Aaron Lee Tasjan Unleashes Remix of Single 'Nightmare' in Honor of Pride Month

GRAMMY-nominated Nashville singularity Aaron Lee Tasjan has releases his newest single in time to celebrate PRIDE month, a remix of the emotionally charged, deeply poignant track, “Nightmare,” from his recently released album, Stellar Evolution. This new single is completely reimaged by Lafemmebear who plays every single instrument, arranged it, produced it, and mixed it along with writing a new verse for the track.
 
The remix juxtaposes the same clubby beat while delving into the ever-present fear of becoming victim to a hate crime. “I want all my friends to know I love ‘em, just in case I should disappear,” Tasjan heartbreakingly sings on the bridge, capturing the raw vulnerability and fear experienced by many in the queer community. Lefemmebear’s touch is evident not only in the stripped-back bare vocals but also in the evocative lyrical passage she adds mid-way through the song.

Tasjan explains of the song, “We are living in a time where we're seeing a lot of dehumanization all over the world. It breaks my heart to see our community under attack in this way. I wrote ‘Nightmare’ because I wanted to tell the story of what's really happening to us. I had the idea to get one of my most favorite producer/artists going today, Lafemmebear, to do a remix of it but then I wanted to go even further and have her add her own verse and story to the song. In that moment, it became even more than a remix. It became a powerful anthem of community made by two queer friends who refuse to go quietly into the darkness. We will always do what we were born to do as artists: tell the truth.”
 
Lafemmebear echoes the sentiment, “It means the world to me to give my community music that both makes them move, because that catharsis is important, and also deliver a message that can speak to the collective healing our community so desperately needs right now. I’m so grateful to be able to give even a small part of that with Aaron right beside me, queer friends makin’ queer tunes, that’s community.”
 
Stellar Evolution is also a body of work that celebrates love, scathe and protest, claims space and shines bright. Inspired by the dark times the queer community has experienced in the south, the album was written in the context of bathroom and drag bans, which were enacted in Tennessee, while right-wing rhetoric around LGBTQI+ people became uglier and uglier. Tasjan knew this album needed to offer a safe space for the vibrant queer community that has become home to him.
 
For Tasjan his songs are sonic and personal evolutions, and track his sonic shifts and share personal moments of overcoming challenges and embracing change. For tastemaker press, whose support has included the likes of Rolling Stone, FLOOD, PAPER and Paste magazine, and his fans, Tasjan’s songs are universal in appeal and inclusive in intention. Song’s like Hyper pop adjacent raver “Alien Space Queen” celebrate living outside the gender binary and Tasjan’s bi-sexuality and queer identity. Tasjan gets funky on his ode to Talking Heads and Scary Monsters era Bowie, “Pants,” a life-affirming call for authentic and righteous self-expression, and on the powerful ballad “Dylan Shades,” he loves so much he lets it go.

Aaron Lee Tasjan on Tour

6/19/24 - Louisville, KY - Zanzibar
6/20/24 - Effingham, IL - Moccasin Creek Festival
6/21/24 - Appleton, WI - Appleton Beer Factory
6/22/24 - Eau Claire, WI - The Hunky Dory
6/23/24 - Mosinee, WI - Lamplight Sessions
8/15/24 - Huntsville, AL - Butler Green Park
8/16/24 - Chattanooga, TN - JJ’s Bohemia
8/17/24 - Waverly, AL - Standard Deluxe
8/18/24 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
8/20/24 - Mobile, AL - Merry Widoe
8/21/24 - New Orleans, LA - Chickie Wah Wah
8/23/24 - Houston, TX - Continental Club
8/24/24 - Austin, TX - 3Ten at ACL
8/25/24 - Dallas, TX - Tulips
8/27/24 - Little Rock, AR - White Water Tavern

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez