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Leadley
Leadley in 2019
Background information
Birth nameBethan Mary Leadley
Born (1995-12-15) 15 December 1995 (age 29)[1]
Crawley, West Sussex, England
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboard
Years active2007–present
Labels
EducationPortsmouth College
PartnerElyar Fox (2017–Present)
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers282 thousand[2]
Total views6.32 million[2]
NetworkFree Focus
100,000 subscribers

Bethan Mary Leadley (born 15 December 1995) is an English singer-songwriter, YouTuber, presenter, and actress.

Early life and education

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Leadley was born in Crawley, West Sussex. She has an older brother, Daniel, who is married to Hannah Witton.[3] Leadley attended Woking High School in Woking, Surrey[4] followed by Portsmouth College in Portsmouth, Hampshire.[5]

Career

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Music and YouTube

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Bethan Mary Leadley / musicalbethan (2007–2014)

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Leadley began posting videos to her YouTube channel (formerly musicalbethan) in April 2007, although her main channel videos from prior to 2011 have been since deleted.[6] She then started two side channels; acousticbethan in 2010 and justbefon in 2012. Her channels have consisted of covers, original songs, vlogs, interviews with the likes of Union J and Ellie Goulding, and more.

Leadley released a single "Day Affair" in collaboration with mental health charity, Time to Change in June 2014.[7]

Bethan Leadley / musicalbethan (2014–2017)

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Leadley released her first EP, New Kinda New as Bethan Leadley under LAB Records in November 2014 with producers Jon Gaskin and Ande Mello from Fort Hope.[8] It was then announced Leadley would set out on her first tour via Kililive in January 2015 with performances in Bristol, Birmingham, London, Nottingham, Manchester and Glasgow.[9] She was accompanied by Box of Light and Dodie Clark.[10] Leadley supported Lucy Spraggan on tour that May,[11] Union J at British Summer Time 2015,[12] and The Midnight Beast on tour that September.[13]

In September 2015, Leadley uploaded a charity cover of Birdy's "People Help the People" for Save the Children.[14] Later in November, her second EP, Inside Her Head was released, this time with a more pop punk sound and delving into personal issues Leadley dealt with growing up.[15][16] The third track on the EP, "Fall for You", received a nomination for YouTuber song of the Year at the 2016 Summer in the City Awards and the music video featured a number of YouTubers, including Dodie Clark, Hannah Witton, Emma Blackery, Orla Gartland, Niki and Sammy Albon, Elyar, the Mandeville Sisters, and more.[17]

In 2015 and 2016, Leadley made appearances on YouTube channel CokeTV presented by Dodie Clark, including a duet with Clark, "Gold Star for Me".[17]

In February 2016, Leadley signed with Kililive backed talent agency Free Focus.[18] That same year, she supported The Rocket Summer on the acoustic stage at Slam Dunk Festival 2016.

Leadley (2017–present)

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Leadley in 2017

Shifting her main focus towards music and her genre, she rebranded to Leadley with single "All of You" to debut the new moniker in August 2017. The song was co-written by Iain Mahanty and the music video was directed by Mandy Celine.[19]

A self-titled EP followed in November 2018 featuring Dodie Clark and Lucy Moon as back-up vocals and co-writing by Stefan Abingdon.[20] The first single off this EP was "Like I Did", released in July 2018 with a music video in September directed by Abingdon and filmed at the Old Joinery in Greenwich, London.[21] The second was "Never Knew Love", which was released in August and its music video in November. It was filmed by her boyfriend, Elyar.[22] She then in December filmed the music video for his song, "Mango", in return. Both were filmed on their holiday in Rhodes.[23]

Leadley's next single, "Chic", along with its music video directed by Mandy Celine, had a 9 August 2019 release.[24] Leadley supported Tessa Violet on the UK and Europe legs of her 'I Like (The Idea Of) Tour' in October and November 2019.[25] When she got home, she released singles "Money" and "23", which she had debuted live on tour.[26]

In 2020, she released "Nightmare" and "Summer Lovin'". The cover for the former features art by digital artist Laura Brouwers (Cyarin/Cyarine).[27] In March 2022, Leadley released her fourth EP overall and second under the Leadley moniker Dark Pop, containing "23", "Nightmare", her 2021 single "Sinner", and 2022 single "I'm Not That Girl (Anymore)". In summer 2022, Leadley supported Kid Rain and was part of the Climate Live, Edgbaston Stadium, and Reading Pride line-ups.[28][29]

Also in 2022, Leadley released the singles "New Shoes" and "Crush", which would form part of her 2023 EP Light Pop along with earlier singles "Chic" and "Love Me Like That" as well as new songs.

Television and film

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Since 2015, Leadley has worked for 4Music presenting The UK Music Video Chart, which airs on Saturdays at 5pm.[15][30] In 2016, she was given a second gig on the network, What's Upfront on Mondays at 6pm.[31] The shows are broadcast on 4Music, Box Hits, and The Box.

Leadley also hosted TransmitterTV's coverage of the 2015 Brit Awards.[7]

Leadley starred as the main character, Chloe Murdoch, in 2016 independent horror film, The Darkest Dawn (originally titled Hungerford 2).[32][17][33]

Artistry

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Between her ventures, Leadley describes music as her "first love".[20] Although she has been writing lyrics from as young as 8,[34] she wrote her first full song, "Then I Go", shortly after her parents' divorce when she was 13 or 14. Leadley cites that writing music has helped her through difficult times and much of her music is based on real life experiences, either her own or those of her friends.[35] As she has moved from folk/acoustic to pop punk to pop in terms of her sound, Leadley has stated that her inspirations have changed over time. Damien Rice's O, which her father used to play in the car, made her "fall in love with songwriting to begin with."

Personal life

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Leadly has been in a relationship with the singer Elyar since February 2017. They officially moved in together in December 2020, and are currently based in Birmingham.[36]

In April 2023, Leadley went viral on TikTok when she revealed she had been diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI).[37]

Discography

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Extended plays

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List of extended plays
Title Details
New Kinda New
(as Bethan Leadley)
  • Released: 2 November 2014
  • Label: LAB Records
  • Formats: digital download, streaming
Inside Her Head
(as Bethan Leadley)
  • Released: 20 November 2015
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: digital download, streaming
Leadley
  • Released: 23 November 2018
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: digital download, streaming
Dark Pop
  • Released: 18 March 2022
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: digital download, streaming
Light Pop
  • Released: December 2023

Singles

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Year Song Album
2014 "Day Affair" Non-album single
2017 "All of You"
2018 "Like I Did" Leadley
"Never Knew Love"
2019 "Chic" Light Pop
"Money" Non-album single
"23" Dark Pop
2020 "Nightmare"
"Summer Lovin'" Non-album single
"Love Me Like That" Light Pop
2021 "Sinner" Dark Pop
2022 "I'm Not That Girl (Anymore)"
"New Shoes" Light Pop
"Crush"
2023 "Love for the Last Time"
Year Song
2015 "One for the Road" (with Dodie Clark)
"Shoot All Your Problems Away" (with TomSka)
2016 "Gold Star for Me" (with Dodie Clark; for CokeTV)
2019 "A Whole New World" (Creators' Cover for Disney Studios UK)

Music videos

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Year Song Director
2014 "Left the Broken" (lyric video)
"Safe Lined"
2015 "Your Storm"
"Fall For You"
2017 "All of You" Mandy Celine
2018 "Like I Did" Stefan Abingdon
"Never Knew Love" Elyar
2019 "Chic" Mandy Celine
"Money"
2020 "Nightmare" Herself
"Summer Lovin'"
"Love Me Like That" Jack Howard
2021 "Sinner"
2022 "I'm Not That Girl (Anymore)" Ami Bevilacqua
"Crush" Herself
2023 "Love for the Last Time"

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 The Darkest Dawn Chloe Murdoch Film; originally titled Hungerford 2
2017 "6/10" Music video by dodie

Awards and nominations

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Year Show Award Nominee Result Ref.
2016 Summer in the City Awards YouTuber Song of the Year "Fall For You" Nominated [38]

References

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  1. ^ "My Birthday in Disneyland Paris with dodie and Hannah Witton - December". YouTube. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "About Leadley". YouTube.
  3. ^ Lewis, Anna (22 August 2019). "YouTuber Hannah Witton proposed to her boyfriend with a keyring". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Spring 2013 Newsletter" (PDF). Woking High School. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Awards Night at Portsmouth College". Portsmouth: The News. JPIMedia. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  6. ^ "REACTING TO MY OLD VIDEOS ??!". YouTube. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Bethan Leadley". The Darkest Dawn. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  8. ^ Lander-Boyce, Teoh (7 December 2014). "Bethan Mary Leadley: Proving Her Worth". TenEighty. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  9. ^ Sutton, Erin (23 October 2014). "Bethan Mary Leadley Announces First Headline Tour". TenEighty. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  10. ^ "YouTube Sensation Bethan Leadley Announces First UK Headline Tour". Lineup Now. 17 January 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ "Live Review - Lucy Spraggan Engine Rooms 21/5/15". Sauce Magazine. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  12. ^ "Line-Up (2015)". efestivals.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  13. ^ Pearce, Tilly Jeanette (24 August 2015). "Bethan Leadley to Open for The Midnight Beast". TenEighty. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  14. ^ Dryden, Liam (22 September 2015). "MusicalBethan's New Cover For Save The Children Makes Her Our YouTuber Of The Week". We the Unicorns. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  15. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Clare (28 September 2015). "Bethan Leadley Discusses 4Music and New EP". TenEighty. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  16. ^ Snapper, Lydia (20 November 2015). "Bethan Leadley 'Inside her Head' Review". Cliché Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Leak, Bob (14 February 2019). "Our Eight Favourite Bethan Leadley Moments". TenEighty. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  18. ^ Leak, Bob (14 February 2016). "Kilimanjaro Backs YouTube-Focused Talent Agency". IQ. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  19. ^ Jennings, Maddy (17 August 2017). "Bethan Leadley Talks All of You". TenEighty. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  20. ^ a b Griffin, Louise (21 November 2018). "Leadley reveals switching focus from vlogs to music has been 'a hard lesson' ahead of debut single". Metro. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  21. ^ "Like I Did / Music Video - Leadley (Behind The Scenes)". YouTube. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  22. ^ "EP REVIEW: Leadley's self titled EP is a defining moment in this new pop star's career". A1234. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Elyar - Mango (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  24. ^ Williamson, Sarah (31 July 2019). "Bethan Leadley Announces New Single". TenEighty. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  25. ^ Tessa Violet (3 October 2019). "announcing support for the UK/EU leg of tour!!". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2019 – via Instagram.
  26. ^ Kelly Anne (12 November 2019). "Leadley Discusses the Release of Two New Singles". TenEighty. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  27. ^ Fitzgerald, Clare (13 April 2020). "Leadley Releases New Single". TenEighty. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  28. ^ "A summer of sporting entertainment arrives in Birmingham as The Hundred unveils break-through artist line-up". Visit Birmingham. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Unite 'Jan Bastable' Main Stage". Reading Pride. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Live Q and A with former X Factor contestant JJ Thompson and YouTube sensation Bethan Leadley". Belfast Telegraph. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  31. ^ "Bethan Leadley lands second 4Music gig". Triple a Media. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  32. ^ Slatter, Phil (11 July 2017). "Gore in the Store: The Darkest Dawn". FrightFest. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  33. ^ "Bethan and Cherry to Star in Sci-Fi Horror Film". TenEighty. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  34. ^ "What's it like being an Independent Artist? - ad". YouTube. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  35. ^ Matthews, Emma. "MP! Exclusive: Musical Bethan shares her thoughts about fans invading Zoella and Alfie's privacy". Maximum Pop!. Retrieved 16 July 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  36. ^ "2017 was WEIRD af - Why I stopped posting videos". YouTube. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  37. ^ Kuefler, Kayla (12 April 2023). "A 27-year-old TikToker went viral for going through 'menopause': What is POI?". Yahoo Style. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  38. ^ Sutton, Erin (14 August 2016). "Summer in the City Awards 2016 Round-Up". TenEighty. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
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