Henry Lees unlocks a summer party with is new single Free This Love — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Co-written with award-winning Ontario singer-songwriters Heather Hill and Matt Gerber — and produced by Vancouver wunderkind Sean Thomas (Debbie Gibson, Joey McIntyre, NKOTB, New Edition) — Free This Love was borne out of a collective wish to uplift and inspire human reconnection during a time rife with fear, isolation and uncertainty around the world.
“Free This Love is a song that celebrates and reminds us of the importance and power of brotherly love,” the award-winning Toronto artist says. “Spotlighting that was one of our goals when Heather and I had our first writing session for the song. Then, Matt joined us to help hone things stylistically and lyrically. We imagined love being ‘let out of the cage’ into a space of greater freedom and compassion.”
This passionate anthem about compassion mixes Lees’ warm, soulful tenor with syncopated guitar, playful keyboard riffs, dramatic percussion and a four-on-the-dance-floor, total singalong chorus. To create the sparkling pop sound that showcases the song’s powerful message, Lees turned to his friend and frequent collaborator, Vancouver producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Thomas.
“Sean and I have collaborated a number of times since we first met and clicked during the annual SongStudio Workshop in Toronto five years ago,” notes Lees. “He’s done amazing work in recent years with brilliant pop icons like Debbie Gibson and Joey McIntyre and I knew he would be able to transform our earnest demo into this big, beautiful banger that we’re so proud of!” Adds Thomas: “When listening to the demo of Free This Love, I could hear the emotion that Henry was conveying through his beautiful vocal performance and the impactful message of the lyrics that he wrote along with Heather and Matt. It was a pleasure to produce and an honour to work with such amazing talent!”
This collaborative effort has already paid off with accolades from two major international songwriting competitions. Free This Love was selected as a Top 10 finalist for the 2022 USA Songwriting Competition and was recently chosen as a semi-finalist for the 2022 International Songwriting Competition. “When I think of the thousands and thousands of entries that are submitted each year for these competitions and it hits me that Free This Love has been singled out by industry peers for recognition not once, but twice, I’m completely blown away and so grateful,” says Lees.
With three years of pandemic, war and conflict, increasing divisiveness and climate crises all playing havoc with humanity, choosing to drop this joyful jam on Global Love Day was a no-brainer and an all-heart decision for Lees. “As I was considering potential mid-spring release dates, I discovered that May 1 is Global Love Day,” he notes. “It’s a symbolic day of unconditional love that recognizes our oneness through love. Free This Love celebrates the same idea, so it was a drop-date slam dunk!”
The love of making music has also been with Lees since Day 1. Writing, recording and performing everything from radio jingles to musical theatre has taken him to the national airwaves and to stages across Canada, including singing on two cross-Canada Huron Carole benefit tours with singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and Order of Canada recipient Tom Jackson.
Check out Free This Love above, sample more from Henry Lees below, and share the love on his website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
