Leon Blanchard Launches ‘Astronaut’ – A Soaring Single from a Northern Songwriting Veteran
- Tamara Jenna
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
With raw honesty and melodic force, the former Brightlights frontman returns after a decade in the shadows with a defiant track about escape, space, and self-reflection.
Leon Blanchard, the singer-songwriter from Grimsby, makes a quietly triumphant return with his latest single “Astronaut”, released on 14 March 2025. Melodic, reflective, and emotionally spacious, the track signals a powerful new chapter in the career of a songwriter who has long chosen substance over spectacle.
“It’s a song about wanting to escape, floating into space and looking back down on the world you’re living in,” Leon explains. “It took a while to figure out that song, so I’m pleased it’s finally out there.”
Blanchard first came to national attention fronting The Brightlights, an indie band that shot into the spotlight in 2007 after winning Channel 4’s Road to V competition, landing them a main stage slot at V Festival and a flurry of UK press acclaim. But just as quickly as they appeared, the band vanished—“faster than a haddock on a plate from Steels’ Cornerhouse,” as Leon puts it.
What followed was no disappearance, but a deliberate retreat. Over the next decade, Leon resisted pressure to rush back into the industry, instead choosing to hone his craft, privately and on his own terms. That creative solitude eventually bore fruit during the pandemic, resulting in a full-length album crafted alongside Dave Formula (of Magazine fame).
Now performing with his live band The Tiny Giants, Leon’s songs carry a lived-in weight. Honest, melodic, and often bruised—but always defiant—his music is a celebration of songwriting as survival, and Astronaut is no exception. It floats between themes of escape, isolation, and perspective, delivered with his signature soulful voice and lyrical clarity.
Though dates remain mostly local, the music travels far. It’s not about chasing trends, but about anchoring to something timeless: a good song, sung with intent.
Leon’s work “sits somewhere between raw northern grit and a finely tuned punch to the heart,” offering a reminder that in an age of digital noise, there’s still value in a voice that cuts through with something real.
Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Indie, Melodic Pop Rock
Moods: Introspective, Defiant, Melodic, Honest, Uplifting
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