Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Leon Bridges joined Rebecca Judd on Apple Music 1 to discuss his new album, Happiness Anytime. Reflecting on his personal evolution, Bridges shared that the project marks a pivotal shift in his personal mindset and creative direction. “This is my self-love era,” Bridges explained to The Rebecca Judd Show. “Being under a microscope, sometimes it's easy to kind of focus on all your shortcomings, and I think it's creating my own reality and like choosing joy, no matter what's going on around me.”
A central element of this joy includes returning to movement, with Bridges revealing that the album allowed him to embrace dance once again. “I'm normally a guitar man, but yeah, it's so freeing,” Bridges stated. “I first started out as a dancer, so it's really a return to my first love really.” He noted that taking ballet, jazz, and hip-hop classes early on led directly to his musical career through jam sessions with fellow dancers.
The album also features a standout collaboration with J.Lloyd and Lydia Kito of Jungle, a partnership Bridges called a “dream come true.” Reflecting on their instant chemistry in the studio, he said, “I feel like it was the most free experience of creating art and music. We hadn't met prior to that, and I felt like I was making music with friends I had known forever.” He described the process as "super collaborative" as they passed around microphones and guitars "until we landed on something dope."
When discussing fellow artist Olivia Dean, whom he supported early in her career, Bridges expressed admiration for her global success, remarking, “I feel like they made the right person famous, you know, and I always say good music will always prevail.” On the prospect of future collaborations, he added, “Would love to. Yeah, I'm actually going to go to her show in Austin.” Bridges also explained his decision to release the record in stages to help listeners digest the music, noting, “I think we have short attention spans… just to kind of bring people into my world a little bit more.”
