By: Taylor Lawson
For Leanna Firestone, TikTok is not just a platform for funny cat videos or skits. It is where she found her start into what is now her life.
If you look up Leanna Firestone on Google, you will find photos of a girl with a lip piercing, striking black hair with blonde streaks and an assortment of music that ranges from intense heartache to stories about finding herself.
Although the fiery Gemini did not originally plan this outcome from her songs, she is living a life that she describes as a “dream come true.”
“I started having a following on the internet from talking about anime. I had amassed about 15,000 followers, which in the grand scheme of things is not a lot, but I figured that it would be wasteful to not use this newfound following for music, so I started writing songs about anime characters,” Firestone said.
Fast forward to 2022, the Tennessee native is about to release her debut album.
“I am most excited about a song called ‘Phantom Pain,’” the singer said.
The album is called Forward Slash and it features songs that Firestone has teased on her TikTok as well as never released songs. “Phantom Pain” is track eight and features what Firestone refers to as a “slash track.”
“I was with somebody, and I was anxious about the state of our relationship. I felt like it was because of my previous relationships. I was trying this new thing and trying to move on and be in this new relationship and was still kind of haunted by the anxieties of my past relationships, Firestone explained, “I started thinking about this theme of when you lose a limb, you still have pain in that area randomly. So, the story behind the song was kind of thinking about the pain of past relationships, but hoping that things are different this time, but still reeling from the past.”
Firestone not only found her start on TikTok, but she also went to Middle Tennessee State University for a short period of time. After her rise on the internet, many different contracts from recording industries started finding their way to the ex-student. Once this started happening, Firestone looked to her professors for help.
“I remember going to class, and my songs were trending on iTunes... I was very lost on how I should be ranking that... I remember going to all of my RIM professors and asking them [for their opinion] and literally none of them could tell me what to do,” Firestone said.
Leanna Firestone eventually withdrew from her classes at the end of her sophomore year. She is now preparing to perform for one of MTSU’s Music Mondays in March and will be doing some shows after the release of Forward Slash.
“I am not able to disclose where I am performing yet,” the curly haired girl laughed.