t wait to play stadiums one day,” she says.
Leah’s lyrics are a centerpoint of her work, and a line that sticks out to her as personally relevant is “I’ll tell the whole world, top of my lungs,” from “The Way I Love You.” “For a few reasons. One being that I’m a big sap and I’m super in love with my super sweet boyfriend,” she laughs. Every song she’s released as of yet has dug its way into listener’s hearts and minds, and though Leah’s work has always been laser-focused on the many facets of love and heartache, this EP is her truly breaking out of her shell. “I’m just grateful that anyone on the internet cares enough to come on this journey with me,” she concludes. “This feels like the very beginning.”