BEHIND THE MUSIC :: ‘Aries Rising’
Aries Rising from the heart of Cyberpunk City this PRIDE month ~ Vicky Leigh
deadname. :: Serving as a perfect introduction to me as an artist, it gives you my gender identity, name and home within the first verse. Before leading into a tirade against the government for lack of support toward trans people. All this housed around the repetitive insistence on not calling trans people by their deadname. I wanted to make an anthem which spoke for trans/enby people as frustrated as me, toward everyone who doesn’t support or recognise them as the person they’re growing to be. It opens the ‘Aries Rising EP’.
It’s Hard To Be A Gay In The City :: Here is an autobiographical song, capturing a moment from a solo jaunt to Cambridge a few summers ago. I was sitting on a park bench writing it after seeing so many queer couples surrounding me. Envy started to build and rise within me, wishing I could be one of them, rather than sitting solo under the shade of a tree. It’s title is also a little nod to a song covered by David Bowie, ‘It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City’. It closes the ‘Aries Rising EP’.
“Aries Rising” :: This is where the name came from. This was almost the EP cover. ‘Aries Rising EP’ has gone through a lot of changes since it’s conception in 2021. It was originally called ‘Hypermanicoverdrive’ and would have been a “farewell” effort, before changing to ‘Antithesis’ seeing as it’s probably the brightest and happiest music I’ve ever written. Until late last year when something changed, where I stumbled upon a new song and an idea. The project has gone through four iterations in three years, with the rest and the best yet to come. This aries is beginning to rise, and someday soon you’ll be welcomed into a world of lavender & chrome.
THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE :: I find releasing music to be a really vulnerable and scary experience. Because I never know if it’s good enough, I never know if people like it. Even if my friends do listen to it and say “hey, I really like your song,” I don’t know if they’re just saying that to be nice. But in the wake of releasing new music for the first time in two years, I have received such lovely responses and I am incredibly thankful for the reception so far. I also hope it can continue to reach a wider audience, with somebody coming across ‘Aries Rising EP’ and realising they aren’t alone. That’s what it’s all about.
You can stream/purchase ‘Aries Rising (A ‘L&C’ Division) EP’ on Bandcamp, or listen to the EP uninterrupted on YouTube🏳️🌈💜✨
