Leon James | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1991-12-01)1 December 1991 (age 34) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Origin | Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | keyboard/piano |
Leon James (Leo) is an Indianfilm composer and singer who works inTamil andTelugu films. He made his debut by composing two songs for the Tamil film,Kanchana 2 (2015) directed byRaghava Lawrence, before being noticed for his work inKo 2 (2016).[1]
Leon James became interested in music as a result of his father Noel James's involvement in the industry asA. R. Rahman's manager. As a child, Leon was both a singer (as part of a chorus group) and pianist. He played in a school band called Zinx alongsideAnirudh Ravichander, with the pair remaining close friends.[2] He is also currently a part of Project Yuj, a "neo-Carnatic funk" band alongsideAalap Raju, Prakash Hariharan and Jeoraj George and the team released an independent album in November 2014.[3] Prior to making his debut as a composer, Leon has worked as a keyboardist for stage shows and film albums composed bySanthosh Narayanan,Anirudh Ravichander andThaman.[4] Leon's father died in January 2025.[5]
Leon James made a breakthrough in the Tamil film industry after his work was spotted byRaghava Lawrence, who was working on his horror comedy filmKanchana 2 (2015). Lawrence had heard a romantic melody song composed by Leon on YouTube and wanted it adapted to be used in his film, and subsequently brought the composer on board to work on the film's soundtrack. The song, "Vaayaa En Veera" sung byShakthisree Gopalan, won positive reviews withKarthik Srinivasan noting that "Leon's music seems very new-agey" and his "sound is fresh, and purposefully cluttered".[6] He later asked Leon to work on a further fast-paced song to be used in the film's climax, and the tune "Sandi Muni" was resultantly produced. The film went on to become amongst the profitable ventures of the year, with Leon's work noticed by critics.[7][8] Soon after the release of the film in April 2015, he teamed up with singerAndrea Jeremiah to record a song called "Ezhunthu Vaa" to promote female empowerment.[9]
The successful nature of his work in his first album prompted producerElred Kumar to sign him up to work on the whole album for the political-thriller,Ko 2 (2015).[10] The album ofKo 2 entailed of six tracks, with a promotional song titled "Unnai Maatrinal" released early as a tribute to former Indian PresidentAbdul Kalam, consisting of lyrics based on his speeches. The album featured vocals from Bollywood artistesVishal Dadlani,Salim Merchant andNeeti Mohan, whileChinmayi and Leon James, himself, also recorded songs. Leon James also chose to introduce Harish Sivaramakrishnan from theBangalore-based rock bandAgam and London-based singer Inno Genga, for their first respective songs in the Tamil film industry.[11][12]
| Year | Work | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kanchana 2 | Tamil | 2 songs "Sandi Muni" and "Vaaya Veera" |
| Ko 2 | |||
| 2016 | Kavalai Vendam | ||
| 2018 | Veera | ||
| Next Enti? | Telugu | ||
| Silukkuvarupatti Singam | Tamil | ||
| 2019 | LKG | ||
| 2020 | Oh My Kadavule | ||
| 2021 | Paagal | Telugu | 1 song "Kanapadava" Background score |
| 2022 | Ori Devuda | Remake ofOh My Kadavule | |
| 2023 | Das Ka Dhamki | ||
| Single Shankarum Smartphone Simranum | Tamil | ||
| Saba Nayagan | |||
| 2025 | Laila | Telugu | |
| Dragon | Tamil | ||
| Mazaka | Telugu | ||
| Sundarakanda | |||
| Premante | [13] | ||
| TBA | G.O.A.T† |
| Year | Film | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Varalaru | "Thottapuram" | composed byA. R. Rahman |
| 2015 | Kanchana 2 | "Sandimuni" | |
| Ko 2 | "Kohila", "Vidaadha" | ||
| 2016 | Kavalai Vendam | "En Pulse Yethitu Poriye" | |
| 2017 | Sakka Podu Podu Raja | "Unakkaga" | composed bySilambarasan |
| 2018 | Veera | "Ootaanda Soltuvaa" | |
| 2020 | Oh My Kadavule | "Haiyyo Haiyyo" | |
| 2025 | Mazaka | "Baby Ma" | Telugu song |
| Dragon | "Rise of Dragon" | Telugu dubbed song |
