{{Short description|Norwegian musician (born 1978)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist | image = Hannah Boulton Leo Moracchioli.jpg | alt = | caption = Hannah Boulton and Leo Moracchioli in Saarbrücken, 2022 | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|10|10|df=y}} | birth_place = Ålgård, Rogaland, Norway | death_place = | genre = {{hlist|Heavy metal|groove metal||metalcore|alternative metal}} | occupation = {{hlist|Singer|record producer|guitarist|drummer}} | instrument = {{flatlist| * Vocals * guitar * drums * bass }} | years_active = | current_member_of = Frog Leap | website = {{URL|frogleapstudios.com}} }} '''Leo Moracchioli''' (born 10 October 1978 in Ålgård) is a Norwegian musician. He is known for his metal covers of popular songs, which have gained him over 4.5 million followers on YouTube as '''Frog Leap Studios'''.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last=Kornelis |first=Chris |title=Who's That Covering Coldplay? It's Loud, Raucous and Involves Headbanging |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/whos-that-covering-coldplay-its-loud-raucous-and-involves-headbanging-1540924531 |access-date=7 December 2022 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=30 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/leolego |title=Frog Leap Studios |website=YouTube.com |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref>
== Career == Moracchioli has recorded over 400 covers, at a rate of approximately one per week, including covers of "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits, "Hello" by Adele, "Sail" by Awolnation, "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz, "Chandelier" by Sia, "Africa" by Toto, "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X, and many others.<ref>{{cite web |last=Willis |first=Daniel J. |title=REWIND: Take a trip to Scandinavia for some hard rock and metal |url=https://riffmagazine.com/mp3/riff-rewind-20190519/ |website=Riff Magazine |access-date=7 December 2022 |date=19 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Barnes |first=Becky |title=Despacito – This Heavy Metal Cover By Leo Moracchioli On YouTube Is Going Viral |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/despacito-heavy-metal_uk_59783a09e4b0e201d579834c |website=HuffPost |access-date=7 December 2022 |date=26 July 2017}}</ref> His cover of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi peaked at number 35 on the Hungarian Single Top 40 chart on 10 August 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://slagerlistak.hu/single-top-40-slagerlista/2017/32 |title=Single Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 32. hét |trans-title=Single Top 40 Chart – Week 32 of 2017 |publisher=Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége |access-date=7 December 2022 |language=Hungarian}}</ref> Moracchioli states that although he is playing covers, it is enough of a creative outlet for him to put his own spin on the songs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://wgntv.com/morning-news/meet-the-norwegian-remixing-your-favorite-pop-songs-into-amazing-metal-covers/ |title=Meet the Norwegian remixing your favorite pop songs into amazing metal covers |date=2 August 2017 |work=WGN Morning News |access-date=7 December 2022 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208043635/https://wgntv.com/morning-news/meet-the-norwegian-remixing-your-favorite-pop-songs-into-amazing-metal-covers/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In addition to his metal covers, he also made an "acoustic" cover of "Duality" by metal band Slipknot, using slide whistles, timpani and tuba.<ref>{{cite web |last=Teitelman |first=Brad |title=This is the weirdest Slipknot cover you'll hear |url=https://metalinsider.net/video/this-is-the-weirdest-slipknot-cover-youll-hear |website=Metal Insider |access-date=7 December 2022 |date=27 April 2017}}</ref>
For each video, Moracchioli creates the arrangements, and plays all the instruments, except for a small number of songs in which he has collaborated with other instrumentalists; they often require at least 50 tracks.<ref name="WSJ" /> Although most of the videos feature only himself, and sometimes his family or a musical guest—sometimes a fellow YouTube artist participating remotely—for his video cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" he was joined by Drowning Pool guitarist C. J. Pierce. The video was filmed in a nightclub and included hired backup dancers.<ref name="MetalHammer">{{cite web |last=Sonder |first=Thomas |title=Norweger vermetalt Michael Jackson und Queen in Wacken |trans-title=Norwegian metalizes Michael Jackson and Queen in Wacken |url=https://www.metal-hammer.de/norweger-vermetalt-michael-jackson-und-queen-in-wacken-1171003/ |website=Metal Hammer |access-date=7 December 2022 |language=German |date=12 February 2019}}</ref>
He sometimes tours internationally with his band ''Frog Leap (studios)''.<ref name="MetalHammer" /><ref>{{cite news |last=de Roode |first=Robin |title=YouTuber Leo Moracchioli brengt band Frog Leap naar Patronaat |trans-title=YouTuber Leo Moracchioli brings band Frog Leap to Patronaat |url=https://www.artiestennieuws.nl/106344/leo-moracchioli-frog-leap-patronaat |access-date=7 December 2022 |website=Artiestennieuws |date=21 January 2019 |language=Dutch}}</ref> On 3 August 2019, he was at the 30th Anniversary of Wacken Open Air with the band.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frog Leap kommt aufs Wacken 2019 |trans-title=Frog Leap is coming to Wacken 2019 |url=http://www.solarpenguin.de/lang/en/frog-leap-kommt-aufs-wacken-2019/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803234505/http://www.solarpenguin.de/lang/en/frog-leap-kommt-aufs-wacken-2019/ |archive-date=3 August 2019 |website=Solar Penguin |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref>
The Frog Leap band members are Leo Moracchioli (vocals and guitar), Hannah Boulton (female vocals), Erik Torp (bass), Rabea Massaad (guitar), Truls Haugen (vocals and drums).
He is endorsed by TC Electronic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Leo Moracchioli – Frog Leap Studios |url=https://www.tcelectronic.com/artists/artist.html?artistId=leo-moracchioli |website=TC Electronic |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref> He was previously endorsed by Chapman Guitars.<ref>{{cite web |title=Artist Leo Moracchioli |url=https://www.chapmanguitars.co.uk/artist/leo-moracchioli/ |website=Chapman Guitars |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622174230/https://www.chapmanguitars.co.uk/artist/leo-moracchioli/ |archive-date=22 June 2021 |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref>
== Personal life == Moracchioli was born to an Italian father and Norwegian mother.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/93902 |title=Leo Moracchioli |website=secondhandsongs.com |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref>
He is divorced<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws-Ci64hN-0 |title=Life Updates |date=17 May 2020 |website=YouTube |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref> and had a daughter in 2011.{{cn|date=January 2024}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Discogs artist|1378918}} * {{Discogs label|558675|Frog Leap Studio}} * {{YouTube|u=leolego}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moracchioli, Leo}} Category:Norwegian heavy metal musicians Category:People from Gjesdal Municipality Category:Living people Category:Norwegian YouTubers Category:Norwegian people of Italian descent Category:1978 births Category:Cover artists Category:Music YouTubers