Leonie Jakobi’s recent single I Deserve To Shine earned her biggest spread of UK coverage to date, building on previous airplay support from 6 Music, BBC Introducing. Her contagious positivity and new generation take on classic rock sounds inspired that new wave of discovery, and those traits again stand proud as she shares her new single So Much Love To Give and announces that she will release her debut album What Are The People Gonna Say? on the 5th September 2025.
Leonie Jakobi
So Much Love To Give is one of Leonie’s songs that originated from her love for Bruce Springsteen – and especially how he inspires a sea of happy faces during upbeat moments in his live shows. She wanted to channel some of that timeless heartland rock spirit through the perspective of a young female artist, merging driving guitars, classic production, and a chorus that begs to be sung at full volume. The track was recorded at singer-songwriter Arielle’s studio, where they captured a warm analogue sound by feeding drum and bass tracks through a ‘70s tape machine. The essence of The Boss is also prevalent in the song’s lyrics, which finds hope from the desolation of heartache.
Leonie says: “Lyrically, So Much Love to Give dives into that deep, restless feeling of wanting to love someone but holding back. Inspired in part by the idea that grief is love with nowhere to go, the song speaks to the struggle of carrying love that has no clear place to land. But at its core, it’s a song about hope – about realising that, no matter what, you’ll always have yourself. The chorus is a rallying cry for resilience, a reminder that even in the hardest moments, you can still learn to fly.”
So Much Love To Give, I Deserve To Shine and Don’t Mind Me (While I Give You Up) will all feature on Jakobi’s debut album What Are The People Gonna Say?. As with So Much Love To Give, she recorded the album at guitarist and singer/songwriter Arielle’s studio with lots of analogue elements. The lyrics are all about things she’s learned in her twenties: how you can’t please everyone, how you’re responsible for your own happiness, how it’s possible to survive heartbreak and loss, and how your life might look different than the one your parents had. It is heavily inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s soft rock and heartland rock but combined with current themes.
Leonie will celebrate the release of the debut album with a special homecoming show in Dreieich, Germany, on 5th September, accompanied by a full band. She will play the beautiful Dreieichenhain castle, the stage where said farewell before moving to Liverpool in 2018. More UK shows will follow later this year, with festival dates at the Coast Festival (June 29th) and Wokingham Festival (August 25th) already confirmed.
So far Leonie Jakobi’s has only released one EP (2023’s Nothing More To Say), but already big names are backing her talents following a writing session with Sir Paul McCartney and airplay support from Simon Le Bon and Steven Van Zandt, plus Rodney Bingenheimer at Sirius XM.
Born in Frankfurt, Leonie also splits her time between Liverpool, where she studied at the renowned Institute For Performing Arts. That home-from-home feeling was also heightened when her music was played at Liverpool’s iconic Anfield stadium.
Beyond Bruce Springsteen, Leonie’s influences also include Pat Benatar, Janis Joplin, Melissa Etheridge, Taylor Swift, Larkin Poe, Dorothy, Tom Petty and Bob Seger. You can hear a touch of all of those influences in Leonie’s sound, which infuses Americana, country rock, heartland rock and classic rock to lyrics rich with searing honesty and uplifting vibes.
Leonie has played shows with the likes of Love With Johnny Echols, The New Roses, Leah Weller and Gen And The Degenerates. One of her personal ambitions is to follow in Springsteen’s footsteps to play The Stone Pony, and she evidently has the potential to make that happen.
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