Tag: out music

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Out Music: Justin Utley “Survivors”

Two-time OUTMusic Award winner Justin Utley releases his new single, "Survivors," a clarion call to stand up against conversion therapy.
Justin Utley

I interviewed out singer/songwriter Justin Utley some years ago when I was co-hosting the online radio show, The Candi & Randy Show. Candi and I both just fell in love with Justin’s talent and his deep passion for speaking out against so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ having been subjected it its dangers for two years as a young Mormon in Utah. Happy to say the two-time OUTMusic Award winner has a new music video, “Survivors,” from his upcoming album, Scars. Justin recently told my Instinct Magazine colleague Michael Cook, “’Survivors’ is about facing and overcoming insurmountable odds and learning to thrive in the face of adversity.” “It’s about survivors of abuse in all forms and how it takes a great deal of effort to move forward in life while carrying the heavy burden of trauma,” added the hunky singer. During the month of July 2019, all proceeds from “Survivors” will be donated to the Born Perfect Campaign, a survivor-led movement working to end conversion therapy. The song is available on most digital download sites like iTunes.

Oh, and as you can see, Justin is waaaay easy on the eyes, too 😉

 

 

A post shared by Justin Utley (@justinutley) on Nov 1, 2018 at 11:56pm PDT

Justin is performing at Bristol Pride today and in London on July 18. More concert dates below.

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Pride Music: Superfruit “Future Friends”

Superfruit, the out pop duo who have kept the summer of 2017 bopping with creative and colorful music videos from their two-part debut album Future Friends, offered this music video for the title track in September 2017 and it’s a knockout.

Playing opponents in a boxing ring, Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying show skill (and skin) as they sing, “So if it all ends, I promise that one day we could be future friends.”

Grassi and Hoying are also members of the uber-popular Grammy Award-winning a cappella quartet Pentatonix. Noting the different musical sensibilities between the two group, Grassi told OUT, “With Superfruit, it’s a little more gay-friendly and a lot more open, more sexual, more liberated.”

I’m a big fan not only of the duo’s music but also their unapologetically g-g-g-gay aesthetic 🙂

Since 2013, Superfruit has amassed over 335 million views on YouTube.

I’ve previously featured Superfruit’s music videos for “Imaginary Parties,” “Vacation,” “Worth It,” “Heartthrob,” and “Bad 4 Us.”

Future Friends – Part One is available on all digital download sites.

Check out the new video below.

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Pride Music: Billy Porter “Edelweiss”

When Tony Award winner & Pose star Billy Porter released his take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, “Edelweiss,” he shared in the social media post:

The Edelweiss flower blooms in the cold and snow and reminds us that we can and must flourish in the darkest of times.

Billy chose to release the track as the lead single from his new album, Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers, as the last presidential election has just occurred – and he was concerned.

Of course, now, we can see Billy was wise to be worried.

The recording was on my mind today as I was thinking about the beginning of Pride Month.

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Out Music: Kim Petras & Cheat Codes “Feeling Of Falling”

Kim Petras and Cheat Codes (image via Instagram)

Out singer/songwriter Kim Petras teams with electronic DJ trio Cheat Codes on her latest single, “Feeling of Falling.”

Totally danceable, the bop’s lyrics explore the fear of falling in love after a difficult breakup.

“‘Feeling of Falling’ is a song about ending up brokenhearted and trying to stay away from love to protect yourself,” Petras shared with PAPER. “I’m the biggest emo, so I really connected to this song. Cheat Codes are amazing, and I’ve had the best time collaborating on this one.”

And Cheat Codes recently told Billboard, “The feeling of falling in love is great but it’s hard not to think about or compare it to past experiences of heartbreak. It puts you in a really vulnerable place. It can be the best thing but also the worst.”

I like.

Take a listen below.

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Haunting New Ballad “Revelation” By Troye Sivan & Jónsi From Upcoming Film ‘Boy Erased’

“Revelation,” the first single from the soundtrack of the upcoming movie Boy Erased, has been released and it’s everything you want it to be.

“Revelation,” the hauntingly beautiful single from the soundtrack of the upcoming movie Boy Erased, has been released and it’s everything you want it to be.

The film, based on the memoir by Garrard Conley, is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.

Boy Erased tells the story of Jared (Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.

The track, a collaboration between Australian pop star Troye Sivan (who’s also featured in the movie) and Icelandic musician Jónsi (best known for Sigur Rós), is a sensitive and touching ballad.

You’re a revelation
Won’t you liberate me now
From a holy world
You’re a revolution
I will liberate you now
As the walls come down

It’s a rocky road to say
“Maybe I won’t go”
‘Cause hey dear, you’re a wrecking ball
And you’re here crushing all I’m told

Ever I roam
Ever I roam
Further from home
Your hand I hold

During a recent tour stop in New York City where he performed the song live, Sivan shared that the evolution of the song was inspired by a scene in the film.

“It’s this one moment of relief in the film.,” says Sivan. “It’s this one really sweet, tender moment where Jared does something that I would consider pure and beautiful and normal and romantic.”

“He has that experience and the sky doesn’t fall down on him,” he explains. “The world doesn’t come crashing down, and it’s a ‘revelation’ to him. That person that he was with is a revolution to him, and it was just so inspiring. So, we started with these lyrics of ‘you’re a revelation, you’re a revolution’.”

Boy Erased lands in theaters November 2. Hit the play button below to hear “Revelation.”

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Out Music: St. Vincent Swims In A Sea Of Sexy Bears “Fast Slow Disco”

St. Vincent (whose real name is Annie Clark) recently reimagined her song “Slow Disco” into a sensual, euphoric remix and set the music video in a late night dance club.
St. Vincent in a sea of bears for “Fast Slow Disco”

I know, I know… No one wants to see a dance floor full of sexy, gay, leather-clad, harness-wearing bears grinding and pawing at each other to an edgy, sweaty, hypnotic beat.

But if you did…

St. Vincent (whose real name is Annie Clark) recently reimagined her song “Slow Disco” into a sensual, euphoric remix and set the music video in a late night dance club.

Climbing over, under and around the crowd of shirtless men who are touching, swaying and making out, St. Vincent is basically swimming a virtual bear soup.

After shooting the video, the artist took time to strike a pose with her boys which she shared on her social media:

(photo: Tom Cat Hill)

Produced by St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff, the singer says the remix was inspired by Taylor Swift, who Antonoff is close to.

“I don’t want to start a weird rumour or anything,” Clark said, “but I swear to God, you know because Jack Antonoff’s bros with Taylor Swift because they work together a lot, and I feel like Taylor was like, ‘You should make this a pop song’.”

She also shared that she imagined the sound of the track as a tribute to the Queen of Pop. “For me it was like, it’s such a homage to ‘Like A Prayer’-era Madonna.”

Announcing the release, St. Vincent tweeted to her 1 million followers, “Happy Pride. It was sweet of these boys to let me crash their party.”

On YouTube, St. Vincent told her fans, “I always felt this song could wear different outfits and live many different lives. Here she is in disco pants, sweating on a New York dance floor.”

St. Vincent has previously shared that she doesn’t identify as gay or straight.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, she said: ‘I don’t think about those words. I believe in gender fluidity and sexual fluidity [so] I don’t really identify as anything.”

‘You can fall in love with anybody,” she added. “I don’t have anything to hide but I’d rather the emphasis be on music.”

Watch the visceral new video below.

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Queer Rapper Big Dipper Has Got You “Lookin”

Rapper Big Dipper has got you "Lookin"
Rapper Big Dipper has got you “Lookin”

Queer L.A.-based rapper Big Dipper shares his new video for the single “Lookin,” featuring men of all sizes, colors, and shapes getting wet and wild at the car wash.

Big Dipper spoke my other home, Instinct Magazine, about the video:

“I wanted to take all the stereotypical set ups from stupid college frat movies and flip the over-sexualization of women in bikinis at car washes. I wanted to feature big, thicc, fat guys who like to show off and dance….the type of bodies that get overlooked in typical media representation.”

“I also really wanted to make a dance video that shows big and fat guys really moving and hitting tight choreography. It was important for me to cast a wide range of bodies and types of guys to feature in the visual.”

“LOOKIN celebrates the people who catch your eye…those people out in the world who have that special something that makes you look twice. For me, big confident guys who know how to use their bodies have always piqued my interest, so I wanted to show them off in a video. I try to put that vibe out into the world and I wanted the visual for LOOKIN to reflect that.”

I think this is fab fun. Hit the play button and get down with Big Dipper and crew.

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News Round-Up: June 8, 2018

Kevin Carnell (image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Participating in the AIDS/Life Cycle, InstaHunk Kevin Carnell (above) has raised over $15K! Just another of many obvious reasons to follow him on Instagram. #Woof

• Family Research Council president Tony Perkins is furious that a Crossfit exec was fired for being anti-LGBT.

• There’s going to be a calendar for America’s hottest gingers – you know you want to take a look 🙂

• Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller brought new obstruction charges on Friday against President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and added allegations against a close associate, who prosecutors suspect has ties to Russian intelligence. Manafort could have his current bail revoked as Mueller’s team caught Manafort contacting possible witnesses in his case which is seen as attempting to influence their testimony.

• Remember convicted gay basher Kathryn Knott who went to jail for leading an attack on a gay couple in Philly’s Center City neighborhood? Bucks County Commissioners approved a settlement agreement of more than $52K with a Norristown woman who claimed the county District Attorney’s Office retaliated against her because of disparaging comments she made about Knott on social media.

• Check out new music from Zach Adam Feat. Adam Joseph “Gravity,” from new LGBTQ music label, Magic Town Media.

The track is a gorgeous pop track about yearning to overcome addiction and depression. I like the track muchly.

If you are considering suicide please call and reach out – The Trevor Lifeline is a 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available at 1-866-488-7386.

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Out Music: Matt Zarley Feels The Pull Of Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity”

Matt Zarley

Out singer/songwriter Matt Zarley drops his new music video for “Gravity” and we have the exclusive premiere.

The track comes from Zarley’s latest album titled, The Estrogen Sessions, which honors of the female pop divas most influential in his career.

About recording “Gravity:”

This is one of my all-time favorite songs and it was the first song I actually recorded for the album.

Fast forward eight or so months later, I go back to revisit the song, listen to it, make any little changes that I needed to, but I wasn’t able to access the files. The hard drive was corrupted. So I had to re-sing the song. I was not that upset because I love this song so much, so I was game for it.

At the end of the session I went to save the files and my computer froze. Well, I felt pretty confident that the session was going to be saved. I was wrong the entire session was gone.

I was so livid that I decided to re-record the song then and there. It was 2 AM.

In the end it actually turned out better than before, so all ends well.

About the music video:

“Originally we had planned out a whole narrative to drive the music video but after shooting the loft footage, I decided for a more minimal approach and let the song itself tell the story. The song has always had an ethereal quality to it…very haunting. I wanted that to take the focus.”

Stripped down and primarily acoustic, Zarley’s production work on the project showcases the strength of the songwriting and his own effortless vocals.

“As I began to arrange these tunes, I made a conscience decision to strip the songs down and reinterpret them with all live music, nothing programmed – real piano, organ, guitar, drums, bass and strings,” says Zarley.

The entire album is imminently listenable. The emotional landscape is soulful and wide, with each track showcasing Zarley’s rich, fluid voice. He shifts from plaintive, affecting intimacy to expansive vocal brawn with equal ease.

Check out more from the album here and you can get the first look at “Gravity” below.

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Out Music: Rosendale “Divine”

Indie singer/songwriter Rosendale recently dropped his latest pop single, “Divine,” which celebrates LGBT love and equality.

Rosendale says the message of the video (featuring hip hop & contemporary choreography danced by two same-sex couples) is that “love, regardless of what form it takes, should always persist in the face of criticism and prejudice.”

According to Rosendale, the choreography (which is terrific) represents the struggles and joys of being in an LGBT relationship as well as the shame that society places on LGBTs.

The lyrics of “Divine” reference aspects of organized religion along the way:

Let every pastor speak
Let every preacher preach
You’ll be my church
And I’ll be your divine

You can follow Rosendale on Facebook here and check out his YouTube channel here where he’s racked up over 8 million views; official website here.

Take a listen below.