Local artist Leah Leyva released a music video covering the song “House of the Rising Sun,” originally performed by The Animals. Every aspect of the video was created locally. Leah talked about it on her Facebook page:
“This music video is 100% local!! How awesome is that?! Local cast, crew, location, recording artist, and even a local record label! This cast and crew was literally a bunch of young and up and coming New Mexican filmmakers! We are the next generation of crazy movie people. Let’s show everybody how bad ass ABQ is!!”
Check out the video below, and the article we at ABQ-Live the Magazine featured Leah in issue #7.
Video promo images by: Escee Media (Shelbie Corriz)
Leah’s upcoming gigs:
October 24th-
Rio Bravo Brewing Company- Shaving Cream Fight to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital.
November 1st-
South Valley Dia De Los Muertos Parade 4pm-5pm
November 13th-
The Range Cafe in Bernalillo 7pm-9pm
Strength In Her Roots
By Joshua Cain VanLandingham
Twenty year-old Albuquerque native, Leah Leyva has been singing as long as she can remember. After auditioning for the TV series American Idol, you wouldn’t think she would have ever battled extreme stage fright, but for a period of time she did. She went to film school, did beauty and stage makeup on several indie/ student films, and directed many of her own short films/music videos. Film helped her define herself as an artist and led her back to her musical roots with confidence.
“It’s still a HUGE part of my life. I have what I like to call creative visions, just images that swirl through my head and once they’re there I have to create them! Very soon I will most definitely be directing/ producing/starring in a new music video!”
Family is Leyva’s biggest influence. “My family are wonderful people, and they are so incredibly supportive of what I do.” Leyva’s father, Moses is her “music mentor” and a phenomenal guitar player himself. They play and write music together while her mother takes on the manager role for Leah, always giving her critiques and advice. Her grandmother was a blues singer and you can hear that influence boom through on Leah’s cover of Corinne Bailey Rae’s ‘Put your records on’ which you can find on Youtube. Another tremendous influence on Leyva is her sister Rebekah, a flamenco dancer currently living in Spain. “Her fire and determination to be the artist she aspires to be is so inspiring to me. She works so hard! And never stops!”
Leah took her talents to Salt Lake City this summer to try and compete on American Idol. After a grueling 4-month process just to get an audition, she made it through the first two rounds, only to be cut after the third. The 4th round would have been in front of the famous panel of judges. Even though she was turned away, Leah looks back on it as a wonderful experience. “It was the biggest audition of my life thus far and just getting up in front of those producers and giving them all I got was a beautiful opportunity!”
What is up next for Leah? Leyva and her father are currently working on an album, but until then you can find her on basically every social media outlet available, SoundCloud, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, and LinkedIn. “I am a social media freak!” She so aptly puts it. Leyva also has a film coming out soon called Espiritu, a horror/experimental film that looks inside the mind of someone going through an exorcism. She is also gearing up to shoot a couple of music videos for two songs off her new album. Performing live shows is a passion of hers and as soon as she turns 21, she will be booking shows as often as possible. Leah plans on staying an independent artist and looks to follow in the footsteps of performers like Macklamore, who has given hope to independent artists all over the world with his success. With her talent, drive, and support system we wouldn’t be surprised to see Leah surpass all of her goals.
