Aiden Leslie on love lost, Pride and empowering LGBTQ youth.
BY ORLY LYONNE
As a pop singer-songwriter, Aiden Leslie has become known for creating songs of a very personal nature. His latest single “I Just Go” continues down that very intimate, almost painfully revealing path.
“I wrote the song at really dark time in my life,” reveals Leslie. “If you look at the lyrics, they are on the dark side: I could care / should care / but I just go.”
“It’s that universal thing of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I was lost. I was doing things that were not good for me, hanging out with the wrong crowd. The relationship part was only one element of it.”
Leslie, who recently charted on Billboard, performed at NYC Pride last month. “Being able to perform there after the Supreme Court decision was amazing,” he says. “Everybody had this energy and joy that was almost indescribable… It is something that I will never forget.”
Recently Leslie has become involved with “Live Out Loud,”—www.liveoutloud.info—nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering LGBTQ youth by connecting them with successful LGBTQ professionals in their community.
“I am really excited about this organization,” says Leslie. “What they are doing is really important for LGBTQ teens, helping them to live their most authentic life. The work that they are doing is so important and vital. They have been around for about 14 years, and their programs offer teens a lot of encouragement. It’s an incredible time now in the LGBTQ community. It’s almost unbelievable to see the change in just a few years.”
“I’ve been involved with other organizations before, but I have to tell you that with “Live Out Loud” I really feel connected,” reveals Leslie. “I think back to what it was like when I was a kid and how different of a world it was. Having an LGBT role model can really change the trajectory of a young life… It’s thrilling to talk about that, to get involved with these kids’ lives.”
For more on Aiden Leslie—and to view his new video “I Just Go”—visit aidenleslie.com. For more info about “Live Out Loud” visit www.liveoutloud.info.
