Artist Profile - Leslie Hunt

Leslie Hunt began her life in the Chicago area, playing piano and singing by the age of four. While many will remember her from American Idol, where she made it to the top ten females in 2007, the singer/songwriter has been performing and recording nonstop since the moment she returned to Chicago.

Leslie performs regularly as a solo artist, playing for rooms large and small with nothing but a piano, or a guitar and her voice. She also has a full backing band for shows that call for something less intimate.

Leslie is also the lead singer of the progressive rock band District 97, which has been her primary focus for the past couple years. District 97 released their debut album Hybrid Child in the fall of 2010, and are scheduled to release their second in the spring of 2012, most of which she wrote the lyrics for. While the music is quite different from Leslie’s solo material, it is no less of a reflection of her as an artist and performer.

Leslie is currently working on her second full-length studio album, comprised of all songs she wrote in 2011. She started playing guitar, which greatly shaped her songwriting style, and the new record is on it’s way to becoming a very mellowed out, but no less powerful sophomore release. She is very excited to be working with Rick Chudacoff and Christian Cullen for the second time, the first being her debut album Your Hair Is On Fire, which is released on her own label (Ellenel Records) in the summer of 2009.