Conversations with Leedong Xiong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leedong Xiong.

Hi Leedong, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Leedong Xiong, I was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. I have been singing as early as I can remember. I used to listen to the old school Hmong music and sing along with my dad during car rides. My uncles put me on 4Tune, N Sync, Backstreet Boys, and various 90’s classic singers. As I grew older, I grew a passion for singing and took choir as soon as I could in middle school.

I grew up listening to a lot of 200’s music- so Usher, Pussy Cat Dolls, Rhianna, Kayne West, Chris Brown, Neyo, Bow Wow, Bruno Mars, Charlie Puth, etc. but most times, those artists were played on the radio. I was an adventurer and I loved discovering music. In my middle school years, I started looking for underrated artists online to listen to and studied their vocal styles and music genres. I found Jeremy Passion, D-Pryde, and J-Ryze and got into a little bit of rapping as well. It didn’t work out well because I didn’t understand the concept enough at that time.

In 6th-8th grade, I joined the show choir and I was part of the Hortonville Middle School Show Choir. During that time, my teacher challenged my singing potential as I was going through puberty and I developed the foundation for my sound. I did a lot of singing and dancing as a kid. In high school, I stopped exploring the realm of rap and began writing and recording videos of my first voice memos. I had lots of ideas that planted the seed for the songs that I’ve released now. I picked up the guitar wrote a few corny songs with simple chords, and played on and off for 5 years. I joined some talent shows as well but I was always so nervous and couldn’t sing like how I did at home.

I decided to pick up a ukulele during my first year of college to change things up a bit. During this time, I loved listening to Jon Bellion, and Joji, and was starting to make my own Lo-Fi beats. I fell in love and quickly forgot about music production. It wasn’t until I got my heart broken that I started having the drive I had back in the day to finish songs. In 6 months, I taught myself how to mix, master, and record myself again. It was tough doing everything by myself and just looking at YouTube tutorials, but I made it happen!

In 2021, I released my first self-produced/mixed/mastered project titled “Beautiful Delusions”. The theme behind “Beautiful Delusions” was that, after my relationship ended, I was still delusional that it would work and my songs explained ways it wouldn’t have worked. Each note, each melody, and each photo for each song had a meaning that no one other than me would understand. After that, I started exploring beats online and I made an RNB banger titled “Nonsense”.

I had big artists in the community share it with everyone and that was the start of “leedong”. “leedong” debuted in 2021 with Nonsense and have I been releasing tracks as much as I could following the Russ method. I kept showing up to karaoke nights at the bar and got with the right people (shoutout to MR. RNB, Tou Long, and Ban Vinais), and from there opportunities started showing up for me. It was up to me to take the chance and as afraid of the future as I was, I kept telling myself “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be”.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been at all, “but it’s okay cause I like it taking detours left and right but I, know where my heart is gonna be”. That’s a line from my song “Vibin’ featuring my brother “T. Sharp”. I didn’t spark my flame and desire for music until after my relationship had ended. During that relationship, I felt like I couldn’t fully express myself creatively through music or it would make my partner sad.

During that time, my partner thought that if I pursued music, I would get too big and leave her so I chose not to do any music. I wrote lots of ideas down on my notepad app or recorded voice memos but I never finished any songs because I didn’t want her to feel hurt. Looking back, all that was holding me back from becoming the man that I was supposed to be. When I wrote “Vibin'”, I was really sad but I had a vision that life would get better so I wanted to write something to uplift myself. Now I’m in a much better place mentally and singing that song on stage, which everyone loves!

Honestly, it was really difficult because when I first started, I didn’t have much visible support. My brother, a few family members, and some close friends shared my stuff or listened to my songs. It was discouraging to see how much time I spent on these tracks and not have it get the recognition it deserved but I trust in God’s timing. Once it’s out, it’s out and someone will discover it and claim it as their hidden gem. That makes me happy that someone will discover me one day. To anyone who is becoming an artist, don’t worry about the fans, worry about the quality of the content you are making, in time your audience will follow.

When I first started, I was compensated in show tickets and bottles, but I would try to give them away to friends and family and no one would take them. That was discouraging because I wanted to share with them a part of my life as an artist, that this is the real deal, I’m doing it, but again I wouldn’t have takers so I stopped giving out tickets.

The biggest issue for me is wanting a certain sound, but not being able to emulate or express it in that way. I have a love/hate relationship with mixing and mastering, but I love to do it because I’m only getting better with each mix and also I get to control how the song gets expressed. I used to get a lot of writer’s block, but once I stopped judging myself or sounding stupid or not making sense, ideas came in the form of mumble melodies, and from there I could find melodies and fill in the words later.

Becoming an artist, I noticed that people will talk bad about me for no reason, maybe they’re envious of me or how much/fast I’m growing but it’s been a long time coming. I’ve heard people trash-talk my sound, my style, or my character based on my social media presence. I don’t have any beef with anyone but people still talk and they will talk regardless. You just gotta give them something to talk about.

Talking about social media, I hate promoting my stuff. I just want to release and keep writing new songs but that’s now how it works in today’s world. I have to promote my songs more, I know that but I dread doing it. I just have to remember that although I’ve listened to it a million times, someone new might have come across it and be curious about what the song is about, I have to explain it to them. I also hate talking about myself on social media because I feel like I come off cocky or as bragging, but I have to remember that as an artist, I deserve the recognition and for people to care about my music, they must first know who I am.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Hi, my name is Leedong Xiong, I go by the stage name “leedong”. I’m a self-taught music artist and I am a vocal producer/ mix engineer/writer/lyricist/ and musician. I’m known for singing in a unique array of music genres.

I’m proud that I listened to a lot of music growing up because it allowed me to sing in many genres.

People tell me I also have a very soft but smooth singing voice but also with a haunting tone. I sing sad songs a lot and people tell me I sing sad songs in a really sad tone. If you want to work with me, please DM me on Instagram or send me an email at [email protected].

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see more shows, more venues, more bookings, more tracks, more collaborations, more traveling, more states, more car rides, more hotel nights, more parties, more fans, more lights, and all that stuff.

I have been discovering my sound and I think I found it so primarily, my sound will be more focused on indie style, traditional Hmong, smooth RNB (bedroom music), or pop-type songs. I am working on some merch too, so stay tuned for that.

I am also offering mixing/mastering/recording sessions and I hope to see an increase of clientele soon.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leedonggg_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leedongmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCztsuGb17dKSfO_MSANIuPQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/leedongmusic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@leedongmusic

Image Credits
Bee Vang (Bee Visual), Victoria Vang (Achelois Artistry), Lai Chia Lor and Yengkong Xiong (L&YK Photography), and Xiab Neeb Lor (Xiab Neeb Photography)