An interview with G.B. Leighton on latest album, “Tangerine,” Storytelling, Longevity, Connection, and more!

GB Leighton returns with his highly anticipated album, “Tangerine,” on Moonsong Records, reinforcing his status as a beloved performer and songwriter after nearly three decades in the music industry. Known for his electric live shows and heartfelt songwriting, Leighton continues to push artistic boundaries while nurturing a deep connection with fans. 

Interview Contributed to by Krista Vilinskis of Elephants and Flowers Media

G.B. Leighton Interview:

On Tangerine and Storytelling

Tangerine feels deeply human — flawed, hopeful, restless. What emotional thread ties the album together for you?

The things you lose through addiction.

The title track uses the image of a tangerine hanging outside a door as a symbol of longing and escape. Where did that metaphor come from, and what made it powerful enough to name the entire record after?

The song is about an alcoholic who wakes up in the floor and sees a tangerine hanging outside. As he wishes he could be anything else but what he is. He just wishes he was that tangerine. So smooth. Juicy. Refreshing.

Your songs often balance working-class realism with a kind of stubborn optimism. Do you consciously write toward hope, or does it emerge naturally from your life experience?

Hope has been a great part of my life. Career and personal. Alcoholic, survived cancer 3 times. There’s been a lot of hope. But I write about it and people connect which is cool. So I guess it’s both. Personal but also able to relate with other people’s struggles. I think it helps when I can relate with the average person because I am the average person. But I lean towards being nice.

There’s a tenderness throughout this album that doesn’t shy away from vulnerability. Did making Tangerine require a different level of emotional honesty from you?

It was kind of like the songs took on a story and I agreed.

Some of these songs feel like conversations people wish they’d had years ago. Do you write more from memory, observation, or imagination?

I hope imagination and the future.
Remembering who we are. What we are.

On Longevity and Evolution

After nearly three decades of performing, what truths about songwriting have remained constant for you — and what beliefs have completely changed?

We are all the same.
Words don’t matter anymore. If they do. They steal from old.

You’ve built a career outside the traditional industry machine, largely through relentless touring and direct fan connection. What has that path taught you about success?

Going to the people. Where they live. Their communities. They’ll go out if it’s close to home.

Has your relationship with the audience changed as both you and your longtime fans have grown older together?

For sure. I get 21 year old kids coming up to me telling me all they heard as a child was GB Leighton.
I’m trying to hook them back in and start a new younger following with my old following showing them the ropes.

When you look back at younger versions of yourself — especially the 14-year-old who wrote “You Better Not Run” — what surprises you most?

I never wanted to be a front man. A singer. I wanted to just be in the band. But it struck me to start writing my own songs. I wanted to do this. Just not as a front man.

On “You Better Not Run”

Recording “You Better Not Run” with the original drummer decades after writing it feels almost cinematic. What emotions surfaced revisiting that song?

Huge emotions. The fact my drummer from age 13/14 wanted to end his career re-recording the first song I wrote for a band. To what he says as bookshelf’s. Mike believed in me from the start. He recorded me whenever I’d write. We’d experiment with rooms and places and mics and did it on 1”tape. He believed in me. I’ll never forget that.

Did the meaning of “You Better Not Run” evolve over time, or did you discover the younger you already understood something profound?

I’ve been called an old souls since age 18. It had meaning to me with an old girlfriend maybe not with others.

What does it feel like to preserve a piece of your teenage self inside a mature body of work like Tangerine?

I love it. I love showing where I started from. I was a scared kid who got picked up by parents at a party cause I was too scared to sing.

Now I’m proud. Proud of what Mike and Steve did to make it relatable to today’s rock.

On Connection and Fan Loyalty

Your fans are famously devoted — some have even tattooed your lyrics on themselves. What responsibility comes with knowing your words live permanently in people’s lives?

I think they pick positive words which most of my songs are so I take they believe in the good too.
It’s the autographs that they don’t tell me they’re gonna get and I wish I did it more neat.

Have fans ever shared stories about your songs that changed your understanding of the music itself?

I let them tell me their story. If it’s different than mine it’s okay. I don’t correct. I have my story they have theirs.

What do you think people are truly searching for when they come to a GB Leighton show?

Community they come alone because they know they have 5 friends that show up or regulars.
We come together as one.

In an increasingly distracted world, why do you think authenticity still resonates so strongly with your audience?

Cause it’s pure. We all have our things. Freak shows to some. Some are freak shows to us.
I’m bald, one testicle but a smile that won’t stop. Sometimes they need to forget about their day.
I do that. Make them forget.

On Love, Imperfection, and Healing

Many artists romanticize chaos, but this album seems to make space for grace and acceptance too. Was that intentional?

Yes very.

On Minnesota and Identity

Minnesota has always felt deeply woven into your music. What is it about the Midwest that continues to shape your storytelling voice?😙

It’s true. There are many singers from the Midwest who go to Nashville and all of a sudden have a southern accent. Sound like you sound.

Craft and Creative Process

Your music blends heartland rock, country, and Americana without sounding trapped by genre. Do you think genre labels help artists anymore?

I don’t know who controls anything anymore other than the little I do.

Was there a song on Tangerine that surprised you during recording — one that became something bigger than you initially imagined?

The One You Find. I love Mexico. Acapulco especially. To get the trumpets in there was huge. Kevin’s idea, Thanks Kevin! Great idea. It’s a fiesta in the middle of the song.

I love it. The banjo adds a to as well. Keeps that rhythm going. Great players. Paul Odegard trumpet and Anthony on banjo. Just great!

What did producer Kevin Bowe bring out of you creatively on this record?

He sets a very comfortable room. Humor and comfortable. Structure. Rhythm.
He’s a great songwriter. He knows his stuff.

How do you know when a song is finished emotionally, not just technically?

Vocals.

Reflection and Legacy

If Tangerine captures this chapter of your life, what do you hope listeners hear years from now when they revisit it?

I remember how I was fixing myself and this album brought me through it.

What do you hope younger songwriters understand about endurance, especially in a music industry obsessed with immediacy?

Learn to entertain 12 people before you’re thrown in front of 3000.

After all these years, what still makes music feel necessary to you?

My release. Shout it out! It’s what I do.

What part of yourself do you think your audience understands best — and what part do they still not fully see?

Brian Leighton is a hell of a guy right out of a movie, Brian Glodek has issues like everyone else. But I try to be good. That’s my thing. Be good. You have a choice. You don’t have to give money. You can look behind you at a door and keep it open. Simple stuff.

When people leave the album release show, what feeling do you hope stays with them on the drive home?

That Brian connected with me.

ALBUM CREDITS:
all songs written by brian leighton except “’til i see you again,”
written by brian leighton and marc bryan
produced by kevin bowe and brian leighton
recorded and mixed by kevin bowe except “you better not run,”
by steve philbrook

MUSICIANS:
brian leighton – lead vocals, acoustic guitars
ryan inselman – drums, except “you better not run,” by mike chaput
smokey d – bass except “something good,” by kevin bowe
tommy barbarella – piano and organ except “something good,”
b3 organ by adam daniel

booking: eric roberts | eric@hellobooking.com | 651.647.4464

WEBSITE & SOCIALS:
https://gbleighton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gbleighton
https://www.instagram.com/gbleighton/
https://www.youtube.com/@GBLeighton
https://www.tiktok.com/@gbleighton