Talented vocals, real instrumentation. Lyrics you’ll remember. Fabulous hair and an undeniable cool factor. Put it all together and you’ve got Michael and Demetri Lerios. The two brothers comprise an emerging musical duo. From a young age, they’ve had an ear and heart for music. Going back to childhood, the six year age difference between Michael (25) and Demetri (19) had music filling in the gap. Michael started piano lessons at about 5 years old, and Demetri started playing the drums when he was 9. Both Michael and Demetri can play piano, drums, guitar, and bass. Demetri remembers, “Since our age difference was a pretty big gap at a young age, it was something we both had a passion for, and it was the way we hung out. But it kind of grew into something bigger than us.”
Fox Wilde, Michael and Demetri Lerios, during rehearsal. Photo by Black Coffee
February 2017 saw the release of their single “Soap,” an expert blend of today with a nostalgic 70’s sound. With their album release on the way, it is time to formally introduce you to the Lerios brothers’ musical duo: Fox Wilde. The music of Fox Wilde embraces the “alter-ego” performance persona that Michael and Demetri envisioned as they started writing and composing their current hits. In creating the name, Demetri explained, “we are introverts in the sense that we love working and being in the studio all the time… [Fox Wilde is] kind of the alter ego of who we are, this James Bond kind of character. I think everyone has an alter ego…The super ultra-confident…this guy is the epitome of that.” Michael adds, “We want this to be like you listen to this music, and go dance! Feel good music. Talking about love, being together with somebody.”
Their father, Cory Lerios, is a founding member of the famed band Pablo Cruise. Cory Lerios also has a successful career penning theme songs, scores, and more for hits such as Baywatch and Days of Our Lives. Cory and his sons would have “jam sessions” regularly which led to music becoming an integral part of their lives. As a child, some of Michael’s first musical memories capture moments with his father. “Sitting with my dad and just listening to him play the piano, watching him play. I always loved it.” For Demetri, influence came from not only their father, but from Michael and their older brother, Andrew Lerios. Demetri said: “…being the younger brother, and I was looking at my older brothers thinking, ‘okay I want to do that!’ Whatever they did, I wanted to do. With my dad and my brothers… it was a natural thing.”
Michael (L) and Demetri (R) Lerios. Photo by Valentina
When Michael was in his third year of college and Demetri was a freshman in high school, they signed a record deal with Universal under David Foster (writer and producer for Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, and many more). From there they met one of their mentors, Andreas Carlsson, who hails from Sweden. Carlsson has writing credits for some of the biggest pop hits in the last 18 years, including “I Want It That Way” (Backstreet Boys), “Bye Bye Bye” (*NSYNC), as well as hits for Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and American Idol alums. Combining Carlsson and their father’s mentorship resulted in their creation of Fox Wilde.
Fox Wilde’s first single, “Soap,” is truly music to one’s ears. Beyond guitar, keys, and drums, there are saxophones! Interspersed between the hook is a fantastic sax section, which will have you humming along instantly. Next, the riveting riff of guitar and bass before the lyrics hit again. It’s reminiscent of music of the 70s, when music had full instrumentation. As Michael compares Fox Wilde to Pablo Cruise, “Our music is kind of cut from the same cloth.” Fox Wilde truly has a sound that is hard to find these days.
Outside of Fox Wilde, the Lerios boys have had success in many arenas of the music industry. Recently, they wrote the songs “Addicted” and “Who Knows” for James Maslow’s solo album. They are also following in their father’s footsteps composing for television, film, and commercials, which includes Demi Lovato commercials. Speaking of Demi Lovato, they have even performed shows with her!
Together they have a special perspective on their creative process. Michael said, “We work pretty well together, we look at it as we are a team, this duo. We have our specialties…It’s like a machine here, we work seamlessly.” What it comes down to, is having a mutual trust and bond, making for a smooth production process. With that, their Greek culture resonates with them. Michael said, “I think when you are Greek you are very passionate about things…And I think it shows in our music…the family aspect of it. We’re brothers and we work together.” They both described their mother’s family lineage and the family worked together in the restaurant industry, going back to when their grandparents came from Greece (circa 1940s). Demetri added, “It’s so funny how it is so true, but My Big Fat Greek Wedding is pretty much our family.” Living near their cousins, Demetri concludes, “The family is always together.”
Everything they have accomplished shows how capable Michael and Demetri are of making Fox Wilde a household name. In looking to the future, they have clear direction. Michael said, “I think we both just hope that we can keep writing music and putting it out, playing shows, and getting people excited about Fox Wilde and just sharing what we do…That’s what music is, bringing people together, it’s a universal language.” He said it is the job of the musician and artist to wonder “where else can I take this?” In accord, Demetri stated, “I think that’s in every artists mind, it’s their goal… We want to write truthful songs, truthful compositions to who we are…to be truthful to our audience in a time where it isn’t always truthful.” Michael and Demetri Lerios have all they need to move forward, most special: their unit of brotherhood. The future for Fox Wilde is unlimited; look for their name in lights.
Fox Wilde’s newly released single “Soap” Cover Art. Photo by Sasha Samsonova
Fox Wilde’s debut single, “Soap”, is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Soundcloud. For more information, visit www.foxwilde.com and follow them on Instagram @fox.wilde
Email the author: Giuliana
