Gang of Youths’s acclaimed 2015 debut album, The Positions, was released to an equal amount of critical acclaim and think pieces about the themes of the album and the deep well of trauma that led up to its creation.
Most fans are now aware that The Positions began as a collection of songs Gang of Youths frontman David Le’aupepe wrote for his ex-wife, who at the time was battling terminal cancer.
But many fans may not be aware of just how much turmoil The Positions was baptised in. As it happens, Le’aupepe does not shy away from speaking about the failed marriage, the suicide attempt, and the rehab stint that created The Positions.
Speaking recently to SBS2’s The Feed Le’aupepe opened himself up, explaining how he felt like an outsider for most of his life and how music was a way of finding something that “turns being an outsider into something I could do for the rest of my life”.
He then touches on how he found love at a “Jesus camp” in his late teens and how that love completely changed his life. Check out the entire interview below.
If you or someone you know needs personal help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636.