An Interview With the LA-Based Electro-Pop Musician, LE△DER!

Photo Credit- Josiah Cracraft

Meet the LA-based electro-pop artist LE△DER, who just released his debut single & video “Waves.”

“Fashion is a part of my creative process,” he explains. “I’m a visual kind of guy and the freedom to express myself is what draws me to fashion. Every shape or color I wear influences my mood, similar to how listening to a song can influence your mood. It also enhances my performance and puts me in my element when on stage.”

Connect With LE△DER Here:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/leadrmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadrmusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadrmusic

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/leadrmusic

Youtube: http://bit.ly/LEADRyoutube

Learn more about LE△DER in the following All Access interview:

Overall, how do you think 2017 was for you and your career?

2017 for me was a year of making decisions and honing my sound. Also, I shot my first music video, “Waves”, and I’m super excited to share it to the world.

What are you most excited about for this year?

I’m most excited to finally release my music, tour and collaborate with different artists.

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? Care to share them with us?

To live each day like it’s your last and continue working on new music.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?

When I was about 8 years old, my mother brought me a Playskool voice recorder with a microphone. I would steal my older brother’s cassette tapes in the basement of my childhood home and play his Michael Jackson or Madonna albums. I would just sing along and perform in front of my family. I knew this was my dream to be a musician.

I always like to ask artists about where they came from and how that city or town has influenced them as an artist now. So how do you think your home has affected you and your music today?

 I’m from good ole Cherry Hill, NJ. My parents were pretty strict when I was a kid. They kept me home with my twin brother, Ben, and made us study all day like every asian parent out there. Haha! When they were away from work, we would keep ourselves entertained by illegally downloading a bunch of electronic and trance music on Napster. At the time, it wasn’t very popular but we both loved it. It’s funny because I remember talking to my brother and wondering if this type of music will ever go mainstream. Fast forward, it’s everywhere!

How did you go about picking LE∆DR as your artist name? Why not just go by your own real name? Do you find that this allows you to be someone different when recording music?

LE△DER is my project moniker. I’m inspired by so many people I’ve met in my life. They helped lead me to where I am today. Good or bad. There were mistakes along the way but I’ve learned from them. My music is very uplifting and I want to take my followers on a journey and lead them to their greatness. We are all LEADRs and I want to inspire people to dream bigger and reach higher with my music. If I can do it, you can do it!

 This allows my music to speak for itself. It’s fun to be mysterious! Sort of like a superhero. Haha! Plus, LEADR would look dope on a t-shirt.

“I collaborated with James Dii, Los Angeles Fashion Designer, to allow him to create and bring to life my vision through his designs. The whole aesthetic of my video was all white, pure and minimal. Very flowy. Introducing me as the artist. The all white wardrobe absorbs the hues from the prismatic lights in the video. We wanted to create some movement with the clothes that was inspired by my song, “Waves.” Like my lyric, ‘Let it flow through you.’ Feathers are symbolic to the video. Feathers are sensitive to the wind and the clothes flow like a feather.”

Let’s talk about your debut single called “Waves.” Where did the inspiration for this track come from?

I created the production in NYC and wrote the track in LA. I was inspired by the waves of change. The energy of LA was what brought me here. There is so much inspiration from the people to the sun shining everyday. I love it and I don’t miss the cold!

What does it feel like to finally be releasing a song?

It feels like I’m blowing a dandelion into the wind and making my wish come true.

Why do you think that this is a great introduction to what you are about as a musician?

My song is a great introduction to what I am as a musician because it’s about new beginnings and letting go of your fears. It took me so long to find my sound and I am really happy with the direction I’m going towards.

What was it like making the video for “Waves”? How creatively involved were you with the whole process?

It was so much fun and I had an amazing team to help me bring my vision come to life. Margo Victor, Los Angeles Artist & Filmmaker, directed my video and she came up with the idea to introduce me as the artist in the most minimal and pure way. She’s an incredible artist and I trusted her along the way. I came up with the all white aesthetic. White to me evokes new beginnings, simplicity and infinite imagination. Also, I brought on dancers to represent changes in my life and the choreography had a sense of flow like my lyric, “Let it flow through you.” There is a section in the video that had a super 8  kinda feel to it. We cut out positive words to inspire the audience and projected it on to my body. Also, all the wardrobe was custom made by Los Angeles fashion designer, James Dii. It’s unbelievable and if I saw it in a store, I would’ve bought it all. He gets my aesthetic and it was great to work with him. I was definitely involved with the video editing process with Margo. I have a degree in film and audio production, so that helped.

I would love to know more about how fashion is a big part of your creative process? Can you elaborate on that? How do your fashion choices influence the kind of music that you make? What are some of your favorite items in your closet right now?

Fashion is a part of my creative process. I’m a visual kind of guy and the freedom to express myself is what draws me to fashion. Every shape or color I wear can change my mood. Like listening to a song can change your mood. It also enhances my performance. I live a very minimalistic life and I’m more into experiences. My favorite item in my closet is actually a basic white oversized t-shirt I bought in Tokyo. Haha! The simple things in life makes me happy.

Do you have any tour dates planned for 2018 already?

As of now, not yet. I would love to open for an already established artist.

Photo Credit- Josiah Cracraft

Where do you find that you at your happiest- on stage performing, in the studio recording music, writing songs or elsewhere?

All of the above! Music makes me happy! 🙂

We are living in a crazy and at times rough world right now so I am curious how you think being a musician gives you the most joy in life today? How do you think that new music being created today is going to reflect these difficult times?

There is so much going on in the world right now. I feel like music is my therapy and my escape from reality. We need more positivity and light in this world. I want to keep writing songs that will inspire and uplift everyone.

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? What musicians would you absolutely still love to work with in the future?

Definitely classics like Michael Jackson, BT and Tiesto. At the moment, I’m really inspired by Bonobo, Rufus du Sol, Odesza, and Bob Moses. I would love to work with Odesza in the future.

What do you hope your fans take away from your music? Do you find that a lot of your music has a greater meaning behind it?

I hope my fans will continue to follow their dreams and inspire each other to be LEADRs.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself or your music with our readers?

Stay tuned for more music and make a wish! 😉