Brooklyn-based powerhouse Leilani Patao has released “what,” the final single from their forthcoming deluxe EP, Daisy Deluxe, out July 24. The track offers a preview of the artist’s most intimate songwriting and vocal performances to date.

The multidimensional track pulls from ’90s grunge and experimental indie pop, moving with the restlessness of young adulthood. Pounding drums steadily raise the song’s intensity as it shifts from whispered bedroom confessions to waves of distorted guitar. Through each turn, Patao’s soulful vocals keep the song grounded in intimacy.

Outside of music, the Hawaiian-American musician also works as a community organizer. Their songwriting often draws from this experience, exploring immigration justice, environmental destruction and trans rights through a deeply personal lens.

As support from KEXP, WFUV, Under the Radar and The Tonight Show brought Leilani Patao’s music to wider audiences, the stakes grew. The attention brought new eyes and new expectations. Suddenly, there was more pressure for Patao to make marketable work that could reach as many people as possible.

There’s so much pressure to be palatable, to find what everyone likes and to do it. To follow the systems that are in place, even if you don’t like them, even if they’re wrong.

“what” is the release valve for that pressure. More than anything, the song sounds like an artist making peace with not being everyone’s cup of tea. It chooses honesty over comfort and hopes that its listeners will too.

Daisy Deluxe will be available exclusively on Bandcamp.

“what” LYRICS

What’s it got to do with you?

With your stable job and two bedroom

No need to read the news

What’s it got to do with you

The price of life ain’t changed a dime

But you had more cash four years ago this time

You owe nothing to the world

Don’t you and yours come first

But I’ve grown scared of my teachers

Mothers, fathers, and preachers

Anyone who says

“Love is love is free”

Cause talk is cheap and words shallow

And I’m a hard pill to swallow

And any moment, I could not be free

I’m begging you please

You can’t cover your ears and call it peace

You can’t stare into your phone

And hope the void gives you relief

Notice the people you see

You owe kindness in the ways they need

How are you not up?

How are you not angry?

Dad’s from a place he’s never known

Couldn’t afford to stay whenever he got close

Land and men in line

Chase them out in exile

Mom moved here for a better life

A chance at love, a chance at a job

American style

A green card success

A citizen at her expense

But I’ve grown scared of the center

Those who think that they’re better off

If they save what they’ve got

Is it the peace that you’re keeping

My Hawai’i is melting

But it’s just another graphic to read

And I become a story