MIAMI (AP) — Karin Leung sees the World Cup as something that brings different cultures together. He wants his music to be seen the same way.
Leon is a huge World Cup fan, a huge Real Madrid fan, and someone who can’t believe he gets to meet Inter Miami co-owner and soccer icon David Beckham. And on Sunday, the Mexican singer-songwriter will become the first person to headline a concert at Inter Miami’s newly opened stadium, the home of Lionel Messi.
“Being the first player to play in this iconic stadium is something new, but already iconic because of the team. I feel a great responsibility for this,” Leon said in an interview with The Associated Press. “For me, it’s like a big soccer game and I want to inspire a lot of new artists in my genre and all roots genres that nothing is impossible. We’re going to come to this big stage and make history with the music that we grew up with.”
Leon has won back-to-back Grammy Awards for Best Regional Mexican Music Album and has won four Latin Grammy Awards. However, in Leon’s case, it would be short-sighted to simply call him a Mexican artist.
He is a small country. A little rock. Maybe reggaeton. He has played at Coachella and the Grand Ole Opry. He will be the first Latin artist to have a residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, with shows scheduled for September. His appeal extends all over the world, which is why Inter Miami wanted a player like him to be the first to show on the field called home of the reigning Major League Soccer champions.
“There was a time when I tried to do music because it was the trend at the time, but nothing happened after that,” Leon said. “There was a time when I thought about quitting music. But I came back after two weeks because I’m a musician. I decided to do what I like, what I love, what I feel, and what makes me happy. I never did music for the money or fame.”
He released some music that wasn’t expected to be a hit, but fans couldn’t get enough of it.
“That’s when I realized I just had to be honest with the music,” Leon said. “And now I prefer to be a trendsetter rather than a trend seeker.”
This approach has opened countless doors, including one that leads from Messi’s locker room to the field where he plays. And it’s not lost on Leon that Miami soccer fans won’t be able to watch the World Cup games on Sunday night when he takes the stage. There is only one game on Sunday’s tournament schedule, and it will be played in the afternoon.
“I’m very happy with what we accomplished,” Leon said. “I’m proud to be here in the house of Inter Miami, in the house of Messi, in the house of David Beckham. To put my name next to these names was and still is incredible for me.”
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
