Blending a rugged look with a beautiful voice, RUSSELL! navigates a space of rare vulnerability in today's era of unabashed toxicity. Equipped with a fresh voice from an experienced frame, the Filipino-Canadian crooner creates classic R&B music with modern sounds and textures. As a sincere and confident creative - the aura RUSSELL! carries with himself demands attention, while also puts others at ease. At his core, he is a genuine soul, and his supporters sense this exact demeanor and adore him for it.
A seasoned entertainer who has performed across Canada, USA, and Australia - RUSSELL!'s fans have come to expect a charismatic live show with emotional valleys and peaks, featuring phenomenal vocals throughout performances. "I want love, y'know. I'm out here building this career and chasing this dream, but ultimately, I want love. Real love. And I think that people from all realities and walks of life can relate to that."
Bouncing across mediums of expression, RUSSELL! is passionate about film, visual art, and fashion. As a true multihyphenate, deeply engaged in all facets of his artist output, RUSSELL! does not shy away from editing music videos and photos, designing merch pieces or even painting original pieces that find their way into the universe he is building.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Joe Leone grew up surrounded by music in church where his father was the preacher. That early melodic stimulation inspired him to sing in the choir, take piano lessons and teach himself how to play guitar. He attended the prestigious John Burroughs High School which the TV series Glee was based upon and was a part of their Power House choir/performance troupe which traveled around the world. The experiences of traveling overseas and performing on Oprah, Ellen, America’s Got Talent, and The Voice during his teenage years left an indelible impression upon him. He realized that music was truly his life’s calling and studied composition in college. By the age of 19 he was writing and performing his own songs. Joe has worked with some of the top producers in the music business such as Sauce, Felly, Ali Shaheed Mohammed (A Tribe Called Quest), Mike City, Gordon Campbell and Carvin Haggins. Now he is one of the artists represented by Eric Benét and Alison Ball’s JBR Creative Group and is sharing his mellifluous soul music with the world. His new maxi singles to debut are “Over Under” and “Save Face”, both produced with Sauce and Felly
