Grrrl Talk

Lovely Leona Naess wasn’t exactly the typical teenage thrill seeker. She spent her days playing in the school band, nights in her room writing songs and family ski vacations waxing poetic under the moon. “I could have gotten more attention by being rebellious and messing up,: she says, “but music gave me a positive identity instead.”

And it paid off. At 18, armed with a pile of demo tapes and a guitar, Leona moved from her home in England to New york. Today, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter is modeling clothes for Calvin Klein and peddling her emotion-rich debut album, Comatised.

Freckle face: “I used to hate [my freckles] because I got teased as a kid. But, when you get older, it’s the unique things you like most about yourself.”
Poster child: “They asked me to wear a bra and jeans in the Calvin Klein ad, but I said no. I wore a men’s shirt instead. I think being mysterious is sexy.”
Love 101: “You shouldn’t be afraid to fall in love. I had my heart broken terribly when I was 16. It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I lost all my pride, and I was able to start again.”
Praiseworthy: “My mom used to get mad at me because it took me a long time to accept compliments. Someone would tell me, ‘Your hair is pretty,’ and I’d say, ‘Are you blind?’”
Funny bone: “A sense of humor is the first thing I look for in someone. People who laugh at my jokes and at life are the best.”
Ice queen: “I love to sing in the snow, especially when there’s a full moon, because the light makes it so bright.”

- Kim Taylor

© Jump Magazine