[PREMIERE] NYC Songstress Leandra McNair Finds Love On ‘I Bet’

Emerging NYC-based Soul/ R&B artist Leandra McNair is about to release her latest EP Lucky.

Today (Nov. 11), Singersroom carries the premiere of one of the project’s tracks titled “I Bet,” a sultry, jazz number which lets McNair’s clear, strong vocals shine as a rising powerhouse! The song sees the songstress singing her heart out about being moved by a certain gentleman.

“It was you I was waiting on / And darling, I bet it was you,” she sings to her intended love.

“My biggest inspiration for this tune was something old school and classic reminiscent of Motown and Marvin Gaye. To me, it’s really interesting how gut wrenching and heart breaking the song sounds but it really isn’t,” she says. “They lyrics are about how happy you are that you found the person you’ve been looking for all along. Yes, it’s about how hard life was before you met them but ultimately it’s a song of overwhelming joy, redemption, and love! At the end of the day, I believe I achieved the vibe I was going for. ‘I Bet’ has become one of my favorite songs to listen to and perform,” McNair explains.

Stream below:

Work began on Lucky about a year ago when Leandra began writing songs on the ukulele as she usually does when creating. As the songs developed and began to form from ideas into complete bodies of work, Leandra continued with her ideas and took it even further. As well as writing all the songs on the EP, Leandra also executive produced every track. Then she brought in guest producers Jordan Brown and Ken Linh Doky to help with the creative process. Lucky is heavily inspired by her idols such as Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae, and Lauryn Hill. As well as the inspiration she took from these classic artists she also took a lot of inspiration from modern hip-hop production styles such as trap music and alternative hip hop/R&B.

Leandra released her first EP titled Allura Luna in 2013. Leandra has performed at numerous venues in New York City. At the young age of 15, Leandra won Amateur Night at The Apollo. In 2011, Leandra was accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts with a generous scholarship. In 2015, Leandra had the honor of singing backup vocals for the legendary Debbie Sledge at the Standard Jazz club in Copenhagen. Later that year she got asked back to perform her own show at the Standard for a Nat King Cole Tribute with the legends Alvin Queen and Neils Lan Doky.