Music Writer

Leelou Blanc

Leelou Blanc writes about pop, R&B, and the artists who refuse easy categorization. She is interested in the moment when a sound becomes a signature, and in the collaborations that reveal something neither artist could produce alone. She has been covering independent music since before streaming made discovery easy.

115 articles

Amaarae Has Never Made Music for a Single World
music

Amaarae Has Never Made Music for a Single World

May 22, 2026  ·  4 min read
Loyle Carner's hopefully! Finds the Most Tender Argument of His Career
music

Loyle Carner's hopefully! Finds the Most Tender Argument of His Career

May 20, 2026  ·  4 min read
Tems and Love Is a Kingdom: Seven Songs Made on Her Own Terms
music

Tems and Love Is a Kingdom: Seven Songs Made on Her Own Terms

May 20, 2026  ·  4 min read
Bird's Eye: How Ravyn Lenae Found Her Own Frequency
music

Bird's Eye: How Ravyn Lenae Found Her Own Frequency

May 19, 2026  ·  5 min read
Tirzah and the Sound of Feeling Too Much
music

Tirzah and the Sound of Feeling Too Much

May 18, 2026  ·  5 min read
Unknown Mortal Orchestra and the Art of Arriving Everywhere at Once
music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra and the Art of Arriving Everywhere at Once

May 15, 2026  ·  5 min read
Kelly Lee Owens: The Welsh Nurse Who Became One of Electronic Music's Most Vital Voices
music

Kelly Lee Owens: The Welsh Nurse Who Became One of Electronic Music's Most Vital Voices

May 13, 2026  ·  5 min read
Cautious Clay and the Long Work of Fighting Demons
music

Cautious Clay and the Long Work of Fighting Demons

May 12, 2026  ·  5 min read
Ravyn Lenae: The Starchild Chicago Always Knew Would Shine
music

Ravyn Lenae: The Starchild Chicago Always Knew Would Shine

May 11, 2026  ·  4 min read
Alewya and the Architecture of Zero
music

Alewya and the Architecture of Zero

May 10, 2026  ·  5 min read
Duendita Makes the Most Honest Record of the Year
music

Duendita Makes the Most Honest Record of the Year

May 10, 2026  ·  5 min read
BadBadNotGood And The Art Of Refusing To Be Background Music
Music

BadBadNotGood And The Art Of Refusing To Be Background Music

May 7, 2026  ·  5 min read
Charlotte Day Wilson And The Art Of Making Them Wait
Music

Charlotte Day Wilson And The Art Of Making Them Wait

May 7, 2026  ·  4 min read
Sampha And The Inheritance Of Time
Music

Sampha And The Inheritance Of Time

May 7, 2026  ·  5 min read
Solange And The Art Of The Post Album Career
Music

Solange And The Art Of The Post Album Career

May 7, 2026  ·  5 min read
The Producer Who Made Ambient Electronic Feel Like The Future Again
Music

The Producer Who Made Ambient Electronic Feel Like The Future Again

May 4, 2026  ·  4 min read
Nia Archives: Jungle's New Voice and the Sound of a Generation Finding Itself
Music

Nia Archives: Jungle's New Voice and the Sound of a Generation Finding Itself

April 27, 2026  ·  5 min read
Slayyyter: Pop's Most Committed Maximalist
Music

Slayyyter: Pop's Most Committed Maximalist

April 27, 2026  ·  4 min read
Arooj Aftab and the Quiet Weight of Vulture Prince
Music

Arooj Aftab and the Quiet Weight of Vulture Prince

April 26, 2026  ·  5 min read
Vagabon's Again and the Sound of Someone Finding Themselves
Music

Vagabon's Again and the Sound of Someone Finding Themselves

April 26, 2026  ·  3 min read
Bar Italia: The Three-Way Mirror
Music

Bar Italia: The Three-Way Mirror

April 24, 2026  ·  1 min read
Tirzah: Minimal as a Heartbeat
Music

Tirzah: Minimal as a Heartbeat

April 24, 2026  ·  2 min read
Arooj Aftab and the Ancient Frequency
Music

Arooj Aftab and the Ancient Frequency

April 23, 2026  ·  3 min read
Mk.gee: The Guitarist Who Liquified Sound
Music

Mk.gee: The Guitarist Who Liquified Sound

April 16, 2026  ·  3 min read
Dream Tunes Makes You Homesick for a Life You Never Lived
Music

Dream Tunes Makes You Homesick for a Life You Never Lived

April 13, 2026  ·  3 min read
Paperwater Is Building Miami's Most Honest Dance Floor
Music

Paperwater Is Building Miami's Most Honest Dance Floor

April 13, 2026  ·  2 min read
Verraco Doesn't Need Permission to Rewrite Club Music
Music

Verraco Doesn't Need Permission to Rewrite Club Music

April 13, 2026  ·  2 min read
Blood Orange Turned the Mojave Into a Cathedral
Music

Blood Orange Turned the Mojave Into a Cathedral

April 12, 2026  ·  2 min read
Kelsey Lu Took Seven Years to Make Her Second Album and Every Day of It Shows
Music

Kelsey Lu Took Seven Years to Make Her Second Album and Every Day of It Shows

April 12, 2026  ·  3 min read
Sung Holly Posted a Cover and Ended Up in a Room with Rostam
Music

Sung Holly Posted a Cover and Ended Up in a Room with Rostam

April 12, 2026  ·  3 min read
Turnstile Played Through Grief and Fury and Came Out the Other Side
Music

Turnstile Played Through Grief and Fury and Came Out the Other Side

April 12, 2026  ·  2 min read
anaiis Made an Album About Breaking and Becoming -- 'Devotion & the Black Divine' Is Both
Music

anaiis Made an Album About Breaking and Becoming -- 'Devotion & the Black Divine' Is Both

April 11, 2026  ·  3 min read
Deki Alem Turned Stockholm's Underground Into a Continental Obsession
Music

Deki Alem Turned Stockholm's Underground Into a Continental Obsession

April 11, 2026  ·  2 min read
MOIO Built an Empire on a Song That Wasn't Supposed to Break
Music

MOIO Built an Empire on a Song That Wasn't Supposed to Break

April 11, 2026  ·  3 min read
Wesley Joseph's 'Forever Ends Someday' Arrives Like a Debut Should -- Late, Patient, and Impossible to Ignore
Music

Wesley Joseph's 'Forever Ends Someday' Arrives Like a Debut Should -- Late, Patient, and Impossible to Ignore

April 11, 2026  ·  3 min read
Jacob Banks Leaves the Machine Behind — 'Limerence' Is His Most Honest Work Yet
Music

Jacob Banks Leaves the Machine Behind — 'Limerence' Is His Most Honest Work Yet

April 10, 2026  ·  3 min read
Sorisa Is 17 and Already Outrunning Toronto's Hype Machine
Music

Sorisa Is 17 and Already Outrunning Toronto's Hype Machine

April 10, 2026  ·  2 min read
Sasha Keable Made a UK R&B Record That Doesn't Need to Explain Itself
Music

Sasha Keable Made a UK R&B Record That Doesn't Need to Explain Itself

April 9, 2026  ·  3 min read
Witch Prophet Speaks in Tongues the Industry Doesn't Have a Category For
Music

Witch Prophet Speaks in Tongues the Industry Doesn't Have a Category For

April 9, 2026  ·  3 min read
Gabriel Jacoby's 'gutta child' Is Southern Soul Music That Refuses to Look Away
Music

Gabriel Jacoby's 'gutta child' Is Southern Soul Music That Refuses to Look Away

April 8, 2026  ·  3 min read
Mon Rovia Built 'Bloodline' from the Red Dirt of Everything He Survived
Music

Mon Rovia Built 'Bloodline' from the Red Dirt of Everything He Survived

April 8, 2026  ·  3 min read
Coco Jones Is Not Waiting for Permission
Music

Coco Jones Is Not Waiting for Permission

April 7, 2026  ·  2 min read
Nourished By Time Is the Artist Baltimore Has Always Deserved
Music

Nourished By Time Is the Artist Baltimore Has Always Deserved

April 7, 2026  ·  2 min read
No Labels, No Sponsors, No Problem: Ye Made $33 Million in Two Nights
Music

No Labels, No Sponsors, No Problem: Ye Made $33 Million in Two Nights

April 7, 2026  ·  3 min read
Dani Roche Has Always Been Becoming This.
Culture

Dani Roche Has Always Been Becoming This.

April 6, 2026  ·  8 min read
fakemink Doesn't Want to Be Discovered. That's Exactly Why You Should Find Him.
Music

fakemink Doesn't Want to Be Discovered. That's Exactly Why You Should Find Him.

April 6, 2026  ·  2 min read
Samara Cyn's 'Backroads' Is the Album That Arrives Before You Know You Need It
Music

Samara Cyn's 'Backroads' Is the Album That Arrives Before You Know You Need It

April 6, 2026  ·  3 min read
Arlo Parks on 'Ambiguous Desire': The Interior Life Has Never Sounded Like This
Music

Arlo Parks on 'Ambiguous Desire': The Interior Life Has Never Sounded Like This

April 5, 2026  ·  5 min read
Cristal No.5: The Chaotic, Obsessive, Unmissable Force About to Drop a Debut Album
Music

Cristal No.5: The Chaotic, Obsessive, Unmissable Force About to Drop a Debut Album

April 3, 2026  ·  5 min read
Dijon: Filling the Void Frank Ocean Left Behind
Music

Dijon: Filling the Void Frank Ocean Left Behind

April 3, 2026  ·  3 min read
Frank Ocean's American Wedding: The Cover That Was Never a Cover
Music

Frank Ocean's American Wedding: The Cover That Was Never a Cover

April 3, 2026  ·  3 min read
Khalid: The Kid From El Paso Who Changed Everything
Music

Khalid: The Kid From El Paso Who Changed Everything

April 3, 2026  ·  4 min read
Noche Went from Bedroom Remixes to Daft Punk's Inbox
Music

Noche Went from Bedroom Remixes to Daft Punk's Inbox

April 3, 2026  ·  3 min read
Inside Tokyo's Underground Electronic Scene: The World's Best Kept Musical Secret
Music

Inside Tokyo's Underground Electronic Scene: The World's Best Kept Musical Secret

March 30, 2026  ·  2 min read
AI in Music: A Tool, Not a Threat
Music

AI in Music: A Tool, Not a Threat

March 28, 2026  ·  3 min read
Women Are Not Taking Over Rap. They Already Did.
Music

Women Are Not Taking Over Rap. They Already Did.

March 28, 2026  ·  2 min read
Holocaust Honey: Daniel Lopatin's Most Devastating Three Minutes
Music

Holocaust Honey: Daniel Lopatin's Most Devastating Three Minutes

December 28, 2025  ·  4 min read
Jeanie: When Jim-E Stack Met Bon Iver and Something Extraordinary Happened
Music

Jeanie: When Jim-E Stack Met Bon Iver and Something Extraordinary Happened

November 15, 2025  ·  4 min read
Mi Amour: The Anonymous Artist With the Most Indescribable Sound of 2025
Music

Mi Amour: The Anonymous Artist With the Most Indescribable Sound of 2025

November 12, 2025  ·  5 min read
Phospholipid by Blood Cultures: The Song That Sounds Like a Memory You Never Had
Music

Phospholipid by Blood Cultures: The Song That Sounds Like a Memory You Never Had

September 20, 2025  ·  4 min read
Blawan and the Industrial Techno That Feels Like the End of Something
Music

Blawan and the Industrial Techno That Feels Like the End of Something

July 8, 2025  ·  3 min read
Debbie and the Manchester Artist Making Pop Music That Cuts
Music

Debbie and the Manchester Artist Making Pop Music That Cuts

May 13, 2025  ·  3 min read
Sprints and the Dublin Punk Band Making the Most Honest Music in Years
Music

Sprints and the Dublin Punk Band Making the Most Honest Music in Years

March 4, 2025  ·  3 min read
oklou in 2025: Quieter, Stranger, More Essential
Music

oklou in 2025: Quieter, Stranger, More Essential

January 14, 2025  ·  3 min read
SZA and the Weight of SOS: From Grammy Dominance to Desert Flower With Lana Del Rey
Music

SZA and the Weight of SOS: From Grammy Dominance to Desert Flower With Lana Del Rey

December 25, 2024  ·  1 min read
CHROMAKOPIA Proved Tyler the Creator Has No Ceiling
Music

CHROMAKOPIA Proved Tyler the Creator Has No Ceiling

November 1, 2024  ·  2 min read
Oren Ambarchi and the Patience Required to Listen to Music This Slow and This Beautiful
Music

Oren Ambarchi and the Patience Required to Listen to Music This Slow and This Beautiful

October 1, 2024  ·  3 min read
The Underground Artist Sitting on Something Extraordinary
Music

The Underground Artist Sitting on Something Extraordinary

August 26, 2024  ·  3 min read
Sabrina Carpenter's 2024 Breakthrough Was a Masterclass in Timing
Music

Sabrina Carpenter's 2024 Breakthrough Was a Masterclass in Timing

August 23, 2024  ·  4 min read
The Lima Music Scene and the South American Artists Nobody Has Covered Yet
Music

The Lima Music Scene and the South American Artists Nobody Has Covered Yet

August 6, 2024  ·  3 min read
Yu Su and the Slow Dissolve of Genre on Her Own Terms
Music

Yu Su and the Slow Dissolve of Genre on Her Own Terms

June 18, 2024  ·  3 min read
Teddy Swims and the Longest Reign: How Lose Control Became Inescapable
Music

Teddy Swims and the Longest Reign: How Lose Control Became Inescapable

June 15, 2024  ·  2 min read
Kaytranada's Timeless Proved the Title Was Not Hyperbole
Music

Kaytranada's Timeless Proved the Title Was Not Hyperbole

June 10, 2024  ·  4 min read
Bad Bunny's Most Wanted Tour Was Latin Music's Declaration of Permanent Arrival
Music

Bad Bunny's Most Wanted Tour Was Latin Music's Declaration of Permanent Arrival

May 30, 2024  ·  4 min read
Charlie Puth Got Name-Dropped by Taylor Swift and the Internet Lost Its Mind
Music

Charlie Puth Got Name-Dropped by Taylor Swift and the Internet Lost Its Mind

May 20, 2024  ·  5 min read
Dua Lipa and Kevin Parker Made the Pop Album of 2024
Music

Dua Lipa and Kevin Parker Made the Pop Album of 2024

May 10, 2024  ·  5 min read
Justice Returns With Hyperdrama and Reminds Everyone Who Built This
Music

Justice Returns With Hyperdrama and Reminds Everyone Who Built This

April 20, 2024  ·  4 min read
Amapiano Went Global and the World Was Not Ready for How Good It Is
Music

Amapiano Went Global and the World Was Not Ready for How Good It Is

April 5, 2024  ·  5 min read
WSÁBE and the Electronic Music Coming Out of Mexico City Right Now
Music

WSÁBE and the Electronic Music Coming Out of Mexico City Right Now

April 2, 2024  ·  3 min read
The Eras Tour Rewrote the Rules of Live Music Forever
Music

The Eras Tour Rewrote the Rules of Live Music Forever

March 15, 2024  ·  2 min read
Raye's BRIT Awards Triumph Was Years of Vindication Compressed Into One Night
Music

Raye's BRIT Awards Triumph Was Years of Vindication Compressed Into One Night

March 3, 2024  ·  4 min read
Lamorn and the Australian Bedroom Pop Artist Rewriting Heartbreak
Music

Lamorn and the Australian Bedroom Pop Artist Rewriting Heartbreak

February 13, 2024  ·  3 min read
Yussef Dayes Is Building a New Jazz Vocabulary One Live Show at a Time
Music

Yussef Dayes Is Building a New Jazz Vocabulary One Live Show at a Time

December 5, 2023  ·  3 min read
Andre 3000 Released a Flute Album and It Was Exactly What We Needed
Music

Andre 3000 Released a Flute Album and It Was Exactly What We Needed

November 20, 2023  ·  5 min read
Nia Sul and the Cardiff Bedroom Pop Scene Nobody Is Writing About
Music

Nia Sul and the Cardiff Bedroom Pop Scene Nobody Is Writing About

October 24, 2023  ·  3 min read
The Renaissance Tour Proved Beyonce Is Operating on a Different Plane
Music

The Renaissance Tour Proved Beyonce Is Operating on a Different Plane

October 12, 2023  ·  5 min read
Yeule's Softscars Exists in a Frequency Only Certain People Can Hear
Music

Yeule's Softscars Exists in a Frequency Only Certain People Can Hear

September 11, 2023  ·  3 min read
George Clanton Is the Most Genuine Thing Happening in Synth Pop
Music

George Clanton Is the Most Genuine Thing Happening in Synth Pop

August 14, 2023  ·  3 min read
James Ivy and the Philadelphia Sound That's Been Quietly Building
Music

James Ivy and the Philadelphia Sound That's Been Quietly Building

August 8, 2023  ·  3 min read
Bonny Light Horseman and the Folk Revival That Doesn't Feel Like a Revival
Music

Bonny Light Horseman and the Folk Revival That Doesn't Feel Like a Revival

June 20, 2023  ·  3 min read
The Producer Collective Rewriting What Pop Music Can Sound Like Underground
Music

The Producer Collective Rewriting What Pop Music Can Sound Like Underground

April 11, 2023  ·  3 min read
Kelela's Raven Is the Club Record That Actually Cares About You
Music

Kelela's Raven Is the Club Record That Actually Cares About You

April 10, 2023  ·  3 min read
Kelela's Raven Is the Club Record That Actually Cares About You
Music

Kelela's Raven Is the Club Record That Actually Cares About You

April 10, 2023  ·  3 min read
boygenius and the Strange Power of Three People Deciding to Show Up Fully
Music

boygenius and the Strange Power of Three People Deciding to Show Up Fully

April 3, 2023  ·  3 min read
Slowthai Made an Uncomfortable Record and That's Exactly Why It Matters
Music

Slowthai Made an Uncomfortable Record and That's Exactly Why It Matters

March 6, 2023  ·  3 min read
JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Made the Most Chaotic Record of the Year and Called It Scaring the Hoes
Music

JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Made the Most Chaotic Record of the Year and Called It Scaring the Hoes

February 28, 2023  ·  3 min read
Kali Uchis Built Her Own Universe and Invited Us In
Music

Kali Uchis Built Her Own Universe and Invited Us In

February 27, 2023  ·  3 min read
Caroline Polachek and the Return of the Singular Pop Voice
Music

Caroline Polachek and the Return of the Singular Pop Voice

February 14, 2023  ·  3 min read
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and the Record That Transcended Genre Entirely
Music

Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and the Record That Transcended Genre Entirely

November 29, 2022  ·  3 min read
Enny and the Quiet Declaration of a New Kind of British R&B
Music

Enny and the Quiet Declaration of a New Kind of British R&B

September 19, 2022  ·  3 min read
Hermeto Pascoal Is Eighty-Five Years Old and Still the Most Original Musician Alive
Music

Hermeto Pascoal Is Eighty-Five Years Old and Still the Most Original Musician Alive

September 5, 2022  ·  3 min read
Iceboy Violet and the New Language of UK Club Music
Music

Iceboy Violet and the New Language of UK Club Music

July 21, 2022  ·  3 min read
Black Midi's Hellfire and the Feeling That Rock Might Not Be Dead
Music

Black Midi's Hellfire and the Feeling That Rock Might Not Be Dead

July 18, 2022  ·  3 min read
Tems and the Voice That Could Not Be Ignored
Music

Tems and the Voice That Could Not Be Ignored

July 15, 2022  ·  5 min read
Omar Apollo's Ivory and the Texture of Heartbreak at 24
Music

Omar Apollo's Ivory and the Texture of Heartbreak at 24

June 7, 2022  ·  3 min read
Ethel Cain Built a Mythology and Then Burned It Down Beautifully
Music

Ethel Cain Built a Mythology and Then Burned It Down Beautifully

May 23, 2022  ·  3 min read
Jessie Ware Made the Best Disco Record in Twenty Years and People Almost Missed It
Music

Jessie Ware Made the Best Disco Record in Twenty Years and People Almost Missed It

May 10, 2022  ·  3 min read
Arooj Aftab Won a Grammy and Most People Still Haven't Found Her
Music

Arooj Aftab Won a Grammy and Most People Still Haven't Found Her

April 5, 2022  ·  3 min read
Lance Skiiiwalker Is Somewhere Between R&B and a Fever Dream and It Works
Music

Lance Skiiiwalker Is Somewhere Between R&B and a Fever Dream and It Works

March 15, 2022  ·  3 min read
Tirzah's Trip and the Intimacy of Music That Barely Exists
Music

Tirzah's Trip and the Intimacy of Music That Barely Exists

March 14, 2022  ·  3 min read
Fred Again.. Turned Grief and Text Messages Into the Year's Most Human Record
Music

Fred Again.. Turned Grief and Text Messages Into the Year's Most Human Record

January 31, 2022  ·  3 min read
34 Million People Watched What Amos Le Blanc Made for Rudimental. They Were Right.
Music

34 Million People Watched What Amos Le Blanc Made for Rudimental. They Were Right.

September 12, 2017  ·  6 min read
Thugli's Run This Won the Cannes Young Director Award. Amos Le Blanc Was Just Getting Started.
Music

Thugli's Run This Won the Cannes Young Director Award. Amos Le Blanc Was Just Getting Started.

December 12, 2013  ·  5 min read
Keys N Krates and Amos Le Blanc Made the Most Rewatchable Video of 2013
Music

Keys N Krates and Amos Le Blanc Made the Most Rewatchable Video of 2013

October 18, 2013  ·  4 min read
Keys N Krates Made a Video That Cannes Selected, Vimeo Put in Their Top 10, and Diplo Played at His Shows
music

Keys N Krates Made a Video That Cannes Selected, Vimeo Put in Their Top 10, and Diplo Played at His Shows

March 5, 2013  ·  2 min read