Interview of LEADR

PHOTO CREDIT: Josiah Cracraft

LEADR took some time out to do an interview with us, please check it out!

First thing I want to mention to you is that the song Waves is fantastic, the tone of the acoustic version is a bit different and beautifully shot. What was it that inspired you to write this song and what was the ideas for the videos? Thank you Volatile Weekly! ‘Waves’ was inspired by my move from NYC to Los Angeles and embracing life’s changes. The energy of LA brought me here to pursue music and I’ve met so many different talented artists who are so supportive. One of them was Nima Firouzan, he directed my acoustic video. I am drawn to the pureness of the white light and we wanted to set the tone of me being this angelic white bird in the desert. The acoustic video ties into my new single, 11:11 feat. TXVX. Nima directed this one too and I’m so thankful to have him on my team. You spent time in both New York City and Los Angeles, how did each city influence your work? I love both cities. I felt like NYC was a place where I learned more about myself and learning from my mistakes. I’ve met a few friends in NYC who inspired me to where I am today. I have so much support from my twin brother and my creative friends in Los Angeles. They help fuel my dream and they truly believe in me. I am so grateful to have them in my life. You took the artist name LEADR because of your mantra of following your dreams. From what I understand Peter Pan was your inspiration for that. How did the story of Peter Pan influence you as you grew up and how you currently make your music? As we get older, we forget about the simple joys of life when we were young. Like eating ice cream and buying colorful balloons. I love the fact how Peter Pan is forever young and he was the leader of the Lost Boys. I want to bring joy to people’s lives when they listen to my music and lead them to their greatness. I understand that you want to team up with some foundations like Make a Wish and The Trevor Project, what was it about these fantastic organizations that drew you to them? Is there anything that you would like to say to people that may convince them to donate or work with them? I love kids. The kids are our future. We have to teach them to love. I was bullied when I was a kid and look at me now. It really does get better. Please donate to Make a Wish and The Trevor Project. Let’s make our future a better more loving place. Being bullied as a child and even as an adult it can be quite traumatizing, I am happy that you were able to get through all of that and turn in into something good. What message would you like to give to kids that are going through it? To the kids: Fight back with love and tune out those negative people. Stick to people who will support you. I will support you and you are not alone. To the parents: Teach them love and respect. You can help prevent them from becoming a bully. You got a push into the spotlight after being in a choir group in high school. What about that experience most shaped you into who you are today? I joined my high school choir really late and my music teacher told me after my audition, “…and where were you?” Haha. She threw me in the top choir and gave me the opportunity to sing in front of my whole school. When I received really good feedback from my classmates, I knew I wanted to pursue music. Your music consists of live instrumentation and electronic beats, what inspired you to use that as your sound? I was inspired by Bonobo. I love the way he mixes organic live instruments with electronic sounds. I hope one day I can have a live orchestra during my on-stage performance. What types of things inspire you as you write your music? Do you have any sort of method or process that you would like to share that may help someone just getting into making music? I would say listen to different types of music and go to live shows to find inspiration. Also, collaborate with different artists and learn from each other. When I produce, I create a loop in Ableton and then I structure the song later. Which bands have most inspired you over the years? If you could work with any artist, who would it be and why and what could you see making out of that experience? I would love to collaborate with Troye Sivan and Odesza. Troye and I are very similar. We are both queer artists and I love his sound. I hope one day I could be featured on an Odesza track. They have been my biggest inspiration, and their live shows are sick. Your debut EP is coming out soon, what was it like working on that? Did you face any unforeseen challenges and any happy accidents? I am currently working on my debut EP and it has been a fun process. I started collaborating with different artists and it’s cool what they can bring something new to the table. My new single, “11:11”, will be on my upcoming EP and it was originally a downtempo track. One night, I was bored and I remixed “11:11” to hear what it sounds like as a dance track. It worked out and it was the perfect song to end the summer. Going forward what can your fans look forward to? Any tours or anything that you would like mention? I just did a show at the Mint and it was so much fun. I’m definitely planning to do a tour to promote my debut EP.

Check out LEADR - 11:11 feat. TXVX:

Song Link: