Out artist Lotus Sky releases her new anthem, “Show Your Colors” for Pride Month
Pride Music: Lotus Sky ‘Show Your Colors’
Out Music: Michaela Jaé “Something To Say”
Michaela Jaé (aka MJ Rodriguez of POSE fame)
Out Music: Todrick Hall “Rainin’ Fellas”
Screen capture from the latest music video from Todrick Hall “Rainin’ Fellas”
The new album, Femuline, is bold and unapologetic, like it’s creator. Hall exudes confidence and charisma on every track, not to mention his clever wordplay. The album was entirely written by Hall, with production from Grammy-winning Wiidope (Nicole Scherzinger, Ciara), and Jeeve (Bruno Mars, Britney Spears). The dance floor-ready collection is a defiant statement of self-empowerment and self-described as an “open love letter to the LGBTQ community,” released in tandem and in honor of Pride. Additionally, today Hall announced a global tour in 2022, with dates spanning the U.S., Europe and Australia. The North American leg will kick on March 12, 2022 in Seattle and wind through the U.S. until May 3, 2022, ending in Toronto, ON. https://www.instagram.com/p/CP393x1FSAJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Pride Music: Country Artist Hayden Joseph ‘Out’
Out country music artist Hayden Joseph
Out Music: DCappella ‘This Is Me’
DCappella celebrates Pride Month with the release of the “This Is Me,” from The Greatest Showman. The Oscar® nominated song, an unapologetic declaration of identity and empowerment, subsequently became an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community and Pride celebrations. In addition to showcasing the group’s soaring vocals, the music video follows several LGBTQ people as they celebrate themselves and their lives. “What’s really moving about this project for me personally is that we cast real queer people for every vignette,” says Nina Kramer, the out director of the music video. “There was no world where we were going to cast straight actors to play out faux scenes about queer people’s everyday lives.” DCappella is Disney Music Group’s premier a cappella singing sensation featuring 7 world-class vocalists: Antonio Fernandez/vocal percussion, Joe Santoni/bass, Kalen Kelly/mezzo, Kelly Denice Taylor/alto, Morgan Keene/soprano, Orlando Dixon/baritone and RJ Woessner/tenor. You can follow them on Instagram here.
Out Music: Tom Goss ‘Pride’
“Pride,” the new single and music video by Tom Goss, celebrates the rainbow of people who make up the LGBTQ community and their stories of hope, perseverance, triumph, and love. “When we think of Pride, we often think of tens of thousands of people marching in a parade, but it’s much more than that,” says Goss. “It’s the individuals, the love they share, and the moments together that make up the mosaic that is Pride as we know it today. That’s what this song is about.” He adds, “It’s important that we respect and pay homage to those that fought for us and (that we) continue the fight for the generations to follow.” https://youtu.be/weG3cdlnuOk The idea for the song was sparked by a cross-country road trip Tom and his husband took last summer. One stop on the trip was to visit their friend Ben who had recently lost his partner, Rich. The couple had been cornerstones in their local LGBTQ community. Goss attended a memorial service (held in front of City Hall) where friends gathered to laugh, cry and remember their friend. Their story inspired Tom to think about all of the other people who have fought tirelessly to make being gay something to be celebrated. People like Rich and Ben, living and loving quietly but heroically in small cities and towns across the country. The world may never know their names, but that doesn’t make their stories any less important. Tom issued a post on Facebook, asking LGBTQ couples to share their love stories with him. He was inundated by the most beautiful and moving testimonials from all over the world. 
“I hope ‘Pride’ and it’s music video encourage people in the community to stop and reflect on how we got to where we are today,” Tom says. “We owe so much to our forefathers and mothers. We cannot begin to imagine the hardships they endured, and that’s by design. They wouldn’t allow it. They wanted a better world for us, so they created it for us.” “It’s important that we respect and pay homage to those that fought for us and continue the fight for the generations to follow. That is Pride.” Produced by Austin Danson, Tom Goss’s “Pride” is available now on all major digital platforms. 
Out singer/songwriter Tom Goss (photo: Dusti Cunningham)
Out Music: Eli Lieb ‘Boys Who Like Boys’
Eli Lieb in his new music video ‘Boys Who Like Boys’
So what’s your problem with boys who like boys Maybe we just want a little love Boys who like boys Know one holds you like a big man does Go keep on hating I’ll just keep dancing With boys who like boys Yeah I just want a little love
Not only do his lyrics swagger like a boss, but Eli knows his way around a strong hook and when to drop those stadium drums for maximum effect. Some days, I feel like he’s our Bryan Adams of today. Plus, Eli enlisted the help of choreographer Tyler Malone who passed out the steps to friends and fans of Eli. The result is a rainbow of folks contributing their shade of pride for this anthemic track. It just all works – to great effect. Hit play and enjoy. You can find my previous coverage of Eli’s catalogue here. Celebrate him, his music and Pride. 
Out Music: Kat Cunning ‘Boys’
Non-binary singer/actor Kat Cunning has released a powerful new song titled “Boys” via LAVA/Republic Records. Continue reading “Out Music: Kat Cunning ‘Boys’”
News Round-Up: June 4, 2021
(image via Instagram/Silverjow)
(image via Rage Magazine)
Milo Yiannopoulos says that as soon as he became “ex-gay,” dogs stopped barking at him, which he believes is a sign from God. pic.twitter.com/AgDrmFka2h
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 4, 2021
The Latest From Singer/Songwriter Miki Ratsula Is “second” To None
Miki Ratsula (photo: Ashley Osborn)
All I do is question my reflection I’m obsessed with second guessing But you don’t for a second
Whatever you see, I’m glad that you do I hope that one day I’ll see it too You’ve been so patient, as long as you’re waiting I think we’ll get there together I just wanna love myself so I can love you better I just wanna love myself so I can love you better
The guitar-driven mid-tempo is sonically soothing with an tender undercurrent of brimming emotion as Ratsula’s intimate vocals draw the listener in closer and closer. The video, directed by Evers Pund, plays on an innately human scale capturing moments between Ratsula and Hope touching, laughing, and living in the moment. The interplay between the couple subtly moves from indoors and shadows to eventually coming out of the dark into the light reflecting part of the artist’s journey to here. Oh, and there’s an asteroid heading for Earth, but we’ll have to see how that plays out. Check out my chat with the talented singer/songwriter about the new single, Pride Month and more after you hit play. I really liked “second” the moment I heard it. https://youtu.be/OkYhm7GXMAg The Randy Report: Congratulations on your new song “second.” What was the inspiration for the song, and the meaning behind the title? Miki Ratsula: Thank you so much! I came out as non-binary last year and right after I decided to pursue getting top surgery I wrote down the line “I just wanna love myself so I can love you better.” I had a lot of anxiety revolving around the surgery and worrying about whether it would negatively affect my relationships. I wrote the song later that year expanding on that original line, and exploring those thoughts about losing my partner, but knowing that she’d stay by side through it all. The title comes from the line “I’m obsessed with second guessing but you don’t for a second.” While I’m all in my head thinking the worst, she’s always there reminding me of how loved I am. TRR: Musically, “second” draws us in – it doesn’t hit us over the head. Did you go into the song knowing you wanted a particular sound/feel/texture? MR: As soon as the song was written I hopped straight into working on the production. I knew I wanted it to stay relatively simple so that the lyrics can be the focal point. Lyrically, the song starts in a darker place and as I sing and expand on those darker thoughts, the lyrics start to brighten up a bit. I think it represents exactly what my thought process was like. I wanted the music to also follow the emotions of the lyrics, which is why it’s complemented by relatively darker tones. But at the end of the song when you can sense the breath of fresh air I finally have, my girlfriend is actually singing along with me. We literally come together at the end of the song. https://www.instagram.com/p/COGhH4ABucj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link TRR: Regarding the end of the music video, we now know where you want to be when the world ends I guess…? 🙂 MR: We had a pretty good sense of how we wanted the music video to look, but the director we worked with, Evers Pund, came up with the genius idea to add a parallel “end of the world” storyline with the comet. For me, the end of the world in this video actually represents a new beginning to a life where I love myself and can be better person for the people I love. The comet represents the death of my self hatred. The end of the video also highlights the idea that my girlfriend is there for me for everything, even when the world is ending. TRR: You shared on Instagram last summer that the pronouns thing was still a scary thing for you. I think that’s important for people to understand it’s not as simple as just saying he/him, she/her, they/them… MR: Yeah it was a really scary thing for me because I was so worried to be a burden to other people and to feel like I was adding more stress to people. I realized soon after though that living my truth shouldn’t be a burden to others and they shouldn’t make me feel like I am. I still face adversity with my pronouns, even in the music industry. But it’s just made it more clear on who I really want to be working with. I wish people could take a step back and realize how genuinely easy it is to respect people’s pronouns. It takes more effort to be ignorant and to make a mockery of us than to just use the correct ones. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCT7VL4B9L7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link TRR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? MR: My therapist told me “someone else’s urgency is not your emergency”. TRR: It’s Pride Month – what does that mean to you? MR: It means representation and resilience. I’ve had too many cis straight people tell me I’m too openly queer. Pride is a time for me to push back even harder on that ideology and unapologetically share my experience and queer body. I truly just want to be the artist I needed growing up. I hope that by me sharing my truth it can help other queer people to feel valid, as younger me would’ve very much needed. You can stream/download “second” here, and you can follow Miki Ratsula on Instagram here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPd7IV1h6pH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link