Award Winning Scots-Canadian Singer-Songwriter, David Leask, Partners with
Alzheimer’s Society Branch for Poignant New Adult Contemporary-Jazz Release,
“When I Become Confused”
New Song and Video Draw from Leask’s Personal Caregiving Journey Supporting a
Loved One Through Dementia, Premiered on BBC Radio
“‘When I Become Confused’ speaks of the simple things in a complex world where
remembrance and recollection mean a lot.” - Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland
“It was an honour to be asked to play on this beautiful song of David's…. I applaud
David in his attempts to reach a wider group of people to make them aware of what
it is like to navigate this disease.” - Aaron Davis (Holly Cole Trio)
Watch: When I Become Confused
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fstkdS2NXEU&feature=youtu.be
Release Date: Friday, May 16 2025
Award-winning Scots-Canadian singer-songwriter, David Leask, is a celebrated writer
and performer, known for his emotionally resonant songwriting, soulful voice, and deep
musical craftsmanship that flows freely between genres. Throughout his three decade
long career, Leask has performed over 3,000 shows and earned accolades across
multiple genres. Described by SOCAN's Words & Music Magazine as an artist
“who has immense respect from his peers", Leask's lengthy list of awards and
recognition include a Mississauga Performing Artist of the Year Award alongside
Mississauga Music's 2023 Songwriter of the Year award, while also garnering
international songwriting awards and national acclaim. His 2020 album,
"Voyageur In Song" was inspired by the storied Six String Nation guitar -
a custom guitar made up of 64 individual pieces of Canadian historical artifacts,
was hailed by Rock 'n Reel Magazine as “genuinely inspiring" and received a
nomination in the Contemporary Album of the Year category by the
Canadian Folk Music Awards. Musically rooted in connection, storytelling, and
music’s transformative power, Leask routinely draws inspiration from Folk, Pop,
Jazz and Blues music to create a sound all his own. In partnership with the
Alzheimer's Society of Peel, Leask's first release of 2025 is a poignant, Adult
Contemporary and Jazz leaning track inspired by supporting a loved one through
dementia, calling upon his first hand experience caring for his mother-in-law on
her journey with the disease. "When I Become Confused" will be released on
Friday, May 16 2025, and Leask will also be performing the song live at the
Walk for Alzheimer’s in Mississauga, ON on May 24th in support of the cause.
Offering a compassionate lens on Alzheimer’s and dementia, David Leask's
"When I Become Confused" is a moving and empathetic look at the inner world
of someone navigating memory loss. Drawing inspiration from a poem by longtime
friend Rob Keiller, written after the passing of his mother from Alzheimer’s,
Leask drew upon his own lived experience as a caregiver for his mother-in-law
as she progressed in the disease. Bridging Adult Contemporary and Jazz,
“When I Become Confused” is delivered with quiet grace and lyrical depth,
using Leask’s tender vocal performance, thoughtful phrasing, and musical space
that allow the track to envelop the listener. Backed by a stellar ensemble of Canadian
session players including Justin Abedin, Aaron Davis, Davide Di Renzo, and
Drew Birston,the track was recorded live off the floor at Canterbury Music in Toronto,
creating a delicate yet powerful soundscape. Paired with a beautifully animated video
by artist Paul Willis, the song’s emotional core is brought to life through delicate visual
storytelling. More than just a tribute, the piece serves as a tool for empathy, offering
comfort to caregivers and insight to those outside the experience. Released in partnership
with the Alzheimer’s Society of Peel, “When I Become Confused” is both a musical
offering and a call to awareness, reminding us of the power of music to reach beyond
memory, into shared human connection.
“The depth of emotion embedded in this song was only possible through living
and journeying with my mother-in-law as she experienced dementia. I try to
empathize with the growing confusion and changes, while embracing the person
who is still there.” - David Leask
Upcoming Shows:
May 24 2025
Erin Mills Town Centre - Walk for Alzheimer’s Closing Ceremony -
https://support.alzheimer.ca/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=5138
May 24 2025 - Free Times Cafe - Toronto, ON
https://davidleask.com/event/6025619/716091482/david-leask-in-concert
Originally from Scotland, David Leask has spent the last 30 years of his artistic
career as a multi-award-winning songwriter, a veteran live performer with over
3000 shows since moving to Canada and a sought after songwriting mentor and
facilitator. His music draws from Folk, Pop, Jazz, and Blues to create a sound
all his own. Songwriters Magazine has referred to him as “the most consistent
Canadian songwriting competition winner”, most recently taking home the
“Songwriter of the Year” award from Mississauga Music, while also being named
Performing Artist of the Year. Leask has been profiled in a SOCAN Words &
Music Magazine article which called him a “lifer who has worked outside
the commercial boundaries, earning a decent living and immense respect
from his peers.”
His last album, “Voyageur in Song”, was nominated for Canadian Folk Music
Association Contemporary Album of the Year and reached #8 on the Canadian
Roots Music Chart. The album is a unique concept record inspired by the pieces
and their stories from the Six String Nation Guitar - a guitar made up of 64 pieces
of Canadian culture and history, nick-named Voyageur. The Toronto Star described
"Voyageur In Song" as, "Possibly the most Canadian album on Canada's most
historic instrument." The UK's Rock 'N Reel Magazine called it, “That rare thing,
a genuinely inspiring album.”
Leask has learned firsthand about music’s healing power through playing in
various health care settings for patients and their families, across different age
ranges and different levels of care, and was recently asked to perform at the
opening of the National Music Care conference for professional caregivers.
His latest single and video, When I Become Confused, is a song that was inspired
by these experiences of musical healing, but also ones that were close to home.
Connect with David Leask:
https://www.facebook.com/DavidLeaskMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/leaskexpected/
https://www.youtube.com/DavidLeaskMusic
