Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/996854
WEEKS BEFORE LEON BRIDGES RELEASED HIS SECOND ALBUM AND EMBARKED ON A MAJOR WORLD TOUR, WE CHATTED WITH OUR HOMETOWN SOUL-MUSIC PHENOM ON SELF REINVENTION, LOVE-MAKING MUSIC, AND THOSE GOOD OLE LOCAL HANGS HE'LL NEVER STOP FREQUENTING. 72 W hen I hear the song "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti, I think of Leon Bridges. It was the summer of 2017. I was late to a Fourth of July party at Leon Bridges' house — a backyard barbecue to which I was certainly not cool enough to be invited. Bridges was lounging in an inflatable kiddie pool, sipping from a Solo cup. A while later, as burgers made their way from the grill to plates, he reappeared, dry and wearing a vintage terry-cloth cover-up. He introduced himself, shook our hands, and thanked us, with utmost sincerity, for coming to his party. A few minutes later, "Magnolia" blasted through the speakers, and we all got down like we were old friends. Despite Bridges' meteoric rise, the 28-year-old Fort Worth native has stayed remarkably down-to-earth. When he's not on tour with Harry Styles, Bridges is BY NATALIE GEMPEL. PHOTOGRAPHY THOMAS ESCOBAR. GOOD VIBES AND GOOD THING Leon Bridges