Long Beard

Leslie Bear was born on 23 October 1990 and was raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey.^[2] Growing up, Bear listened to '90s Cantopop and Mandopop musicians such as Faye Wong^[3], singing along and playing melodies on a keyboard. Her mother offered to hire a piano teacher.^[4] At fifteen, she borrowed a friend's Squier Stratocaster, bought an Ibanez guitar, and began learning the instrument.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[2]

In 2014, Bear released her debut extended play, Holy Crow. She released the EP due to a desire to put herself "'out there.'"^[3]