EPISODE 16
FAME IN A FACELESS BAND
RUDIMENTAL’S LOCKSMITH
Rudimental’s impact on UK music is near-universal, and when they burst onto the scene they were here to stay. But there’s much more to Leon ‘Locksmith’ Rolle than the music…
With football as a first love, a tough upbringing on London’s ‘Murder Mile’, and the resilient mindset worthy of winning SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2020, he’s a remarkable example of taking every opportunity and fulfilling his potential.
As Leon joins Ty this week, we hear what made him ‘rather die than quit’ on SAS: Who Dares Wins, the incredible story behind how they found John Newman, and the truth behind success in the music industry.
This episode covers
The fascinating story of how Rudimental found John Newman for Feel the Love
How Leon pushed through intense pain to win SAS: Who Dares Wins
The joys of success and cost at which it comes
Football as Leon’s first love, and how it taught him discipline
The dangers of growing up on London’s ‘Murder Mile’
Carrying the weight of complicated parental relationships
TikTok’s impact on the music industry
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
“We were all collectively nobody in that music industry when we released Feel the Love. That song went around record labels like wildfire. I can't stand to hear it anymore cause I've been hearing it for years, unless I'm on stage. I have to give that record its dues - it saved my life.”
54:20 - Locksmith
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“If you weren’t doing football or music, what were you doing with your time? You get lost as a kid because you feel like you don't have a voice, and you go through all the insecurities in the world. You feel like you have to prove yourself somehow, and you do get bucked up in the wrong places.” - 7:00 - Locksmith
“It's tough because you get an empty feeling inside, and you want to plaster it over with something which you don’t know. I’m 36 - how’s a grown 36 year-old still carrying this chip on his shoulder about his dad? The worst thing is that I struggle to speak to him about it.” - 18:50 - Locksmith
“I'm nothing like what I’m like on stage, funnily enough. Whenever I get into a room with people that have only seen me on stage, they’re like ‘It's gonna be fun having him here’. I get there and I'm like this, calm. They’re like, ‘I wasn't expecting that’.” - 31:30 - Locksmith
“For anyone in the music industry that thinks anything is instant, it's not. You get a number one hit, you're not going to see that money for the next two years. FYI. That’s just how it works.” - 43:10 - Locksmith
“As soon as I had my son in my head, I was like, ‘Right, cool. Even if I have to crawl myself out there. Even if I have to stay here for 24 hours when the cameras are gone. I'm gonna get up there’. I even said to myself that I’d rather die than quit.” - 1:04:40 -Locksmith
“I know there's people going through what I went through. You’ve got to think; if you don't know you're going through it, how many times did you already go through it? You must have been through it, you must have been like this before.” - 1:15:20 - Locksmith
“I love anything that evolves. A lot of people are probably like ‘Why is TikTok taking over music?’, but it’s just another way of people accessing your music. Adapt with it, or you’ll be left behind.” - 1:19:00 - Locksmith
“Make money for whatever you want. If you want the Louis Vuitton belt then buy it. Life’s too short. If that's what you really want then do it. You'll find out that it's not what you really want because it's just materialistic, but want for what you want.” - 1:23:50 - Locksmith