Lionel Boy

Lionel Boy's indie pop, dreamy and sparkling in texture yet mellow and melancholy in tone, first took shape in Southern California with the arrival of the Who Is Dovey? EP during 2020. The self-titled full-length debut followed in 2021, again guided by producer Jonny Bell.

Born and raised in Wahiawa on Oahu, Lionel Deguzman sang to his own acoustic guitar from childhood and started capturing his performances around 2012 as a young adult. After moving to Long Beach, California, in 2014, he began exploring synthesizers, drum machines, and desktop recording techniques, creating sun-drenched indie pop in the mid-2010s as one half of Tigers in the Sky alongside Casey Liu. The pair released Golden Lights in 2015 and Lagoons the following year. A 2018 studio session alongside members of the Bolo Heads helped steer the course of his collaborative solo endeavor, Lionel Boy.

The project's signature laid-back grooves and atmospheric synths debuted on the Jonny Bell-produced single "Are You Happy Yet?" in mid-2020, serving as the focal point of the Who Is Dovey? EP that Innovative Leisure issued the same year. Working from the songwriter's home demos, Bell expanded the material in the studio with contributions from several musicians, including Sam Wilkes on bass and Andres Renteria of Bent Arcana on percussion. The completed Lionel Boy LP appeared on Innovative Leisure in mid-2021.