Hugely respected and influential R&B singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur Ryan Leslie makes a return, following a 10-year hiatus, with a long-awaited new studio album ‘You Know My Speed’, out today with the focus track ‘This Love Thing’.
Leslie, together with SuperPhone (Leslie’s DirectToConsumer tech brand) and Latfro, also announce a 10-date European tour this Spring with a full band, making his first stop at London’s O2 Academy, Islington on 21st March.
With prodigious and multi-faceted gifts that have seen him reach great heights as a producer, songwriter, performer, and businessman, Ryan Leslie is a creative and business mastermind with an illustrious career with his own music and working with the world’s biggest stars, from Beyonce to Kanye West. Leslie has re-opened his R&B book for a new chapter with a new album ‘You Know My Speed’, released on all streaming platforms. With this album, he is returning to the distinct R&B roots initially showcased in Leslie’s 2008 self-titled debut album. ‘Run It Back’, the lead single, was released in December 2023 as a prelude to the album and is a ballad reminiscent of the minimalist songwriting and production that earned Leslie a Grammy nomination for sophomore album ‘Transition’. The album’s focus track ‘This Love Thing’ is an instant classic driven by the sparse, uptempo production that has always been signature. Other standout tracks are ‘Put It In The Air’, an uplifting, vibey track, title track ‘You Know My Speed’ a song that reflects Leslie’s laser focus and vision, and ‘Sounds’ featuring R&B vocalist Bobby V.
Ryan Leslie said “This album is a collection of recordings that represent the essence of a decade of experiences accumulated while travelling, building a technology company from scratch and launching a global investment fund. In many ways, London serves as a fitting backdrop for a long-overdue return to stage as many nights have been spent rehearsing, recording, and performing in landmark venues and studios across the UK. Succinct, sparse, and sonically urgent, “You Know My Speed” captures the energy that still drives my pursuit of excellence in all categories.”
A Harvard graduate at the age of 19, he went into the music industry and achieved global success, creating legions of fans around the world for his music. He became a go-to writer/producer, working on records for the biggest superstars in music, such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, Mary J Blige, Fabolous, Ne-yo, Britney Spears, Craig David and Chris Brown. Leslie also discovered Cassie, whom he signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 2005, going on to write, produce, and release Cassie’s debut album and hit single ‘Me&U’, which reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Leslie released his self-titled album on Motown Records in 2008, which spawned the hits ‘Diamond Girl’, ‘Addiction’ featuring Fabolous & Cassie, and ‘How It Was Supposed To Be’. He quickly followed up with a Grammy-nominated album ‘Transition’ in 2010 and the independently-released third album, ‘Les Is More’ in 2012. His fourth album ‘Black Mozart’ was released in 2013 and is only available via Leslie’s #Renegades DirectToConsumer Club.
Album tracklisting:
1. Run It Back
2. This Love Thing
3. Put It In The Air
4. Plans
5. All The Ways
6. You Know My Speed
7. Falling Hard
8. Consistency
9. Top Notch
10. Sounds – featuring Bobby V
European Tour Dates 2024
March 21st – London, O2 Academy Islington
March 23rd – Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit 36
March 24th – Berlin, SO36
March 28th – Zürich, Labor 5
March 29th – Barcelona, Sala Paral-lel 62
March 30th – München, Technikum
March 31st – Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
April 5th – Cologne, Essigfabrik
April 6th – Haarlem, Patronaat
April 7th – Paris, Cabaret Sauvage
