Leon D'Souza

Last updated

Leon D'Souza
Born
Leon Saalis de Souza

(1985-11-10) 10 November 1985 (age 40)
Goa Velha, Goa, India
Alma mater Wilson College, Mumbai
University of Mumbai
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • publicist
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active2011–present
Labels
Website facebook.com/theleondesouza

Leon D'Souza [a] (born 10 November 1985) is an Indian playback singer and songwriter. [1] He has sung in Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada film industries and has also recorded advertising jingles. He gained widespread recognition for singing "Hosanna" in the 2012 Hindi film Ekk Deewana Tha , composed by A. R. Rahman. [2]

Contents

Early life

D'Souza was born into a Goan Catholic family in Goa, India. [3] His maternal grandfather was a violinist who regularly performed at church services and local religious gatherings. D'Souza grew up surrounded by music and learned to play the recorder and piano. [3]

He also trained in a church choir at Gloria Church, Byculla, Mumbai, which shaped his vocal technique and influenced his musical style, heavily inspired by gospel music. [4]

Career

D'Souza began his career performing in gospel competitions and church choirs. [5] He was introduced to Bollywood by A. R. Rahman, who selected him to record the Hindi version of the song "Hosanna" for Ekk Deewana Tha (2012). [6] [7] Originally, the song's rap section was not intended for him, but Rahman encouraged D'Souza to perform it, resulting in a signature vocal style combining soft and bold tones reminiscent of R&B artist Usher. [4]

Following this breakthrough, D'Souza featured in the remix version of "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu" from Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu in the same year, composed by Amit Trivedi. In 2013, he sang "Dhuaan" for the film D-Day , composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, collaborating with multiple vocalists.

D'Souza also recorded songs in Tamil and Kannada, collaborating with composers such as Ghibran and Sachin Warrier. He toured internationally as a guest vocalist with Arijit Singh during 2016–2017. [1]

In 2019, D'Souza released his first single, "Summer 45", an electronic pop track composed by DJ Tanishq, in collaboration with Johnnie Ernest and Stich. [5] The song reflects tropical summer themes and nostalgic imagery of beaches from his youth in Goa.

In 2022, D'Souza experienced renewed popularity when an Instagram reel featuring his performance of "Hosanna" went viral, garnering over 28 million views within 24 hours. [4] The viral moment introduced his voice to a new generation of listeners, many of whom were unaware of the singer behind the original track.

Musical style

D'Souza's music is influenced by gospel and contemporary pop, with a focus on embellishing vocal lines and exploring multiple tones within a single performance. [4] He has expressed interest in blending independent music projects with traditional film playback singing. [1]

Other ventures

Outside of music, D'Souza co-founded a communications company, Storytellers101, in 2016, where he manages brand storytelling and creative projects. [4]

Discography

Film songs

YearSongFilmComposerLyricistCo-singer(s)LanguageNotesRef.
2012"Hosanna" Ekk Deewana Tha A. R. Rahman Javed Akhtar Maria Roe Vincent and Suzanne D'Mello Hindi and English
"Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (Remix)" Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu Amit Trivedi Amitabh Bhattacharya Benny Dayal, Anushka Manchanda and Shefali Alvaris Hindi
2013"Dhuaan" D-Day Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy Niranjan Iyengar Rahul Ram, Siddharth Mahadevan, Alyssa Mendonsa, Thomson Andrews, Keshia Braganza and Crystal SequeiraHindi [8]
2013"Ae Le Le Etti Paarthale" Naiyaandi Ghibran Vaibodha Arivumathi Sundar Narayana Rao Tamil [9]
2018"Daariya Kaledukondide" Katheyondu Shuruvagide Sachin Warrier Kiran Kaverappa Inchara Rao Kannada

Television songs

YearSongSerial/ShowComposerLyricistCo-singer(s)LanguageNotesRef.
2012"Teri Meri Love Stories Title Track" Teri Meri Love Stories Mahalaxmi Iyer Hindi

Singles

YearSongComposerLyricistCo-singer(s)LanguageNotesRef.
2019"Summer 45"Leon D'Souza, Pallavi Kedar and Atul GuptaLeon D'Souza, Pallavi Kedar and Atul GuptaEnglish
2021"Find My Way"Candy D'SouzaCandy D'SouzaEnglish

Awards and nominations

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Konkani pronunciation: [lɪ.joːnɖɪ.suː.zaː] .

References

  1. 1 2 3 Giri, Aditi (21 January 2021). "Exclusive! 'Hosanna' singer Leon D'Souza: Rahman is a one-man band". The Times of India . Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Check out Hindi all-time hit romantic song music video 'Hosanna' sung by Leon D'Souza and Suzanne D'Mello featuring Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson". The Times of India . Times Internet. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Leon D'Souza: I always wanted to become someone who sang well". The Talking Desk. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Leon D'Souza, the voice behind the now-viral reel of 'Hosanna,' gets candid about the ARR song that catapulted him into fame". Indulge Express. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 Giri, Aditi (4 May 2019). "Leon D'Souza celebrates summer with his new single". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "AR Rahman music director". The New Indian Express. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "A.R. Rahman: Leon D'Souza's voice has a universal appeal". Bollywood Life. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  8. ↑ Rajiv Vijayakar (3 July 2013). "D-Day - Music Critic Review". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  9. ↑ Karthik (21 September 2013). "Naiyaandi (Music review), Tamil – Ghibran". Milliblog . Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
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