In 2014, Bars and Melody (often known as BAM) wowed viewers with their own version of Twista and Faith Evans’ ‘Hope’. The pair’s rendition of the song replaced lyrics originally written with ones protesting against bullying, something which young Leondre of the duo had endured. The two were sent straight through to the semi-finals after Simon Cowell pressed the golden buzzer. At the final, they ultimately came third after Lucy Kay and Collabro.
Following their first audition, David Walliams told an emotional Bars and Melody: “It seems like we hardly need to critique you but lets' have some comments”. What followed was Amanda Holden calling them ‘beautiful’ and Alesha Dixon saying that the now-famous song was moving. Simon Cowell said: “I’ve heard some monstrous songs today and I was losing my mind. With your song, I listened to every word.” He told the pair that he thought the record could be a hit… and it certainly was!
Bars and Melody consists of rapper Leondre Devries and singer Charlie Lenehan. The pair met on social media after Leondre had seen Charlie's singing videos. Leondre, who was born in 2000, is from Port Talbot and attended the Glan Afan Comprehensive School when he filmed BGT. Charlie, who lives in London now, was born in Gloucestershire and returned to school the day after the 2014 BGT finale. But where are the duo now? Do they still talk?
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Believe it or not, unlike other Syco Music groups (Little Mix, we’re looking at you), Bars and Melody still make music together to this day. Following their semi-final placing, the duo signed a £500,000 deal with Simon Cowell and released their first single the very same year. The single, Hopeful, went straight to number five in the UK Singles Chart.
The next couple of years proved to be a busy time for Bars and Melody, who would appear on CBBC's Friday Download (a show that the latter would later host), releasing a further two albums and also competing on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions. They do, however, look a little different now! Charlie is decked out in tattoos and Leondre isn't exactly 'Little Leondre' any more.
Their start in the music world was not left without its fair share of challenges though. Leondre’s father, Antonio Devries, filed a lawsuit against the duo claiming that Hopeful was his song, written about troubles he was having in his life. He said that he was unhappy the pair moved away and that he was responsible for promoting Bars and Melody prior to their appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. In response they said: “Bars and Melody are sorry to hear that legal action is being threatened and hope that it will be resolved quickly and amicably.”
In 2017, Bars and Melody ran into some drama as their manager was threatened with a gun in Germany. The duo were escorted to safety on a European tour following the incident, which took place outside a supermarket when they went to buy a drink. Manager Phil O’Neil from Penarth spoke about how the gunman claimed they were blocking the highway with the tour van. He said: “I have never come across a gun in 14 years of working and never had to deal with that situation.” Writing on Twitter after the incident, Bars and Melody addressed the situation and told fans they were safe and well. Read more about the incident here.
Under new managers BetterNow Records, Bars and Melody continue to make music and throughout April have performed in Budapest, Poland and Prague but recently had to reschedule some of their Polish dates due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The pair are set to continue their tour in London, Sheffield, Southampton and the place it all started for them, Cardiff, at the end of the year. Tickets are now on sale for the duo’s UK length of the ‘Stay Frosty’ tour that sees them showcase some of their recent music. Songs such as, ‘Bali’, ‘Lighthouse’, ‘Teenage Romance’ and ‘Waiting for the Sun’ will all feature on the tour. Whereas their earlier stuff was quite poppy, Bars and Melody have moved into more hip pop with newer songs.
