Laura Lee Ochoa
Laura Lee Ochoa performing with Khruangbin at Haldern Pop (2019)
Background information
Also known asLeezy
Born (1986-10-14) October 14, 1986
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Bass guitar
  • vocals
Years active2009–present
Labels
Member ofKhruangbin

Laura Lee Ochoa[1] (born October 14, 1986), also known as Leezy, is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the musical trio Khruangbin.

Biography

The daughter of Mexican-American parents,[2] Ochoa played piano and guitar as a child, but picked up bass at the suggestion of (then future) bandmate Mark Speer. Ochoa met him in 2009 through friends, where they initially connected over a shared love of Afghan music. Ochoa was an art history major with a focus on art of the ancient Near East. She worked as a math teacher for six years.[3] At the time, she was interested in playing piano again and he suggested she "follow the sound of the bass", which she had never thought about doing before.[4][5] This recommendation led to her to begin playing, which she says came very naturally to her.[6]

Ochoa has recorded three studio albums with Khruangbin: The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015), Con Todo el Mundo (2018), Mordechai (2020) and two EPs: Texas Sun (2021) and Texas Moon (2022), both with the band and Leon Bridges. Prior to forming the group, Lee played bass on tour with Yppah.[4] In April, 2021, she collaborated with Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Niia on the song "Not Up For Discussion."[7]

Style and stage persona

In Khruangbin, Ochoa performs as "Leezy", an alter-ego that helps her keep some parts of herself private: "It helps me separate from her and it helps me emotionally to put it on her, so I let her take on all of the pressure."[4] She is the band's creative director, using her training in art and architecture to set up staging and create choreography and graphic design.[8] Both she and Speer sport long black wigs while performing[9] and "Leezy" goes through many costume changes throughout a show. In 2011, she made the decision to never wear the same outfit twice on stage, estimating that she has worn 600 different outfits whilst on tour.[10] She wears two different outfits per show, a decision inspired by Elton John, who was known to change up to four outfits.[3] She is also inspired by Prince who handled choreography and played guitar at the same time.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Cheng, Vivian (2020-07-11). "Khruangbin's Leap With Mordechai". Office. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  2. ↑ Smith, Thomas (26 June 2020). "Khruangbin: "We planned our entire world tour around Glastonbury"". NME.
  3. 1 2 Hoffman, Jordan (2022-08-18). "Khruangbin's Laura Lee Takes Us Under the Wig". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  4. 1 2 3 D'Auria, Jon (11 November 2020). "Laura Lee: Leap Of Faith". Bass Player. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Rhodes, Margaret (30 January 2018). "Khruangbin's Feel-Good Funk Is Undeniable". Vulture. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Weinberg, Silken (23 October 2020). "Follow the bass: An interview with Laura Lee of Khruangbin". Teeth Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Britto, David (21 April 2021). "Los Angeles Singer-Songwriter Niia Collaborates with Khruangbin's Laura Lee On Lush Single 'Not Up For Discussion'". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 Barrett, Helen (2022-09-19). "Musician Laura Leezy on her wild stage style". Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  9. ↑ Vetch, Mara (12 August 2021). "Khruangbin's Laura Lee and Kadhja Bonet on Crafting the Perfect Remix". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ↑ Nguyen, Andrew (5 October 2021). "Khruangbin's Laura Lee Never Repeats an Outfit". The Cut. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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