Tag: David Hernandez

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News Round-Up: April 24, 2019

David Hernandez

Some news item you might have missed:

• Out singer/songwriter and American Idol alum David Hernandez found my favorite place in Puerto Vallarta – Mantamar Beach Club. If you look behind him in the lower right hand corner, you can see the cabanas hot hubby Michael and I always spend our days in 🙂

• File this under ‘Birds of a feather…’ One of the co-founders of Students For Trump has been arrested for pretending to be a Manhattan lawyer and taking thousands from would-be clients.

• Five states – California, New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington – have announced they will refuse to impose Donald Trump’s trans military ban and therefore not remove trans people from their National Guards.

• Donald Trump says his administration is “fighting all the subpoenas” claiming the Democrats are hoping to “luck out” by going after him. If you’re innocent, why hide anything?

• Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was told not to bring up any concerns about  Russian forms of interference in the 2020 election in front of Donald Trump because he “equated any public discussion of malign Russian election activity with questions about the legitimacy of his victory.”

• Fox’s Empire will feature the first black gay wedding on network television; and it may be Jussie Smollett’s last episode.

• Today is True Colors Day – launched by Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors United organization in an effort to raise public awareness about LGBTQ youth homelessness, and to provide supporters with simple ways to make a difference.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. While many factors contribute to LGBTQ youth homelessness, identity-based family rejection is the most commonly cited reason.

The cast of FX’s Pose sat down to make this video for True Colors Day about how we can change our culture to one of love and acceptance.

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Music Video: David Hernandez “Shield (Coat Of Armor)”

David Hernandez (via Hernandez Worldwide Music)

American Idol alum David Hernandez proves he is definitely the king of his own kingdom as he drops his new album, Kingdom: the Mixtape.

Kingdom: the Mixtape teams the hunky artist with the Black Eyed Peas‘ Grammy-winning producer, Printz Board, and features a collaboration with fellow American Idol Blake Lewis.

The follow-up to his 2011 debut album, I Am Who I Am, this new collection of 20 tracks reflects many of the highs and lows he’s experienced since his time on the American Idol stage in 2008, including his sometimes crunchy relationship with the music industry.

“I’ve been sitting on most of this material for years, waiting for the right time to release it,” Hernandez shares via press release. “I’ve listened to too many people’s opinions about when to release, how, what images and content are appropriate… I was just over listening to what other people think I should do. One day I finally stepped back and realized I had a great body of work that deserves to be heard, now.”

Many of the songs explore Hernandez’s journey over the past decade rebuilding trust and love, his refusal to give up, and his persistence to change for the better.

But it’s not all about an uphill climb. There are also tracks that express joy and fun because as Hernandez explains, “Life isn’t always that serious and sometimes you just wanna let go and rage!”

The new album stretches across several genres including power ballads, soul/R&B, and dance tracks.

The title track is an achingly soulful mid-tempo ballad that soars across triumphant drums and a grand piano.

“Shield (Coat of Armor),” the first single and music video from the album, is an uplifting, confident, guitar-driven anthem.

“Beautiful” showcases Hernandez’s vocals in power pop mode, while “Last Supper” and “Animal” are uptempo numbers clearly born for the dance floor.

Then there’s “Break,” an introspective mid-tempo song that lays bare Hernandez’s struggles with addiction.

“I wrote the song at a time when I was drinking a lot and popping Xanax,” says Hernandez. “It was an awful time. We were being evicted from our apartment and everything was going to shit.

“I ended up in rehab and eventually got clean of prescription drugs, and life became much better,” he adds.

While every day can be a private struggle for those with addiction, Hernandez says that he felt compelled to put the song on the mixtape because prescription drug addition has reached epidemic levels among youth.

“Young people are dying and committing suicide. They need to know there is help,” he says.

“I hope listeners hear a piece of my soul in Kingdom: the Mixtape,” shares Hernandez. “I hope they get where I am coming from, really see me for who I am, and that they, too, can relate to the songs. I want the mixtape to be healing, enlightening, and revelrous.”

You can find Kingdom: the Mixtape on iTunes here.

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Podcast: The Best Of LGBTQ Entertainment In 2016

Tune in as I share my “Top 5” lists of the best in LGBTQ music, film, theater and more from the year that was 2016. • Top 5 songs from out musicians Ty Herndon, David Hernandez, Jeb Havens, Halsey and Tegan & Sara • Top 5 LGBT themed movies: Moonlight, Retake, Other People, First Girl I Loved and King Kobra • Highlights from Broadway including The Color Purple, Falsettos and Dear Evan Hansen All that and much more. Hit the play button and enjoy!

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Radio Show: This Week In LGBT News

Dancing With The Stars champ Nyle DiMarco

Take a listen to my latest radio show episode, hosted on BlogTalkRadio, which aired today.

Episode synopsis:

Join Randy as he wraps up the latest in LGBT news from the worlds of entertainment, music, politics and sports.

• Three time Olympic medalist Danell Leyva is not only a double-silver medal winner but an ardent equal rights activist ally

• Hottie Nick Jonas talked about criticism he received for playing a gay MMA fighter on “Kingdom”

• “American Idol” alum/out musician David Hernandez drops his new single and music video “Beautiful”

• “America’s Next Top Model” & “Dancing With The Stars” champ Nyle DiMarco announced as next ‘Celebrity Guest Host’ for the world-famous Chippendales

• E! Network cancels “I Am Cait” after only two seasons

• A new study shows homophobic men are possibly just hiding their own latent homosexuality

Tune in as Randy covers these stories and more.

Hit the play button below to listen.

3-time Olympic medalist Danell Leyva

Nick Jonas
Caitlyn Jenner
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Out Music: David Hernandez “Beautiful”

David Hernandez, American Idol season 7 alum, drops his new single and music video, “Beautiful.”

In an exclusive interview with OUT, Hernandez says the theme of the track is to remind folks that they are beautiful just as they are. “If you’re missing a leg, you’re still beautiful. If you’re overweight, you’re still beautiful. If you are 75 years old, you’re still beautiful,” Hernandez says.

In 2008, Hernandez made it onto the reality competition series American Idol, landing in the top 12 before being eliminated. Rumors, however, quickly started circulating about the “real reason” Hernandez was sent home. Viewers bombarded Hernandez with comments about his past as a male stripper and soon questioned his sexuality, wondering if it influenced his exit from Idol.

Hernandez has said members of the show were fully aware of his past from the very beginning. But still, the media was relentless. “It was hard to go online and not read something negative about myself.”

People were more interested in rumors and scandals than the music.

Though Hernandez now believes he has the strength and self-confidence to handle a lot of backlash, his younger self did not, and the Idol drama took a toll on himself and his family.

“My dad still knew nothing about my sexuality or my profession. So when it’s plastered all over CNN that’s not how somebody really wants to go down.”

The song is imminently listenable – sexy tribal drum beat with tons of visual diversity lighting up the screen makes this a big, vocally bold anthem for celebrating all dimensions of ethnicity, sexuality, age and whatever flavor you can think of.