UK producer Leslie Wai prepares for take-off, with the ‘Lift Me Up’ EP, which features five tracks that traverse across the electronic music spectrum. The EP displays a collection of works that set out Leslie’s forthcoming musical agenda.
With a background in the creative industries & current socials that have a reach in excess of 200k followers, Leslie has continued laying down firm foundations since the release of his last extended player – which lit up globally & also saw the music video notch up some 4.7 million views, across YouTube.
Fast forward to more recent times, ‘Lift Me Up’ sees Leslie Wai pulling on his last twelve months of studio output – as the London based artist curates a selection of tracks produced in various worldwide destinations, that include Japan, Hong Kong, Canada & his homeland in the UK.
From the title track ‘Lift Me Up’, through to the closing cut ‘We Can Never Stop’ Leslie Wai‘s beat goes firmly on & the EP is set to fire up a multitude of global club floors & radio playlists in the weeks ahead.
We caught up with Leslie Wai to learn a bit more about the EP, and the importance of social media in today’s day and age, for the electronic music industry.
T.H.E – Hey Leslie, welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. What’s been happening?
Leslie Wai – Hey there! Thanks for having me! Lots have been happening lately. I’ve just released a new EP and kicked it off with a live set on the day of release at Summer In The City, which went off with a bang!
T.H.E – We’re loving the vibes your new EP brings. Can we expect ‘Lift Me Up’ to define the kind of sound you’ll be producing, going forward as an artist?
Leslie Wai – The sound from “Lift Me Up” is a culmination of different genres I both listen to and have developed over time. I don’t specifically stick to a certain genre, though. I used to produce more hard electro house, but have changed it up since! The sound I have at the moment reflects on how I’ve evolved as an electronic artist and is probably my favourite sound to date!
T.H.E – The EP features tracks that were produced in varying destinations, are there any creative challenges that working overseas, away from home brings?
Leslie Wai – I think the main reason why I produced in different destinations was that each location gave me different inspiration. For instance, I wrote “Lift Me Up” when I was on the plane to Toronto. I felt the need to include a vocal hook and what better sample than something that has lyrics relating to my environment! “We Can Never Stop” was written in Japan after having seen the anime film “Your Name”. The orchestral elements were inspired by the score from the film. So, it’s mostly circumstantial reasons, but I kinda like that!
T.H.E – We hear you’re going to be on tour with The Midnight Beast, how did that come about?
Leslie Wai – The tour is very exciting indeed! The Midnight Beast are actually great friends of mine. After my set at Summer In The City, they approached me afterward and was very impressed. So, they asked me to join them on their UK tour to open for them! It was quite a surreal moment, but no doubt, I said yes!
T.H.E – As an artist, you have clearly embraced social media & the role it plays in today’s music industry. How important do you think it is connecting artists with their fans, and where do you see it going forward?
Leslie Wai – Well, the social media thing was where I actually started out. I got recognition online from Vine, where I reached 1m followers. After that blew over, I migrated over to Youtube and Facebook, where I promoted more of my music. So, social media was always a part of me as an artist. Also, I feel that being an artist in this day and age, it’s really important to interact with fans as they will feel more connected and can relate to you more. As for moving forwards, I feel like social media won’t be going away any time soon as it’s very much integrated into the music industry.
T.H.E – And finally, what’s next for Leslie Wai across the remainder of 2018?
Leslie Wai – I have a remix competition in association with LabelRadar that will be coming around the same time of the tour which will allow fans to download stems from a track off the EP to create their own remix! Aside from that, I’ll be working on new material and content for my social media channels!
