Dedicated to AAPI Victims of Hate Crimes, LEADR’s “Hi, I’m Human” Is a Song of Love & Connection

Los Angeles indie pop artist LEADR extends an olive branch in his ethereal new single “Hi, I’m Human,” a visceral response to abuse and a powerful reminder that deep down, we’re all the same.

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Stream: “Hi, I’m Human” – LEADR

It’s easy to watch the news (or endlessly doomscroll through Twitter) and get sucked into a spiral of vitriol, anger, hopelessness, and depression. “Is this what life has come to?” we ask ourselves. Beyond screens, many of us have experienced some form of abuse in our own lives – and whether it’s prejudice on a systemic or individual level, one can’t help but wonder, “Why is this happening?” There’s got to be a better way. Los Angeles indie pop artist LEADR extends an olive branch in his ethereal new single “Hi, I’m Human,” a visceral response to abuse and a powerful reminder that deep down, we’re all the same.

No, that’s not right
What’s been happening in your life
You should really change your mind right now
Go, find your soul
You can never be too old
To be a light in this dark world
Somehow

But I don’t know you, and you don’t know me
With a change of heart, you can start to be
Something better than you wanted
Here’s the moment, it’s your calling

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Hi, I’m Human,” LEADR’s first single of 2021 (following December’s “6Ft Winter” featuring Wundr.). The artist moniker for New Jersey-bred, Southern California-based Alexander Tang, LEADR debuted three years ago and has been weaving wondrous webs of electro-tinged indie pop ever since.

Atwood had the privilege of introducing LEADR (at the time stylized with the delta symbol, “LE∆DR”) to the world, premiering February 2018’s “Waves” and describing it as “a pulsing, blissful rush of emotional ambiance that washes over us with purity, minimalism, and temporal energy… LE∆DR blends his own ethereal vocals with samples, electronic beats and live instrumentation to create something that feels familiar, yet altogether unique.”

The ensuing three wildly turbulent years have seen LEADR – a multi-threat singer, songwriter, producer, and director – emerge as a strong and quickly growing presence, with his additional 2020 singles “Gaia” and “3am” garnering thousands of streams on Spotify.

His first offering of the new year feels especially timely, with its message of choosing connection over disconnect and love over hate. Singing serenely over a subtle, yet immersive soundscape, LEADR creates a space for conversation, understanding, and finding common ground.

We can celebrate, and be on our way
But we don’t ask why, we appreciate
Everybody has a purpose
And you know we don’t deserve this

Hi, I’m human, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
Hi, I’m human, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
You, you, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
You, you, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)

“Growing up in Jersey, people called me a fairy, and now I’m embracing my inner faerie,” LEADR tells Atwood Magazine, citing his own personal experience of growing up Queer to traditional Vietnamese parents and not being accepted by colleagues. “I’ve experienced bullying and physical abuse in my life… Traditionally, I was taught to not speak up and to get myself out of trouble. When I had enough from my abuser, I pushed back. That is what we need to do now and fight back. Know your worth and stand tall! That is why I’m using my platform to encourage other Asians to share their stories. We are all in this together.”

It’s so simple, yet its message stuns an unsuspecting listener to silence: “Hi, I’m human, I’m just like you.” LEADR’s music speaks for all who have felt bullied or shut out “for being different,” yet the song’s arrival in March/April 2021 feels especially connected to recent hate crimes and prejudiced attacks targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – even if it was written long before these events transpired.

For LEADR, this song is dedicated to those victims.

“As a community, AAPI needs to start sharing their stories,” he says. “Using my voice, I hope that my song builds awareness to be careful with the words you choose. Our words do lift or they can destroy. We all suffer and seek love and validation. Let’s take united against racism, hatred, violence, and bullying. We’re all human.”

“We need to support other communities as well,” he adds. “It’s not a transactional thing. We are all in the same boat fighting against the same enemy.”

Hope, we can hope
There’s no better way to cope
With these words that kept us all alone
Change, make a change
For your fellows and your mates
We should never be afraid, oh no

But I don’t you, and you don’t know me
With a change of heart, you can start to be
Something better than you wanted
Here’s the moment, it’s your calling

We can celebrate, and be on our way
But we don’t ask why, we appreciate
Everybody has a purpose
And you know we don’t deserve this

Call it hate; prejudice; ignorance; abuse: “The enemy” has many faces and takes on many forms, but its opposite is always love: Love for one another, love for each other, love for our fellow humans, love for our inner and outer beauty. If we truly learn to love, then we can overcome the many things that seek to divide us. “Hi, I’m Human” is, through this lens, a love song: A particularly mesmerizing, seductive love song built on pulsing atmospherics, ethereal sonics, and the belief that if we see each other for our true selves, nothing can get in our way.

Hi, I’m human, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
Hi, I’m human, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
You, you, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)
You, you, I’m just like you (I’m just like you)

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Stream: “Hi, I’m Human” – LEADR

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