Rising to the top with an avalanche of hits and collaborating with his mentors, GRAMMY winner producer Swagg R’Celious and GRAMMY® Nominated production partner Keithen “Bassman” Foster; Leo The Kind – a dynamic, self-taught and fiery singer with over 10 million streams on Spotify, has unveiled “Animation” – an unreleased song that has ignited Nike’s latest ad campaign for Nike’s Air Sesh shoes, the brand’s first sneakers designed with dancers in mind.
The sports giant chose Leo The Kind to electrify their latest commercial release with his high-energy lines. The promotional video featuring the song has been shared on Nike’s official website and Leo’s Instagram.
“Animation” features a unique fast-paced beat with twists and turns around a chantable hook. A piece of work orchestrated by the legendary 2018 GRAMMY® Best Album Winner Producer and 6-times GRAMMY® nominee Swagg R’Celious and acclaimed stellar drummer and GRAMMY® Nominated production partner Keithen “Bassman” Foster. The song is set to release early 2022.
Nike’s new collection was designed by the industry veteran Tinker Hatfield and was created in collaboration with Los Angeles-based dance crew and choreographers, the Kinjaz. The shoe features a mid-cut leather upper and incorporates a wider toe box to allow wearers more room for their toes while on the dance floor. Cushioning the underfoot is the Cushlon foam midsole in addition to the Zoom Air heel cushioning, which provides extra comfort and support. Completing the design of the silhouette is an outsole that incorporates two different types of rubber so that dancers can slide with less resistance or stop with more control.
About the collaboration, Leo The Kind said: “My team works alongside Sony Music Publishing and they thought my song ‘Animation’ would be the perfect fit for Nike’s new commercial/release and turned out that Nike loved it too! It’s a surreal experience hearing your song in the background of one of your favorite brand’s commercials. The song is still unreleased, but we wanted to give it an opportunity to shine before it drops in the upcoming year.”
Leo The Kind’s third brand collaboration this year comes after he teamed up with the world-famous and Boston’s iconic comic book retailer Newbury Comics to develop a limited-edition pin inspired by his summer EP “Land Of The Luck ” and held an exclusive listening party for fans. Leo also worked together with Boston juice chain Mother Juice to develop a limited-edition “Land of the Luck” green drink.
Photos by Nick Nogueira and courtesy of Nike
