1: How did you decide on the name, “The Great Leslie”?

The Great Leslie was a character played by Tony Curtis in the film The Great Race, which was one of my favourites growing up. It was just one suggestion of many when we were searching for band names and happened to be our favourite!

2: What inspires you to create?

There’s nothing specific that inspires myself or the band to create. I think I have an innate desire to express myself as I’m emotionally quite a closed off person. When I write a song that’s me being honest, so I suppose in a roundabout way, life/everything and everyone around me inspires me to create. It’s the intrinsic desire to connect to others that pushes us to do what we do, though do we not all have that desire?

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?

Be honest, be persistent, work harder than everyone else.

4: Do you feel open minded when it comes to what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?

My love and passion for art and music is not exclusively love and passion for rock music. I don’t dislike any form of art or any genre of music. I am forever searching for work that I can connect to, so I’d say my mind is completely open to new ideas and sounds. Therefore, I don’t feel like I’ve ever been out of my comfort zone listening to music, but I certainly have been out of my comfort zone when I’ve been writing music; that’s good because then I know that I’m pushing myself and possibly delving into new territory.  

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)

Mostly social media and Spotify, blogs like yours and podcasts. That’s where new acts are establishing themselves right now.

6: What are your plans for 2021?

We plan to release another six singles throughout 2021 and God willing we shall start to gig again all over the UK as soon as the pandemic lifts.

7: What was the inspiration for your song, “Out of My Hands”?

Out of My Hands was very much a subconscious creation. I just sat down and started to play and sing; no planning went into it, nothing preprepared, it just happened. I just started to write down all the negative things about myself and it developed from there.

Hear their guest playlist: Guest Playlist: The Great Leslie

Listen to them on Spotify: The Great Leslie

Follow them: Instagram + Facebook + Twitter

Kalysta Sylvester, known as Kalysta has been singing since she was a young girl, and she has played piano for over 15 years. With her roots of Detroit Motown running in her family, music has always been something significant and something she is truly passionate about.

Her dream doesn’t lie in making millions of dollars, but instead in knowing that if she can help one person through her music. By staying true to herself, she will go far. She was discovered in 2019, by Greta Van Fleet’s former manager.

She wants to bring back good soul, rhythm and blues music with powerful female vocals. She is current running a campaign to help fund the costs of making her first EP, studio sessions, mixing, mastering, marketing, creating physical copies of her music and any other costs along the way.

She wants her fans to be actively involved and to enjoy the process with her.

Hear Kalysta’s version of “Chain of Fools” here: Chain of Fools
Support her campaign: KALYSTA DEBUT EP Campaign
Follow her on social media:

• Instagram: kalystaofficial
  
• Facebook: kalystaofficial