“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)
Eli Lieb in his new music video ‘Boys Who Like Boys’ Acclaimed out singer/songwriter Eli Lieb drops his awesome new single and music video, “Boys Who Like Boys,” and it’s totally on point not only for Pride Month, but every day. I’m happy to admit that when a new Eli Lieb song drops, I run to hit play. Eli hits it out of the park every. single. time. Eli finds his way to the center of his songs with uncluttered focus and gives voice to what I think of as the ‘every gay’ (as opposed to the ‘everyman’).
So what’s your problem with boys who like boysMaybe we just want a little loveBoys who like boys Know one holds you like a big man doesGo keep on hating I’ll just keep dancing With boys who like boysYeah 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.
(image via Instagram/Silverjow) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: From my favorite illustrator on the Gram of Insta, Silverjow (above) offers his ‘hunks of the week’ celebrating Pride Month. Make sure you follow him on Instagram here. • The Hill: Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters today the defense department will continue the existing policy from July of 2020 regarding the display or depiction of unofficial flags. “There won’t be an exception made this month for the Pride flag.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: Click over to Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in local LGBTQ publications like the 14th anniversary issue of Southern California’s RAGE Magazine (below). (image via Rage Magazine) • NY1 News: Forging a vaccination card or providing fraudulent proof of immunity could soon be a felony in New York based on a measure approved Thursday by the Democratic-led Assembly. • Right Wing Watch: Far-right wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos says that as soon as he became “ex-gay,” dogs stopped barking at him, which he believes is a sign from God.
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
• Out Music: Todrick Hall celebrates Pride with the release of his new single – “Boys In The Ocean” – an irresistible funk jam that rides along an infectious bass line and guitar licks, primed for summer escapism. Last year, Billboard wrote of Hall, “He’s part old-school theatre showman, part new-school internet personality, part drag queen… he’s also pushing the boundaries of LGBTQ representation in a business that has historically been unwelcoming to queer people of color.”
Miki Ratsula (photo: Ashley Osborn) Out singer/songwriter Miki Ratsula releases their imminently listenable new single and music video, “second,” which explores their anxiety around getting top surgery, and their fear that their long-time girlfriend would no longer love them. The So-Cal based Finnish American artist, who identifies as non-binary, has built a loyal following by openly and honestly welcoming people into their world, using their platform to candidly document their life, from coming out to getting top surgery just a couple months ago. Miki’s girlfriend, Hope, joins them in the tender and artfully crafted music video for “second.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPs7uGXhXbX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link “I knew I wanted the video to represent queer bodies and relationships in the most authentic way,” says Ratsula. “Before getting my top surgery, I really wish I had seen more representation of what queer bodies can look like, and that they can be loved.” That lack of representation can lead to all kinds of ruminating for young people trying to figure out who they are, and that’s reflected in the lyrics of “second.”
All I do is question my reflectionI’m obsessed with second guessingBut you don’t for a second
Whatever you see, I’m glad that you doI hope that one day I’ll see it tooYou’ve been so patient, as long as you’re waitingI think we’ll get there togetherI just wanna love myself so I can love you betterI 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
Wrabel (image via Instagram) The much-anticipated debut full-length album from Wrabel, ‘these words are all for you’, will be released on September 24 via Big Gay Records/Nettwerk, ushering into the world the next chapter from one of modern music’s most celebrated, versatile, powerhouse songwriters and rising artists. The collection, 11 years in the making, showcases the artist’s masterful writing and acclaimed straight-from-the-heart vocal performances. Whether it’s on tracks like the Billboard-applauded “good”, the beautifully orchestrated “wish you well,” the achingly reminiscent and sonically vast “london,” the hauntingly sparse “don’t pick up the phone” or the new single “nothing but the love,” ‘these words are all for you’ showcases what has made Wrabel a go-to for heart-shattering slice-of-life songwriting about finding love, losing it, and discovering oneself throughout the journey.
Dancer Layne Paradis Willis whirls and twirls in the music video for “nothing but the love” directed by Michael Thomas. “Michael Thomas was such a pleasure to work with on this video.,” says the singer about creating the video. “And Layne Willis, my goodness. I feel so lucky to have gotten to witness your incredible talent up close.” “This song is so close to my heart. The only song I wrote by myself on the record. With Michael’s direction and Layne’s emotive movement, we wanted to show that someone or something is showing me how to express myself, showing me the flow of expression. To mirror the love I am so grateful to have found.” Wrabel has announced a short, intimate run of live dates, nothing but the piano tour, which includes a stop at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge and an album release show at LA’s The Regent Theater this late summer/early fall. Wrabel will also perform this Sunday, June 6, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of the OutLoud: Raising Voices festival. Follow Wrabel on Instagram here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPoChVKtsot/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Rufus Wainwright sings ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ (screen capture) Rufus Wainwright shares this intimate take on the classic tune, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” in advance of his upcoming virtual concert event: Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios. Wainwright revisits his groundbreaking 2007 tribute to Judy Garland, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, performed in its entirety, live from Los Angeles’ famed Capitol Studios. Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios will see Wainwright backed by a four-piece band in front of a micro-audience comprised of 2x Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger, winner of last year’s “Best Actress” Oscar for her spectacular performance as Garland in 2019’s Judy. In addition, Wainwright will be joined musically by the award-winning star of stage and screen Kristin Chenoweth in person at Capitol Studios and his sister Martha Wainwright from Montreal. The event will premiere Thursday, June 10 at 8:00 PM (AEDT/EST/CET), celebrating what would have been Garland’s 99th birthday. Tickets forRufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios are available now exclusively via Veeps priced at $30 (advance)/$35 (day of show). Check out Wainwright’s delicately nuanced performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” below.
On his relationship with the iconic Judy Garland song:
“I was about 5 years old when I started singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” My mom would occasionally wake me up in the middle of the night and make me sing the song to guests to end the party. They would feel so bad that the kid was still up that late at night and leave.
“Much later, she accompanied me on the piano at Carnegie Hall, the Palladium, the Olympia, and the Hollywood Bowl during the ‘Rufus does Judy’ shows in 2006 and 2007.
“After she passed away, I am only doing the beginning lines of the song a cappella without any piano accompaniment as an honor and memory to her and the hole she has left behind.
“It has a deeply personal meaning to me to sing this song. I think my mom and I singing that song together was also her finally acknowledging my homosexuality with which she struggled for a long time. I am sure that similarly to my experience this song means a lot to LGBTQ folks young and old and their struggles with coming out and living a proud queer life.”
Kristin Chenoweth and Rufus Wainwright (photo: Sean James)
Out singer/songwriter Matt Palmer in “Do It All Again”Matt Palmer kicks off this round-up with his new single, “Do It All Again,” from his new EP The Good Parts.” The infectious pop/R&B up-tempo “Do It All Again” is brimming with a kind of euphoria that keeps leading us back to romance no matter how things ended before. “When I started working on ‘The Good Parts,’ I was going through a break-up and planned on it being 100% a break-up record, but it really evolved into something else as things evolved in my personal life,” says Palmer of the EP. “Musically, I love that there are smoother, bass-heavy songs like “I Don’t Want It,” more mid-tempo, synth-based tracks like “Do It All Again” and a couple of ballads but it never feels too disjointed,” adds the artist. “I hope it’s a good soundtrack for us as we figure out what life is like post-lockdown.” Hit play below to check out “Do It All Again” and you can follow Matt Palmer on Instagram here.
Cory Stewart has fans hearing double as he dropped his latest single, ‘Perfect World,’ on Friday, a new dance-pop single interpreted in two distinct ways, defined as the Red Pill Edition and the Blue Pill Edition. ‘Perfect World’ was conceptualized by Stewart and Slow Dance in mid-2020 after Stewart expressed his desire to “auto-tune the world” to his co-collaborators. The song quickly materialized in the hands of Jacob and Alex (of Slow Dance), with lyrics eventually being finessed by the pair and Stewart in follow-up Zoom sessions. The result is the hyper-pop, slick and sexy Red Pill Edition, which takes no prisoners on its ascension to the world’s soon-to-be-opened dance floors. With lockdown time on his hands, he also collaborated with UK-based producer Edward Russell on the nostalgia-inducing, 80s-meets-00’s Blue Pill Edition of ‘Perfect World.’ Check out the Red Pill Edition below and follow Cory Stewart on Instagram here.
Miami-based out artist Michael Lazar shares his debut single, “Capsule,” from his upcoming album 51/49 due out this fall. Written during the pandemic when the world was locked down, “Capsule” describes the feeling of being trapped, censored, or somehow silenced, both literally and figuratively. The electro-pop track blends unique, layered harmonies with rolling rhythms and chord structures that results in a subtle sonic sense of urgency. For Lazar, the song “speaks to that feeling we’ve all had when you’re shouting to be heard but no one seems to be listening.” Consisting of 15 songs written, recorded, and produced by Lazar, he describes the upcoming album as a culmination of the artist’s 18-year journey through tragedy and loss to self-discovery and finding love. Hit play below and you can follow Lazar on Instagram here.
Melissa Etheridge in the music video for “One Way Out” Out singer/songwriter, activist and Grammy Award winner Melissa Etheridge has released her new single and music video, “One Way Out”, a powerful rock anthem which sees the singer return to the studio almost a decade ago with her original band. “One Way Out” is the first single off her upcoming album of the same name coming this fall. The song is part of a collection of music written by Etheridge in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that never made the cut….until now. “I’m so excited to bring these songs to my fans,” says Etheridge. “Years later I am still moved and can’t wait to share these tracks live.” The legendary rocker’s vocal and musical powers are at their peak, and the music video deftly captures the crackle and energy of creativity in the studio. Melissa Etheridge in the music video for “One Way Out” “One Way Out” is one of nine tracks that will be featured on the full length album – One Way Out – to be released on September 17, 2021 via BMG. Fans will get to hear “One Way Out”LIVE when Melissa performs from the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown LA for her “One Way Out….Of The Garage” concert special. The concert will stream LIVE on May 29 so consider this event part single release party and part Birthday celebration!
“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. 
Miami-based out artist Michael Lazar shares his debut single, 
