Musical Genius, Composer, Orchestra Arranger, and Music Producer/Editor Leon Lacey Scores 20 Songs and Conducts All Female Orchestra For Beyonce’s Historic Dubai Concert
(February 9, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA) Musical genius, composer, orchestra arranger, conductor, music producer, and music editor Leon Lacey scored 20 songs and conducted an all-female orchestra for Beyoncé at her recent exclusive invitation-only concert at the launch of the Atlantis The Royal luxury resort hotel in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Called in with less than two weeks to create his magic for Queen Bey’s private concert, Lacey says, “This project was a very quick situation. I got the call on January the second and then had to be in the studio here in L.A. for the rehearsal with Beyonce’ around January from the 4th through the 10th, then be flown to Dubai on the 11th. And so, between those 7 days, I had 20 songs of hers to really go through and prep myself for because my job was to score for all 20 songs within those seven days.”
Lacey, who recently arranged five songs for the Whitney Houston movie by Clive Davis, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, worked tirelessly under the direction of Beyonce’, some days going without sleep, implementing changes to songs and arrangements leading up to what has been the biggest project of his career to date.
Lacey credits Dammo Farmer and Rance of 1500 Or Nothing for giving him the call. “We had meetings every day. I was pretty much in contact with Mrs. Carter (Beyonce’) directly to creatively manifest a few more of her ideas in conjunction with the ideas that I already came to the table with. There were a few places she wanted more musical involvement with Firdaus, the all-female orchestra, so it was my job to manifest that. It was a great working relationship. She’s really a wonderful person to work with because she takes things seriously. She’s very intentional and adamant about what she’s doing. So, it’s easy to facilitate for someone like her,” reflects Lacey.
In addition to Firdaus, Lacey worked with Beyonce’s band, which was a mix of women and men to bring Beyonce’s Middle East concert vision to life. The all-women orchestra’s performance in Dubai was historic. Formed two years ago during the height of the pandemic, Firdaus was the first orchestra of its kind in the UAE.
A former East Coast resident who calls L.A. home, Lacey had the task of using ethnic Arabic instruments inside the music score for the concert. He says, “Mrs. Carter really wanted her score to match the region. It turned out amazing because she had about a hundred dancers, and everyone was true to the land. It wasn’t just the Beyonce’ show. It was her show mixed with a bit of their culture from the Middle East.”
When asked what the experience of working with mega-star Beyonce’ is like Lacey states, “I was honored to be a part of this. It really helped me sharpen more of my ability to pull off a project like this. This is definitely the largest live thing that I’ve ever done with so much production involved, and to have that type of demand and the ability to score and pre-produce things on the fly was definitely something I appreciated doing because it was in Beyonce’s camp, and I know that she’s the same kind of worker.”
Journalists, A-list celebrities, and influencers from around the world witnessed Leon Lacey’s brilliance in an international setting working with one of the most famous artists on the planet, Beyonce’ Knowles-Carter. And while he humbly soaks all of this in, he keeps things moving, jumping right into his gig as the music editor on Showtime’s drama series The Chi, now in its sixth season.
Leon Lacey is a man of faith and purpose on a mission to score, create, produce, and orchestrate, concerts, movies, television shows and events that reflect positive life and culture.
