Tag: out musicians

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News Round-Up: August 16, 2018

Andrew Serkin (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Miami-based InstaHunk Andrew Serkin (above) took a break from the sun. #LuckyUs

• An Oklahoma school district briefly shut down this week after people purporting to be parents of students used social media to make violent, epithet-filled threats against a transgender girl. “If he wants to be a female, make him a female,” one user wrote. “A good sharp knife will do the job really quick.” Another post read, “You know we have open hunting seasons on them kind. Ain’t no bag limit either.”

• Regarding the still-unfolding and massive molestation scandal wracking the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, Catholic League president Bill Donohue today told followers the alleged victims were not raped: “they were groped or otherwise abused, but not penetrated, which is what the word ‘rape’ means.” #SRSLY

• A new twist in the #MeToo movement: An 11-month Title IX investigation recently found New York University Professor Avital Ronell responsible for sexually harassing her gay student, Nimrod Reitman.

• GQ Magazine got in hot water for calling these guys “stocky.”#Stocky???

• Omarosa Manigault Newman‘s tell-all Unhinged claims that Ivanka Trump hated the Saturday Night Live sketch that labeled her “complicit” in March 2017. According to Omarosa, Ivanka was “thin-skinned and could not seem to take a joke.”

• The California Senate has approved AB 2943, a bill that could protect LGBTQ people statewide from undergoing gay conversion therapy. The bill passed in the state Assembly in April. After heading back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote, the bill will hopefully be signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

• Donald Trump’s military parade this fall is shaping up to cost $80 million more than initially estimated. The parade, slated for Nov. 10, is now estimated to cost $92 million, blowing way past the original $12 million estimate.

• Queer artist Anthony Starble recently teamed up with The Klassiks to create an sexy EDM remix of his latest single, “Paperweight.” The new mix adds a catchy synth line and bass drops that kicks up the intensity from the original.

I like. Listen below and then head to iTunes for more from Starble here.

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Out Music: Jake Shears “Big Bushy Mustache”

With Scissor Sisters still on hiatus, frontman Jake Shears continues to journey on solo including a recent turn on the Great White Way in the hit musical, Kinky Boots.

Now, Shears is releasing his first solo album titled – what else? – Jake Shears.

Billboard gushes, “The result overflows with the opulence of orchestral Seventies pop — as if ELO and the Bee Gees got together to make a Muppet fantasia of Cajun rock.”

While the Elton John influence is unmistakable, Shears shares his own musical voice and vision as only he can.

Watch below.

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News Round-Up: August 11, 2018

Francesc Gascó

 Some news items you might have missed:

• Paleontologist and athlete Francesc Gascó is pumped for the weekend. #dang

• A record number of LGBTQ candidates are running for public office.

• Fox News host Laura Ingraham got in hot water revealing her racism during an on-air rant saying “massive demographic changes have been foisted upon the American people” thanks to “both illegal, and in some cases legal, immigration.” Ingraham later recanted saying her message had nothing to do with race or ethnicity.

• The Puerto Rican government has submitted a report to Congress counting the death toll in the wake of Hurricane Maria at over 1,427, much higher than the 64 deaths acknowledged as the current official count.

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions got testy saying the virulently anti-LGBTQ law group Alliance Defending Freedom (representing every anti-gay bigot you can find) isn’t a hate group even though it is.

• Out artist Ryan Beatty drops his latest single, “Powerslide.”

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First New Music From Culture Club In Nearly 20 Years – “Let Somebody Love You”

Culture Club

Grammy Award-winning Culture Club has dropped its first new single in nearly 20 years in advance of a new album, Life, due for release October 26. Boy George announced the news via Facebook this morning.

The new track, “Let Somebody Love You,” written by singer Boy George, guitarist Roy Hay, bassist Mikey Craig and drummer Jon Moss, has been popular at the band’s recent live concerts. This is the first time its available as a studio track. The song continues the band’s tradition of embracing a classic reggae-infused sound.

“Love is revolution / War and famine too / If you’ve the hunger in your heart / Let somebody love you”

The last single released by the band was all the way back in 1999 with “Cold Shoulder.”

Boy George

Culture Club had planned to release new music in 2015, but the album was eventually shelved with no explanation.

Known for huge hits in the 1980s like “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club has racked up sales of over 150 million albums worldwide despite having released only 5 albums.

The band’s frontman, Boy George, gained worldwide attention for his asexual/androgynous appearance coupled with his gift with a quick quip. In addition to a successful solo career, George has also released successful albums as a DJ.

Listen to the new single, “Let Somebody Love You,” below.

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Music Video: Woofy Raph Solo Shares His “Broken Heart”

With “Broken Hearts,” Solo waxes melancholy as a mythological warrior-turned-prisoner who must conquer his fear and wrestle his demons to reclaim his crown amid a dark, edgy musical landscape.
Raph Solo (all photos – Michele Martinoli)

London-based recording artist Raph Solo recently dropped the sexy music video for his song, “Broken Hearts,” which is the second single from his Word Of Love album.

Raph describes his current musical style as “POPTECSOL,” a new sound that combines pop, tech, and R&B soul.

With “Broken Hearts,” Solo waxes melancholy as a mythological warrior-turned-prisoner who must conquer his fear and wrestle his demons to reclaim his crown amid a dark, edgy musical landscape.

“I wrote the song a few years ago at around the time I met my partner,” he said. “We were both newly out of major relationships that had left us broken and bruised. While the love making was hot, the baggage I carried from my past caused a lot of friction and undue fear in our relationship.”

“Broken hearts heal with time,” he sings on the fantastic track. Raph should know. Before meeting his partner, he experienced 7.5 breakups in nine years (one of the splits only scored a 0.5 on his pain-o-meter).

His hardest failed relationship was with a man he regarded as a father figure. “It crushed me. It changed my perception of love,” he admitted. “Though I still believe in love, I don’t view it through rose colored glasses anymore.”

Born to Lebanese/Chilean parents on the Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria, West Africa, the singer, songwriter and music producer has released four full-length albums: Finally/The Album, Am I Too Much?, The Anonymous Icon, which features the hit singles “Star” and “Good Morning London,” and Word of Love, which features his 2017 summer hit from last summer, “Love Lives.”

Though fantasy, the video depicts the song in the way Raph’s love life truly unfolded. “It’s all shamelessly romantic and heroic,” Raph laughs, “but that’s me.”

The shackles he wears in the video are meant to symbolize the emotional baggage most people carry from failed relationships. Says Raph, “If you can free yourself from the shackles, you will one day reign over love.”

“Broken Hearts is about letting go of past loves, embracing what is new, and working to extend that love into tomorrow and beyond.”

For more information, visit raphsolo.com.

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Out Music: Bobby Newberry “Lit”

Singer/choreographer Bobby Newberry recently dropped his stylish, sexy new music video, “Lit.”

And, trust and believe, the video lives up to its title.

The club-friendly track teams Newberry with sexy AF Brazilian rapper Aleff for the track and video who drops his raps in Portuguese. You’ll also spot RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Laganja Estranj working it out in the mix.

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott also brings his own brand of sexy/smooth to the video via clothing from his luxury fashion house, Moschino.

”I wrote the song about when you meet someone and have that instant, undeniable attraction and connection,” Newberry recently told OUT. “They give you that rush that’s almost intoxicating, like taking drugs but you’re high on the person. Like butterflies in the stomach, they got you feeling lit.”

Newberry shares that he’s been writing and recording for seven years now and knew when the time came, he would want to be an artist who’s true to himself.

“I made the decision to be open and talk about guys in my songs and be openly gay because I want to always be an authentic artist, be real,” he recently told HuffPost’s Curtis Wong. “And also to inspire up-and-coming artists so they can do whatever they want and be their authentic selves as well.”

Newberry’s also sporting some serious body. Check out below from his Instagram.

A post shared by Bobby Newberry (@bobbynewberry) on Jul 25, 2018 at 12:04pm PDT

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Out Music: Echo V “Rainbow”

Jay, Mike, Randy, Devin and Gama are ECHO V, five guys with distinct, echoing voices that combine to create one beautiful sound. By all outward appearances, they seem to be the typical boyband with good looks, lush harmonies and killer choreography, but they have one important difference: they’re all gay. Their debut single, “Rainbow,” reflects their decision to be out about their sexuality. While it is a fun, high energy pop anthem with an explosive hook that will get listeners dancing and singing, it also has an important message.
(photo credit: Bernard Mesa)

Meet Echo V, America’s first all-openly gay boy band.

It’s totally apropos that since the band itself is a virtual rainbow, their first single is titled, “Rainbow,” a high-energy pop anthem that reflects their decision to be open about their sexuality. Check out Jay, Mike, Randy, Devin and Gama in their debut music video below.

 “Our hope is that the song inspires people to stand up and claim their truth, be happy with who they are and find comfort in the fact that they are not alone,” says Jay.

“Rainbow is about unapologetically owning your multifaceted-ness and realizing that you have to live for yourself. It’s a journey to self-discovery and the strength it takes to live life in the open, day in and out.”

The five were united by their management who were looking to build the next generation of boy band. At first, management didn’t know the group they had assembled were all gay. It was the guys that realized it after coming together. They and management decided to go with it.

 “At the end of the day we are musicians who take a great pride in the art we create,” Jay explains. “We want listeners to be proud of who they are and there is no other way for us to do that other than to be honest with who we are.”

Says Mike, “I hope listeners find something fresh in ECHO V. Something different.”

“Is it over zealous to hope they find the voice of a generation?” he questions, with a grin.

Check out the debut song “Rainbow” below, and head over to the official website for Echo V for more info.

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News Round-Up: July 22, 2018

UK fitness guy Dan Tai (above) worked out with a broken wrist this weekend. #slacker #woof #ThatFace - plus some other news stories
Dan Tai

 Some news items you might have missed:

• UK fitness guy Dan Tai (above) worked out with a broken wrist this weekend. #slacker #woof #ThatFace

• Cuba is currently in the process of re-writing its constitution, and the latest draft opens the door to same-sex marriage. Instead listing marriage as between husband and wife, the language presently only defines marriage as ‘between two individuals.’

• Step aside, Batman. The CW is currently developing a new addition to the DC super-hero universe of TV shows around the character of “Batwoman,” aka Kate Kane. Kane, a lesbian, would be DC’s first openly LGBT character on TV.

• Also in super-news, the CW’s Supergirl is making TV history having cast transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines to play TV’s first transgender superhero, Nia Nal (aka Dreamer), a character described as a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others.

• A gay couple in Indiana were turned away by an anti-gay florist when shopping for flowers for their wedding. Rita Harris of Avon Flowers was initially fine with the impending wedding date, but when she realized there wasn’t a bride, she suddenly had a vacation planned and wasn’t available. #liar

• New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch will not punish his players for any displays of protest during the national anthem. Tisch added that Donald Trump’s interference in the issue shows “he has no understanding of why they take a knee or why they’re protesting.”

• Sexy out artist Billy Winn begins his new EP, Dreamland I, with “Seal It with a Kiss,” a smooth, electro-pop track written and produced by Billy and Johnie & Elliot of the production team OneVision, about an attraction that’s so strong, words are not needed to express it.

Check out the new music video “Seal It with a Kiss” below and head over to his Soundcloud to hear the full EP.

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Out Music: Parker Matthews New Sexy Groove “Feelin’ Right”

Out singer/songwriter Parker Matthews releases his latest single, the sexy and slow "Feelin'Right"
Indie artist Parker Matthews

Out indie pop artist Parker Matthews is currently “Feelin’ Right” and he wants you to be right there feeling it with him.

The Pittsburgh native has displayed notable versatility with previous singles “Lost With You” and “Hit and Run,” which I wrote about back in May.

For this new release, the soulful singer switches up the beats – this time taking the listener on an intimate, private flirtation.

In this Q&A, the handsome indie artist chats on his new, sexy groove.

The Randy Report: Your last single, “Hit and Run,” was an upbeat, bouncy bop. Your new track, “Feelin’ Right,” sounds like liquid sex. What was the inspiration for the song?

Parker Matthews: For this record, I want to take things a little bit deeper and show you a side of me thats more sexual. The song is about becoming obsessed and almost addicted to the way someone can make you feel when you’re in that moment. It’s when you find that person to get you through the night and keep you feelin’ right.

TRR: What’s your favorite part of the creative process? Writing? Recording? Production?

PM: I really do love it all, but recording is my favorite part by far. I get to be in the booth, in that moment, with just the mic and me.

When I was recording this record, I had all the lights in the studio turned off and some candles lit to really set the tone. When you record material like this, it’s about giving the perfect delivery right up close and personal to that mic. Recording is when you can truly make the song your own.

Writing is a close second though. Lyrics mean the world to me, and when my team and I have writing sessions, I like to go off into a different room, lock myself away, and let the words speak for themselves.



TRR: Who’s currently at the top of your list of ‘dream collaborators?’ And why?

PM: There are so many amazing artists out there right now, and I am always open to collaboration, but in the rap game, I’d be down for a collab with Nicki Minaj because I love her tone.

In the pop world, Jessie J, Ariana, or my hometown girl, Christina Aguilera, all have a such amazing voices. And that’s something I have the ultimate respect for.

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For “Feelin’ Right,” Matthews’ silky smooth, sensual vocals sit right in the pocket for the bulk of the low-key song. The bridge introduces an accelerated heartbeat (you know where this is going) that leads to the climax of the song, leaving just enough time for some post-romantic after-glow.

The entire track oozes a confident sexual vibe that borders on intoxicating without crossing the line into being heavy-handed.

This enthralling follow-up proves he is definitely more than a ‘hit and run.’ We expect to hear much more from Matthews.

You can check out this interview with The Randy Report podcast where the Pittsburgh native shares how his own personal experiences influence his approach to making music.

You can follow Matthews on Instagram here, Facebook here, Spotify here and check out his official website here.

“Feelin’ Right” is currently available on all digital download sites including iTunes.

Check out the lyric video below.

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Out Music: Shea Diamond “American Pie”

Trans recording artist Shea Diamond uses her own personal story to empower herself as a woman and artist, encouraging others to live in their full truths as well. Check out her new single, ‘American Pie’ from her upcoming EP, Seen It All.

“’American Pie’ is my hope for a slice of the American Dream: I want love and I don’t need money!” says Shea. “I want things to change since we’ve been stuck thinking in an antique mindset and it’s time for something new. Who’s going to say what I want is not a need? We all can have a slice of American Pie.”

Unapologetic and disarmingly honest, Shea’s ability to live out loud coupled with a deep and rich talent is changing the musical landscape.

But don’t take my word for it:

“12 LGBTQ Artists To Discover During Pride Month” – Billboard

“Shea is a glorious talent, a legend in the making, a soldier who has fought hard to be where she is today” – OUT Magazine

“Shea Diamond cannot be denied”— Refinery 29

“Shea Diamond is already an icon” – PAPER Magazine

“Keisha Complexion” is a sultry celebration of self, sung in Diamond’s notably rich voice. – TIME Magazine

Take a listen to ‘American Pie’ below.