DATA HARD

Monday, October 19, 2015

R&B artist and singer songwriter Leon Bridges, who burst onto the nationwide music scene earlier this year with his hit song "Coming Home," will provide a new song, "So Long," for the highly anticipated motion picture Concussion starring Will Smith, it was announced today by Lia Vollack, president of Worldwide Music for Sony Pictures. Concussion will be released in theaters December 25, 2015.

"So Long" will be available on all digital sales platforms including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon on November 20. The song's music is by Leon Bridges and Joshua Block, Austin Jenkins, and Chris Vivion of Niles City Sound, with lyrics by Leon Bridges. The track was produced by Niles City Sound.

Bridges has posted a fifteen second preview of the song to his Instagram page, @leonbridgesofficial.

Bridges' debut album, "Coming Home," launched this summer to rave reviews and public acclaim, reaching the top ten in the US, UK and Australia. A rare talent who performs smoldering ballads and elemental rock 'n' roll with equal aplomb, the minor-key, blue hues of Bridges' songs embrace a refreshing subtlety that feels straight out of classic soul and R&B. A little more than a year ago, a chance meeting in Fort Worth led to an independent recording session, and soon, signing with Columbia Records.

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Landesman, the film's writer/director, said, "I'm so glad to have Leon's music in the movie. His songs are a shot straight from the heart, full of feeling and emotion, power and heartbreak. And it's a perfect match for the movie, because I could describe Dr. Bennet Omalu the same way – in the movie, he's a spiritual person, standing up on his own against a world of powerful forces, using only his smarts, his courage, and the knowledge that he's right. Leon's soulful sound and expressive words are a tremendous addition to the film."

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world. The film, a Columbia Pictures presentation in association with LStar Capital and Village Roadshow Pictures, is written and directed byPeter Landesman, based on the GQ article "Game Brain" by Jeanne Marie Laskas, produced by Ridley Scott,Giannina Scott, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman, and Elizabeth Cantillon, and executive produced by Michael Schaefer, David Crockett, Ben Waisbren, Bruce Berman, and Greg Basser.