Elephante Discusses New Album ‘COPE’ and His Label Hidden Horizon

COPE, the recently released long player from electronic music producer Elephante, aka Tim Wu, explores emotional healing and resilience, probing how we maneuver the complicated shoals and eddies of life.

Elephante explains, “My album is called ‘COPE.’ Thematically, it’s about all the different ways that we get through trauma and difficult moments in our lives. Each of the songs is a different approach to coping.”

Released via his Hidden Horizon label, COPE builds on Elephante’s mission to uplift emerging and underrepresented voices in electronic music.

Tim Wu, the son of a Taiwanese immigrant, grew up in Michigan and later graduated from Harvard University. He then entered corporate America at a leading global consultant firm. He hated it, so he addressed “the elephant in the room” and pursued his musical passion.

Elephante joins us to discuss the high of the creative process, sustaining mental health, and the objectives of Hidden Horizon.

Thanks for joining us, Tim, and congratulations on the new album. What does it mean to finally have COPE out in the world?

Elephante: “It’s both liberating and terrifying. I’ve spent so much time and emotional energy on this album, so I’m thrilled that people finally get to hear it. But on the other hand, it’s got all the dark and vulnerable things that are hard for me to talk about regularly, so there’s a bit of fear around how people will take it as well.”

We understand this album is a reflection of your life’s journey in recent years. Can you shed some more light on that?

“Since the pandemic, I’ve gone through my share of mental health challenges. I noticed that I would see the world through different coloured lenses at different points. I was creating the reality that I wanted to see just to get by. The songs I was writing were deeply influenced by the place I was emotionally, whether it was denial, anger, or hope. The album is loosely based on the stages of grief, so it’s about the journey of healing from trauma.”

Elephante ‘COPE’ album artwork

What would you say differentiates this album from your released works in the past?

“Sonically, I explored a lot of genres that I’ve never done before, like DnB, happy hardcore, jitter house, etc. But the biggest difference for me is that I didn’t pull any punches in the writing. I didn’t really worry about how people would perceive it and made a commitment to be completely authentic and honest in the songwriting, and not change songs to make them more digestible.”

If you had to suggest one song to listen to in the entire album, which would it be and why?

“I’m going to cheat on this one. I’d say ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ if you’ve never heard my music, because it’s probably the most representative of my career. But for the OG fans, I’d say listen to ‘Amends’ because it is the most out-there song I’ve made, and I think the deepest evolution of my music so far.”

Stylistically, do you feel you’ve found your niche? Or do you consider yourself more of a free spirit who creates what comes to mind?

“I think that being a free spirit is my niche. I’ve learned that I can’t force a song to be what it’s not. I’m not interested in shoehorning a song into melodic bass, house, or whatever. I write songs that are meaningful to me, and that dictates what the production will turn into. But I think forever my sound will always have that songwriting soul and melodic shape.”

From writing and recording, producing and practicing, touring and performing, the life of an artist is not for all. Which, if any, would you say is your favourite part? The least?

“My favourite part is creating the music; there’s a high you get from creating something that didn’t exist just a few hours before. There’s really nothing like it. My least favourite would be travelling, especially now that I’ve been touring for over ten years. I sleep horribly in hotels, and the lack of sleep and unhealthy food is always a grind.”

You founded Hidden Horizon with the goal of uplifting and spreading awareness of AAPI artistry. What are your plans for the label going forward?

“The two goals for Hidden Horizon are to first create a community and platform for up-and-coming artists and give them the resources and know-how that I wish I had when I first started my career. And second to create a community that fans can feel represented by and root for. I’ve been helping out a bunch of artists put together music. Ultimately, I’m planning on releasing their music, and we’re going to start throwing more showcases around the country to get them in front of fans!”

Who are some other AAPI artists that we should check out?

“SABAI is like my little brother and he’s killing it. Also, Hoang, Botcash, Fells, Xylin, and Hidden Axis! I’m bringing a ton of these young guns out on my tour, so definitely check all of them out.”

Elephante, photo by David Kim

As an independent artist and label head, what is one piece of advice you would give to anyone looking to pursue a similar career path?

“Let the horse lead the cart. Do what you’re passionate about and let that dictate where your career goes, not try to shoot for some arbitrary goal. It’s not an easy life, and the meat of your experience is going to be in the journey. The relative amount of time you spend reaping the benefits – being on stage, or releasing music, is tiny compared to the grind you put in. So you have to love the day-to-day experience of what you’re doing, and if you truly love that, you can find a way to make it work.”

We hear this upcoming COPE tour has a couple of surprises planned. Anything you can share with us?

“It is my first ever fully live show! I’m bringing out a drummer and a brand-new rig. It’s going to be a completely new set with 100 percent of my music, and I’m reimagining my old songs and playing live versions of all the new music. We’ve been working on the set for months, and I can’t wait to show everyone.”