Long Beard

Leslie Bear (born 23 October 1990), professionally known as Long Beard, is an American musician from East Brunswick, New Jersey. Bear released her debut studio album, Sleepwalker in 2015. She played bass guitar for the band Japanese Breakfast in 2017. Her second studio album Means to Me was released in 2019. Leslie Bear was born on 23 October 1990 and was raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Growing up, Bear listened to '90s Cantopop and Mandopop musicians such as Faye Wong, singing along and playing melodies on a keyboard. Her mother offered to hire a piano teacher. At fifteen, she borrowed a friend's Squier Stratocaster, bought an Ibanez guitar, and began learning the instrument. Bear began performing after finding that the music scene in the neighboring city of New Brunswick supported local acts. She began using the moniker Long Beard, after a fictional wizard she had created. She graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in computer science and temporarily worked as a software developer before deciding to pursue music full-time. In 2014, Bear released her debut extended play, Holy Crow. She released the EP due to a desire to put herself "'out there.'" Mo, Nicole (2019-08-20). "Long Beard makes dreamy indie rock that embraces our insecurities". The FADER. Archived from the original on 2025-09-16. Retrieved 2025-07-19. Huq, Meilyn. "Long Beard: Assertive and Quietly Introspective Singer-Songwriter". Spin. Retrieved 22 November 2019. "TIDAL Rising: Long Beard". TIDAL Magazine. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2025-07-19. Maine, Sammy (2019-09-04). "Meet Long Beard, dream pop's rising star who explores nostalgia on new album Means To Me". Guitar.com. Retrieved 2025-07-19. Ball, Vetiver Lowrey (2024-03-11). "WFA: Long Beard". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 2025-07-19. "Sleepwalker". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2025-07-19. "Means To Me". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 2025-06-10. Retrieved 2025-07-19. "Holy Crow". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-07-19.