Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • WeLoveUs.shop
  • 2026 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Celebrity

ESSENCE Fest Retro-Soul Man Leon Bridges Kicks It Old and New School

"I don't want people coming to my concerts thinking that they're going to a sock hop or whatever," says the R&B throwback.
ESSENCE Fest Retro-Soul Man Leon Bridges Kicks It Old and New School
Getty
By Essence · Updated October 27, 2020
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Leon Bridges may be a retro-soul singer, but he’s not totally old-school. “I Love Young Thug, I love Drake, I love modern music,” says the 26-year-old, who will perform at ESSENCE Festival, held June 30-July 3 in New Orleans. “And of course I have a cell phone!”

While his music may draw from the classic R&B of the late ’50s and ’60s, Bridges says, “I don’t want people coming to my concerts thinking that they’re going to a sock hop or whatever.”

However, when it comes to his style, Bridges is all the way vintage. “I love how a suit was the norm for a man [to wear] 60 years ago,” says the Grammy-nominated crooner. “I’m at the grocery store in a suit. It makes me feel confident.”

Buy your tickets to the 2016 ESSENCE Festival here and make sure to check for more updates.