ABOUT ME
Ricky Leroy Brown – Bombast Moments
With a voice like Aretha Franklin, the soul of Prince, and the power of Freddie Mercury, Ricky Leroy Brown combines the qualities of outstanding musical greats to develop his own genre-spanning musical style.
The multi-instrumentalist
His musical talent was already apparent at the age of eight, when he began playing drums with Martin Isenegger (producer for Tina Turner, among others) and stood out with his extraordinary sense of rhythm and enthusiasm. As a teenager, he decided to pursue a career as a professional musician and spent his time preparing for the WIAM, the Winterthur Institute for Contemporary Music. He taught himself the piano skills required for his studies at the age of 17, and without a high school diploma, the Basel native's only option was to go through the talent scouting process, which he successfully completed in 2008/09. In his first year of study, he founded his first band as a drum student, in which he himself took on the roles of pianist and lead singer.
A year later, he switched his major from percussion to voice, graduating in 2011 under the guidance of Swiss jazz singer Marcello Wick.
Influenced by the music of Queen, RLB began writing his own songs shortly before starting his studies. The prominent presence of electric guitar in prog rock made him want to be able to play guitar solos himself. Inspired by the style of Prince, he bought his first guitar in 2013 and taught himself to play the instrument. Around the same time, he got his hands on his first electric bass, which he also taught himself to play. After completing his studies, RLB continued his vocal training with the award-winning chanson, musical, and opera singer Sylph Heckendorn, and in 2019 he found a mentor in Spanish guitarist and music producer Carlos Heredia. Since 2011, he has also had a renowned blues great, Guido Melone, as his musical mentor.
This instrumental diversity enables RLB today, in accordance with the Prince concept, to play all the instruments and vocals on his own compositions and arrangements himself. For mastering, he works with the internationally renowned PKO Studios in Madrid.
“Bombast Music” – The musical influence
Since 2012, RLB has referred to his own songs as “Bombast Music,” meaning a mixture of Queen's own prog rock and the theatrical component of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” While he continues to base his compositions on Queen's song structure, black music has increasingly found its way into his work since 2020. The typical funk sounds of Prince and the diva-like soul-gospel vocal tone of Aretha Franklin have become more prominent since his album “KINGNQUEEN” (2023). In his newer works, he repeatedly complements the provocative, danceable nature of these songs with lyrical depth in the style of George Michael, with a voice that is both soft and powerful in the four-octave range mastered by RLB.
“Bombast Moments” – Concerts & Performances
RLB considers his songs to be part of an overall work in which visuals play an important role. The film lover therefore regularly produces video clips with powerful images and profound storytelling.
His stage presence is just as strong as his music: black outfits, golden guitars – the self-proclaimed “Golden One” is a non-conformist showmaster who engages his audience with energetic performances and charming provocation.
He made his first major appearance in 2012 at Freddie Mercury Day in Montreux, where, at the age of 21, he was the first Swiss artist ever to have the honor of performing. However, his Swiss nationality also led to setbacks: in 2015, his arrangement of the national anthem was rejected as “too bombastic” at the “Basel Tattoo,” and in 2023, the jury of the SRF program “Stadt Land Talent” described him as “not Swiss enough.”
In addition to countless successful but smaller performances in Switzerland, RLB's big break came abroad. As the lead singer of the Spanish Queen cover band “Q71,” he performed in front of tens of thousands of spectators throughout Spain from 2020 to 2022 and made it onto over 180 radio stations around the world with his own songs “The Way You Dress” (2023) and “The Redhead Blues” (2025). After initial successful concerts in Germany, RLB is expanding his radius to the entire German-speaking region and striving for further international performances. Switzerland also remains in focus, because in view of the changing and opening music industry, RLB hopes for more recognition for his progressive music and individual appearance in his home country as well.
T-bone steak and tutoring – RLB backstage
Every artist needs leisure time to find inspiration for new ideas. RLB finds his muse in cooking – after all, he could well have imagined a career as a chef if things hadn't worked out with music. His favorite dish? T-bone steak with béarnaise sauce, of course!
RLB can also lose himself in the world of film and acting. His knowledge of Hollywood and co. has also helped him enormously in the production of many a video clip. And it's not far from film to video games. RLB's top games include “Super Smash Brothers,” the world of “Zelda,” and “Expedition 33.” He is tenacious in his fight against super bosses, and when he dies, he punishes himself with push-ups – after all, even musicians have to do something to stay in shape for the stage, and snowboarding is unfortunately not a year-round sport. Thanks to his enormous knowledge in the field of gaming, his openness, and his well-measured sassiness, he worked for Nintendo as a presenter and promoter for many years.
RLB has now increasingly taken on teaching activities. His students range from retirees who have always wanted to learn the piano, to primary school pupils who enjoy his child-friendly covers of classics such as “Cocain,” to drum students who get stomach aches when faced with harmony lessons.