Award-winning British singer-songwriter and guitarist Leoni Jane Kennedy has announced the release of her highly anticipated debut album of original material, Synthetic, arriving on 15th June 2026. The milestone follows a remarkably successful crowdfunding campaign that saw the Blackpool-born, London-based musical polymath raise enough funds to produce a full physical merchandise run in just six days. Pre-saves are available now.
An official PRS Guitars artist, Kennedy has long been marked out as a unique force in the progressive and rock landscape. In 2018, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor personally awarded her the Freddie Mercury Scholarship, and she recently secured the No. 2 spot in PROG magazine’s “Best New Artist” category. Following the success of her 2023 acoustic Rush reinterpretation record, New World Woman, the new album presents a heavier, fully realized wave of structurally complex, progressive-infused rock. Produced and mixed alongside Eliot Kennedy and Nick Andrew, the seven-track record showcases her impressive technical guitar work and commanding vocal arrangements.
“I’m ecstatic to finally be able to release my first professional body of work to the public,” says Kennedy. “It’s been a hell of a ride and not without its challenges. I have to thank Eliot Kennedy and Nick Andrew for their time and kindness in helping me piece this album back together after I experienced how devastating this industry can be for a young lass trying to make something of herself. This release is proof of my family’s never-ending love and support.”
To support the release, Kennedy will be hitting the road across the UK for a selection of high-profile support slots. She will join progressive icons Solstice as a special guest with her full band this August before hitting the road in October to open for blues-rock titan Walter Trout.
Fans of exceptional independent roots and blues-infused guitar playing should also check out the latest single from Sunjay.
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UK Tour Dates 2026:
- 20th Aug – York, The Crescent (supporting Solstice)
- 21st Aug – Cambridge, Cambridge Junction (supporting Solstice)
- 23rd Aug – Southampton, The 1865 (supporting Solstice)
- 9th Oct – Clitheroe, The Grand Venue (supporting Walter Trout)
- 10th Oct – Holmfirth, The Picturedrome (supporting Walter Trout)
- 11th Oct – Norwich, The Adrian Flux Waterfront (supporting Walter Trout)
- 13th Oct – Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill (supporting Walter Trout)
- 14th Oct – Gloucester, Gloucester Guildhall (supporting Walter Trout)
- 15th Oct – Frome, Cheese & Grain (supporting Walter Trout)
- 16th Oct – Southampton, The Brook (supporting Walter Trout)
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Header image by Rob Blackham
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