After more than a year away from releasing new music, Portuguese singer-songwriter leo. has returned with a new single, ‘never enough, never fair’, the first glimpse of his forthcoming five-track EP. The track signals a new chapter for the artist, introducing a richer and more detailed sonic palette as he builds momentum toward 2026.
Built around ambient textures and percussive acoustic strums, ‘never enough, never fair’ pairs a laid-back arrangement with a pointed emotional core. Clocking in at under three minutes, the song explores introspection and the fear of personal insufficiency, delivering a concise yet resonant statement. The blend of indie-folk sensibilities and understated pop structures underscores leo.’s evolving sound, one that leans into subtlety while maintaining melodic immediacy.
Reflecting on the origins of the single, leo. explains, “‘never enough, never fair’ was the first song we worked on when we got back in the studio for this new project. I wrote it in late spring 2024, when I noticed that even though I could have sworn no one wanted the sun to come back more than me, everyone around me still seemed to be having a better time. I was always missing out on the best parts of it all, as if they could only truly happen if I wasn’t around.”
The track became a thematic cornerstone for the new EP. “The song became about how outlook can get in the way of joy – it’s a very specific feeling I think a lot of people my age can relate to, and I’m really happy with how we’ve been able to capture it in this song. This track also marks a bit of a shift for me, into a more mature and textured sound, which I worked on with Ed Allen and Nico Widdowson in London throughout last year. I’m insanely proud of the work we did, and I am very excited to finally be sharing it.”
That sense of growth is reflected not only in the production but in leo.’s broader artistic trajectory. Hailing from Portugal, he has cultivated an ambient indie-folk sound marked by vulnerability and layered arrangements. Classically trained from the age of five, leo. recorded and produced his debut single from his bedroom in 2018, laying the groundwork for an independent career defined by careful craftsmanship.
Subsequent releases, including the EPs ‘drink my soul’ and ‘letters from dreamland’, helped expand his audience, while his single ‘despair’ has surpassed 40 million streams. His debut album, ‘a new one’, further cemented his reputation for emotionally detailed songwriting. Most recently, he collaborated with international artist Chevy on the Christmas single ‘december blues’.
Now, with ‘never enough, never fair’, leo. begins the rollout of a new project that promises a deeper, more textured exploration of his sound. As anticipation builds for the full EP, the single positions him for a defining year ahead.
