Bradley Hamilton, widely known by his stage name Lennie James, decided to sing for the first time at his father-in-law's wake.
At the age of 13, he took to the microphone at Bradford Bulls matches and pubs around the area in honor of famous singer Gary Brown.
Renee's mother later told her son that his stepfather “gave him a gift.”
“I had never sung before,” Lenny said.
“I didn't have much money, so I just learned a few chords on the guitar. I started with my best friend, we were 13/14. We had to leave the pub when we finished. ”
The former Batshawe Business & Enterprise College student has come a long way since his first song, Tracy Chapman's Fast Car, on Clayton's Black Bull.
Fast forward a few years and the Great Houghton singer-songwriter is now preparing to release her first EP.
But it wasn't an easy journey for the singer, who had to retrain herself to speak and sing.
Renee had been suffering from tonsil problems for years, but in 2020 she started having trouble breathing and had to undergo several surgeries.
But a small cough after final sinus surgery brought him dangerously close to death.
“All the seams were torn,” Renee said.
“Blood was literally pouring out. You either swallowed the blood and died, or you just couldn't get enough air and just died. They just went, get as comfortable as possible.
“I grabbed my Tesco carrier bag and managed to carry it up and down the stairs. A friend of mine always said, 'Just meditate.' There was just a little bit of air, this little gap. I managed to get into the back seat of the ambulance and was just meditating when I moved my head to the right and found a little gap of air. ”
When Lenny finally arrived at the hospital, he received a blood transfusion and was revived.
“I was covered in blood from head to toe,” Renee said.
“It was like the worst horror movie you could imagine.
“They said you can't speak or sing. I just kept trying to retrain my voice.”
It took six months for Lenny to manage to regain his voice, which he described as returning in a “ratty, stretched-out” manner.
Lenny is currently working on the EP in Ireland with his Dublin-based management Joe Dropper. He plans to replace soulful ballads with more uplifting dance and old-school garage sounds.
The songwriter, who now lives in Saltaire, said he was determined to pursue his dreams for the sake of his son.
Music is a big part of my precious relationship with 8-year-old Tobias.
“I just want to do this so my son doesn't have to worry about it like I do.
“I can wake up – 'Son, I need to buy shoes for school, okay.' He never asked for anything. That worried me a lot when I was younger. It is convenient to have the necessary amount of food in the refrigerator. Money is scary. I don't want much in my life, I just want him to be happy. Music is the way to do that. ”
He further added: “If it wasn't for music, I wouldn't be here. I'm not very good at describing events, thoughts, and feelings, but I can give you a song that reminds me of what I'm feeling. .”
Lenny's music can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.
