Leo

Norwegian metal musician Leo Moracchioli, who records hard rock videos of pop songs under the name Leo, is a former preschool teaching assistant who played guitar and sang for students. ∙ He broke through in 2015 with an aggressive, hard rock cover of Adele’s “Hello,” which now has more than 60 million views. ∙ Leo’s covers, on which he plays every instrument and writes all-new arrangements, have drawn praise from their originators, including Bryan Adams (“Summer of ’69”). ∙ His 2017 metal cover of Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” which featured him singing in Spanish, was a Top 40 single in Hungary. ∙ Drowning Pool guitarist C.J. Pierce made a guest appearance on Leo’s 2019 cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” ∙ The success of his online videos led him to form his own metal band, Frog Leap, which occasionally performs live, notably at the 2019 Wacken Open Air Festival.