new music: rob lea "reflection"

New music comes from all directions but few are as close to home for us here at It's Indie Towers as the debut track from Rob Lea, Reflection.

The eagle-eyed of you might just recognise Rob Lea from his recent television appearance on ITV's Starstruck, where he performed as Freddie Mercury. Others may have even seen him performing live as the frontman for one of the worlds most successful Queen tribute bands, Majesty.

Born in Leeds but raised in Blackpool, Rob was destined to be a performer and following his appearance on Starstruck, Rob has signed to Nashville record label WBA and today marks the release of his debut single Reflection.

The song is a piano-led pop ballad, an introspective and intimate offering, the song expresses the hidden thoughts felt through depression.

“Even though we have come a long way in highlighting mental health and wellbeing, we still have a long way to go in breaking down the stigma of feeling anxiety and depression and the need to hide such feelings, especially with Men who have some of the highest suicide rates.”

“As someone who has suffered heavily from anxiety for years, I hope Reflection can help those suffering through similar thoughts and feelings in some small way, even if it is simply putting words to the emotions that play out each day.”

Rob penned Reflection in the midst of the lockdown, teaming up with Turkish composer Ege and producer James Routh to create an emotional soundscape, finished off with Rob's distinctive, powerful vocals. Pulsing electronic beats mimic a heartbeat and the tension in the orchestral strings, which together with the lyrics create a complete picture of the emotions behind the song.

A bit about Rob...

Rob’s love for music was apparent from a very early age. The youngest of 5 children, Rob came to life when the opportunity arose to perform either at home or at school. Rob credits his music teachers throughout his school years for introducing him to instruments and believing in his talent, which inspired Rob to take up violin, guitar, piano, drums and even trumpet, for which he became the lead player in Blackpool Orchestra.

Following a year working as a performer in Benidorm and returning to the UK to study performing arts, Rob joined local rock band Black Pearl. It was his first experience being the frontman in a band and made him realise it was where he truly felt he could connect best with an audience.

Later, Rob joined tribute act bands for Take That and Queen. Having the opportunity to combine his two favourite things, acting and music, Rob found his footing. Rob set up his own Queen tribute band which has gone on to perform internationally at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. At the height of the business for the Queen tribute after many years of hard work, Rob signed a 5 year deal with a booker in the USA and then the pandemic hit. Overnight his work disappeared and he struggled to make ends meet during this difficult period. This is when Rob decided for the first time in a long time, to write his own music. When things opened back up and the Queen tribute could perform once again, Rob performed parts of his own music at his shows and received overwhelming support from his fans. This spurred Rob on to officially release his debut single ‘Reflection’.