The Lael Project celebrates Pride Month with bold new remix of 'I Need a Man' by Lael Summer
In honour of Pride Month, The Lael Project is proud to announce the release of “I Need a Man (Touchy Feely Remix)”, an electrifying new dance track from soul/pop artist Lael Summer, out on June 24th 2025 via True Groove Records.
Originally written in 2012 by Lael Summer and producer/guitarist Tomás Doncker, “I Need a Man” debuted on Lael’s 2013 album ‘Burden to Bear’ as a funky, horn-driven anthem. In this fresh remix, Doncker teams up with producer James Dellatacoma - aka Touchy Feely - to reimagine the song for the dance floor.
Known for his work with artists like Herbie Hancock, Nine Inch Nails, and Matisyahu, Dellatacoma transforms the track into a high-energy club hit while keeping Lael’s powerful original vocals front and centre.
This marks the fifth posthumous release from Lael, a rising star in New York’s music scene who tragically died by suicide in 2017 at the age of 24. Unlike previous Lael Project releases that centered on mental health and emotional struggles, this song takes a confident, sensual turn.
Lyrics like “I Need A Man
Who don’t mess around with sweet talkin’
Gotta know exactly what he’s doin’...
I need a man to take me to the finish line” showcase Lael’s bold self-expression and Disco Diva attitude.
Founded by Lael’s mother, musician and actress Marla Mase, The Lael Project is both a musical and advocacy initiative aimed at preserving Lael’s artistic legacy while breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide. Through the release of Lael’s full song catalog, Marla highlights the complexity of her daughter’s life - a young woman who struggled with depression but also experienced joy, friendship, and creative fulfillment.
“Lael wasn’t defined by her mental illness,” says Marla.
“It’s not either/or - it’s both/and. Lael was fierce, funny, and focused - and she also struggled with an eating disorder. She loved to laugh, sing, go out with friends - and she lived with depression. She was a gifted artist who also battled suicidal thoughts. This song, I Need A Man, celebrates the joyful, vibrant side of who she was.”
Producer Tomás Doncker adds, “This remix turns a funky original into a full-on dancefloor banger. It’s Lael like you’ve never heard her before.”
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In September 2024, writer and artist Marla Mase founded The Lael Project to pay tribute to her daughter’s life and music and to carry out Lael’s wish to ‘help just one person’ by fostering open discussions about suicide, eating disorders, depression and other mental health challenges. Marla believes that the sharing of stories, music and experiences, are a gateway to healing.
Lael Summer faced significant struggles as a teenager, spending years in treatment centres, and credited a 17 month stay in Utah as life-saving. After high school in NYC, she earned a Bachelor of Music from USC’s Thornton School of Music. During her brief but impactful career, she released two albums, ‘Burden To Bear’ (2013) and ‘Life In Color’ (2015) on True Groove Records, blending soulful anthems with reflections on her battles with depression and an eating disorder.
Post-college, Lael worked at a Los Angeles treatment centre, where her empathy and lived experience made her a vital support for clients. She also co-authored ‘The Pill’, a play addressing mental illness, which ran at NYC’s La MaMa Theatre in 2018 after her death. An artist, activist and advocate, Lael’s legacy continues through The Lael Project, supporting those facing mental health challenges.
“By sharing Lael’s story / our story (mental illness is a family ‘disease’), we hope it will give others the inspiration and courage to share their own. To let them know that they are not alone and that it is OK to open up, to speak and that there is no shame or judgement in what they are experiencing. There are billions of us out here ready to listen and to connect and that perhaps together we can pave a way towards healing. I am a firm believer in the power of storytelling. It is a path, I am sure, out of the darkness”, says Marla Mase.
ONLINE:
Website: https://www.thelaelproject.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaelproject
“And to imagine that I am only one in 7 billion full, burdened spheres of human complexity… that is so much noise. I can’t begin to comprehend it. But I can feel it. In my heart, in the pit of my gut, in my blood and my bones. I just want to help one person." - Lael Summer
