Out artist, model and singer Aiden Leslie burst into the dance music scene when his music video “Worlds Away” landed the top spot on LOGO’s “The Click List”. Since then, the sexy hunk has gained the appreciation of critics and fans alike who regard him as an promising star. He just released the music video for his latest single “Diamond Dreams” directed by Marco Ovando.
Diamond Dreams is available on ITUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/diamond-dreams-single/id547968001
“My ultimate mission as a performer is to share my story and experiences,” says emerging pop artist Aiden Leslie who recently returned to the music scene with his first single in two years, “Worlds Away”. The track has managed to resonate with Fans around the world as it has recently risen to the Number One position on Logo-TV’s Click List and stayed there for a consecutive 4-week reign and was immediately put in rotation on MTV and VH1. Aiden recently released his anticipated follow-up to “World’s Away”, the pop anthem “Trying to Leave Now” which is quickly rising on the charts. “I aim to inspire people to look closer at their lives and strive to be better. Oh, I also hope they’ll dance their asses off.” Six days after graduating high school in Ohio, Aiden Leslie moved to New York City to pursue his music dreams.
“I was mesmerized by Elvis as a child,” he remembers. “My parents were huge fans and would always play his records. One morning I told my parents I wanted to be a singer like Elvis and they said I could do anything I wanted. Their belief encouraged me.”
In New York, Aiden was cast in an off Broadway play. In between rehearsals, he would tag along with the show’s sound engineer and scour the shelves of Eightball Records, a vinyl record shop that was popular with DJs in the mid-nineties. There, Aiden was introduced to an underground music world he didn’t know existed. It wasn’t long before he became a fixture in the New York nightlife circuit, frequenting clubs like Palladium, Tunnel, Twilo, Roxy, and Jackie 60 to listen and dance to after-hour DJs Junior Vasquez and Danny Tenaglia.
“I saw dance and the underground club scene as another form of theatre”, he explains. “Unscripted and self-expressive; an art form in stark contrast to the strict structure of the traditional plays I was performing in.”
The one element he found to be lacking in dance was the presence of strong male vocalists. “A lot of DJs are simply not open to playing male artists on their dance floors. I think it’s time that has changed. I want to be a part of the movement to bring more guys to the floor.”
And he has. The Junior Vasquez remix of Aiden’s “Love to Hate You”, a remake of the Erasure hit, ignited floors around the world and introduced Aiden Leslie as a formidable talent.
Leslie describes his sound as Hip-Pop with a strong dance influence. It is a true reflection of his life, he says, but admits it wasn’t always. In fact, the follow-up song to his successful debut was a song that Aiden describes as “unauthentic to his true self”. It is part of the reason for his two-year absence from music.
“It was not the direction I wanted to go in musically,” he admits. “Coming off ‘Love to Hate You’, so many opportunities were being offered and I was taken in by it all. Right away, I knew it was a mistake and I learned a hard lesson from it. A fat paycheck is nice, but it’s not worth losing your integrity and your voice.”
The release also coincided with the hardest loss Aiden Leslie has ever experienced in his life: the unexpected death of his older sister.
“She was my only sibling and the primary care-taker for my parents, who were both ill.” Aiden returned home to take care of his parents, where he fell deeper into despair.
“I lost the passion for my music. My mind and soul were vacant. I remember feeling so low, I didn’t think I would ever return to music, even though I knew it was the answer to finding myself again.”
Fate intervened. Aiden received a call from a producer, asking if he were available to work on a track. Seeing it as a sign and a way back to normal, he accepted the offer. “This time around, I said to myself, no matter what happens, I’m going to do this my way, with my vision. I didn’t care what came out of it as long as it was authentic to me.”
“Worlds Away” is a song about life’s journey. Written by Aiden Leslie, it examines how people face struggle and the inevitability of change. It also reflects on the aftermath of struggle, reaching the light at the end of the tunnel and the realization of growth from adversity. “Trying to Leave Now” in it’s own way also examines stepping outside of your comfort zone and even if it may not “feel” right, sometimes you have to take those risks to make bigger leaps to grow.
“I’ve learned that in life there are hills to climb,” he says. “It’s how you manage the fall down and the climb up from the hills that is key.”
“Life is bittersweet. We all have a purpose to find. I am grateful to have found my purpose in music. Being given a second chance to share it with the world is a gift.”
Connect with AIDEN LESLIE:
www.aidenleslie.com
www.facebook.com/aidenlesliemusic
www.youtube.com/aidenlleslie
www.twitter.com/aidenleslie
