Leilani Patao | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Indie, Hyperpop, Singer-Songwriter, Electronic |
| Occupations | Musician, engineer |
| Labels | Audio Antihero |
Leilani Patao is a Hawaiian-American [1] [2] musician, vocalist and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. They are based in Brooklyn, New York. [3] [4] [5]
Leilani Patao began their musical theater and songwriting education at the Jaxx Theatricals Conservatory [6] before enrolling at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where they performed in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Beauty and the Beast. [7] [8] [9] For their role as Judas Iscariot, Patao was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in the 2020 National Youth Arts Awards. [10]
In 2020, Patao was among the winners of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Musical Theater Songwriter Challenge. [11] [12] [13] They were recognized as the 2021 Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative University Scholar, [14] [15] [16] and received Honorable Mention and Merit awards from YoungArts. [17] [18] They also performed that same year at the "I’m Still Here" virtual benefit for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Billy Rose Theatre Division, to honor George C. Wolfe and Harold Prince. [19] [20] [21] As a representative of LACHSA, [22] [23] Patao also appeared in "Louder Than Words: High School Edition” to promote Lin Manuel Miranda's tick… tick… BOOM! . [24] [25]
In 2022, Patao received a scholarship from the Jack Kent Cook Foundation, [26] [27] a YoungArts Merit award [28] [29] and performed at the American Theater Wing gala to honor Antionette Perry. [30] [31] [32] The following year, they were a finalist in the Write Out Loud songwriting competition. [33] [34]
Patao also received a scholarship and acceptance from NYU Tish, [35] where they joined the cast of NYU Portraits, [36] [37] [38] and performed at NYU gala events, [39] and a showcase at Arlene's Grocery. [40] Patao became the Engineering Director for WNYU, [41] where they also host the "Let's Get Lei'd" and "New Afternoon Show" shows. [42] For WNYU, they've interviewed Kalani Pe'a [43] and engineered "Alive in the Basement" sessions for Sarah Kinsley, [44] jev., [45] Avery Friedman, [46] Tiberius, [47] and Babehoven. [48]
In 2021, [49] Leilani Patao began self-releasing albums of their original songs with The Lovers Reversed, which was followed by You Always Loved Reading the next year. Patao also played and recorded [50] with the Prophet Tree punk band. [3]
Between March and June 2024, Patao issued the "Make Believe," “I Know," and "LABEL" singles. [51] [52] [53] "Make Believe" was an entrant in the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest. [54] Patao appeared on the June 17 broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , where they performed as part of the "Battle of the Instant Songwriters." [55] [5] [56] The But What If? album was released on July 19. [57] [3]
In 2025, Leilani Patao debuted on the Audio Antihero label with the "Cut" [58] [59] [60] and "BIRD WHISTLE" singles. [61] [62] [63] The daisy EP followed on November 7 [4] [64] [65] after premiering with Under the Radar the day prior. [3]
The EP was followed by the "Red Hair Dye" single, which included remixes from Benjamin Shaw and iyrliaes. [66] [67] Patao withheld these 2025 releases from streaming services, [3] [4] [68] explaining the decision in essays [69] [70] [71] and interviews. [72] [73] [74]
Patao's 2025 label debut EP daisy was praised by outlets like KLOF Mag, [4] Under the Radar, [3] and God Is in the TV. [75] [76] The songs "Portrait" and "Red Hair Dye" reached No.1 in the Hype Machine "Most Posted" chart. [77] [78] Radio support for the EP included airplay from KEXP, [2] WFUV, [59] [79] and FM4, [61] as well as a session for KGNU. [80]
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