Laura Lee Ochoa | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Leezy |
Born | Houston, Texas, U.S. | October 14, 1986
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Khruangbin |
Laura Lee Ochoa [1] (born October 14, 1986), also known as Leezy, is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the musical trio Khruangbin.
The daughter of Mexican-American parents, [2] Ochoa played piano and guitar as a child, but picked up bass at the suggestion of (then future) bandmate Mark Speer. Ochoa met him in 2009 through friends, where they initially connected over a shared love of Afghan music. Ochoa was an art history major with a focus on art of the ancient Near East. She worked as a math teacher for six years. [3] At the time, she was interested in playing piano again and he suggested she "follow the sound of the bass", which she had never thought about doing before. [4] [5] This recommendation led her to begin playing, which she says came very naturally to her. [6]
Ochoa has recorded five studio albums with Khruangbin: The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015), Con Todo el Mundo (2018), Mordechai (2020), Ali (2022) and A La Sala (2024) as well as two EPs: Texas Sun (2021) and Texas Moon (2022), both with the band and Leon Bridges. Prior to forming the group, Lee played bass on tour with Yppah. [4] In April, 2021, she collaborated with Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Niia on the song "Not Up For Discussion." [7]
In Khruangbin, Ochoa performs as "Leezy", an alter-ego that helps her keep some parts of herself private: "It helps me separate from her and it helps me emotionally to put it on her, so I let her take on all of the pressure." [4] She is the band's creative director, using her training in art and architecture to set up staging and create choreography and graphic design. [8] Both she and Speer sport long black wigs while performing [9] and "Leezy" goes through many costume changes throughout a show. In 2011, she made the decision to never wear the same outfit twice on stage, estimating that she has worn 600 different outfits whilst on tour. [10] She wears two different outfits per show, a decision inspired by Elton John, who was known to change up to four outfits. [3] She is also inspired by Prince who handled choreography and played guitar at the same time. [8]
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Khruangbin is an American musical trio from Houston, Texas. The band consists of Laura Lee Ochoa, Mark Speer, and DJ Johnson. The band is known for blending global music influences, such as classic soul, dub, rock and psychedelia.
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Mark Speer is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the guitarist and one of the founding members of the musical trio Khruangbin.
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The Universe Smiles Upon You is the debut studio album by American musical trio Khruangbin. It was released November 6, 2015 under Night Time Stories label.
Mordechai is the third studio album by American musical trio Khruangbin. It was released June 26, 2020 under Dead Oceans and Night Time Stories.
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A La Sala is the fourth studio album by American musical trio Khruangbin. It was released on April 5, 2024 through Dead Oceans and Night Time Stories.