Tag: out musicians

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Out Music: Brandon Stansell “Slow Down”

Check out “Slow Down,” the new single from out singer/songwriter Brandon Stansell.

According to his official website, the song is the epicenter of his “California Country” sound with the raw emotion of those first moments in a budding relationship.

“Slow Down” was produced by Nashville-based producer, writer, and guitarist Erik Halbig. Stansell met Erik a few years ago through friend, Ty Herndon, who is featured on the track.

While his casual country sound is appealing, there is more that meets the eye with this crooner of Nashville roots. He is navigating the path of an openly-gay Country Artist. Brandon, while not the first to chart these waters, is one of few people in the industry willing to lay everything out for the listener and the result is an honest, beautiful musical experience.

I’ve previously written about Brandon’s music video “Dear John” here.

Brandon’s new EP is currently available on iTunes here.

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Music Video: Years & Years “Meteorite”

According to reports, Years & Years front man Olly Alexander wears 86,000 Swarovski crystals in the new music video for “Meteorite,” the band’s first new material in a year.

Designed by Lara Jensen, Alexander glitters in his high-end haute couture as he plays to the 360 camera work among dancers.

Speaking to NME, Alexander shared that the crystal costume was a salute to pop goddesses Britney Spears and Beyoncé. “It’s an honour to follow in the footsteps of some of my heroes and be decked out in tens of thousands of dazzling crystals!”

Btw – check out how Olly artfully handled a Twitter troll who asked, “Is it a requirement for gay men to be effeminate and dress like women?”

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Out Music: Alex Newell “Collect My Love”

Pair a charismatic singer and a pop-y dance track with a new campaign to encourage gay men to talk about HIV and you have a winning formula to help curb the spread of HIV.

Alex Newell, out singer/actor of GLEE fame, teamed up with The Knocks for his new single “Collect My Love.”

Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working with Newell to utilize the song and music video to get out the word that gay men should “Start talking. Stop HIV.”

From the CDC:

Start Talking. Stop HIV., a new phase of CDC’s Act Against AIDS initiative, seeks to reduce new HIV infections among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men* by encouraging open discussion about a range of HIV prevention strategies and related sexual health issues between sex partners. Effective partner communication about HIV can reduce HIV transmission by supporting HIV testing, HIV status disclosure, condom use, and the use of medicines to prevent and treat HIV.

The video follows several gay couples, and along the way we see that they all have different ways of stopping the spread of HIV, whether through condom use, PrEP or testing for HIV via home test kits.

Click here for more info.

There’s also a “behind the scenes” video featuring Newell chatting on different options to help prevent HIV.

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Out Music: Halsey “Ghost”

I’ve known openly bisexual Halsey’s music for some time but realized today I’ve never shared any on The Randy Report.

Her electronic indie pop reminds me of a darker, more rebellious Ellie Goudling; think Pink – but on a thoughtful, electro-pop landscape.

I figure her music video for “Ghost” (over 29 million views) is a good place to start.

Shannon Keating at Buzzfeed recently wrote about out women in music, and included Halsey in the piece:

Her music video for “Ghost”, released in June 2015, is set in a dreamy but alienating Japan, its aesthetics lifted right out of Lost in Translation. Halsey, in a short blue wig, rolls around on a bed with a woman played by model Courtney McCullough, who wears the same wig in pink. They’re captured in their underwear, in slo-mo, sometimes kissing but mostly just touching each other’s bare expanses of skin.

The woman Halsey’s paired with, played by McCullough, doesn’t quite stand alone as her own person — she functions more as Halsey’s racebent mirror. The neon-lit, futuristic Tokyo setting seems distant, touristic, even otherworldly.

You can check out her song “Castle,” from the film The Hunstman: Winter’s War here.

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Radio Show: This Week In LGBT News

Colton Haynes honored with HRC’s “Visibility Award”

Hit play below to listen in as I run down several of the week’s top LGBT news stories including:

• Terrorist threats in Florida’s gay mecca Wilton Manors

• A Las Vegas man threatened to kill gays and lesbians for Jesus

• The star of Logo’s new “Finding Prince Charming” is catching heat for his past as a male escort

• TV stars Conrad Ricamora (“How To Get Away With Murder”) and Colton Haynes (“Arrow”) were both honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s “Visibilty Awards”

• America’s Got Talent alum Jonathan Allen releases his new single, “Amen”

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Out Music: Jonathan Allen “Amen”

Jonathan Allen, openly gay semifinalist from Season 8 of “America’s Got Talent” Season 8, has released his first single since his appearances on AGT, “Amen.”

During his initial audition for AGT, Allen shared that he was thrown out of his house at the age of 18 when his parents told him being gay was “sinful” and that living openly as a gay man meant he would have to leave. The resulting eviction left him homeless.

He made it to the semi-finals of AGT during the summer of 2013 with powerful yet emotionally vulnerable performances of pop/classical crossover material (“Time To Say Goodbye”) and stirring Broadway ballads  (“The Impossible Dream,” “Bring Him Home”).

Via press release:

For the last year, Jonathan has based himself out of Albuquerque, NM where he has established his business and worked on his music. Since his appearance on the show he has matured in his musical endeavors. Combined with strikingly original music and euphoric live performances; he has become recognized as one of the most captivating artists around.

“AMEN was primarily arranged and produced in my home and speaks to the many trials and tribulations that we all face, but is an LGBT liberation song at its heart, said Allen.

“The song touches on several issues that surround the community in day-to-day life, and in the political realm. The song attempts to chip away at many issues by starting a dialogue that shows people we all can believe the same things, deal with the same things, and be torn apart by the very same things that should bring us together,” continued Allen.

“Despite the title, AMEN is a song that transcends any one belief system. It is not so much about Christianity as it is about breaking free from hatred and celebrating love on this Earth in the highest form possible,” concluded Allen.

Allen’s already impressive voice sounds even more reassured since his AGT days. The slightly religious bent isn’t my thing, but there’s no denying the power and depth of his voice.

You can listen to “Amen” below, along with his impressive debut on AGT.

Find the track on iTunes here.

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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: Judah Gavra “Falling”

Just in time for the weekend, out singer/songwriter Judah Gavra drops his latest single and music video – “Falling.”

Written with collaborator Chris Williams and produced by Gilad Markovich,  the music video is directed by Frank Boccia.

Paired with Gavra’s impressive, soaring vocals, the video – like Gavra’s previous releases – is a high-end production across the board. Moody and plaintive at the outset, “Falling” takes it’s time to build to an emotional crescendo.

Gavra has performed extensively all around the world including Carnegie Hall, the finals of Israel’s Eurovision competition, and extensive musical theater credits across the U.S. in musicals like “The Full Monty”, “Aida” and “Legally Blonde.”

The track is available now on all major digital download sites like iTunes and Amazon.

I’ve previously covered the handsome and talented Mr. Gavra here.

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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.

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Out Music: Michael Blume “Colors”

Out singer Michael Blume dropped this second track, “Colors,” from his upcoming EP When I Get It Right due out July 29th.

You can listen to the first track from the EP, “Manufactered,” here.

Teeming with honeyed vocals, soulful scatting and thoughtful, socially conscious lyrics, When I Get It Right showcases Blume’s trademark mix of R&B, neo-soul, hip-hop, jazz, and electronica, with avant-garde twists.

Blume has been celebrated for his intelligent lyrics that explore his passion for civil rights, particularly racial equality and LGBTQ rights.

He hits the road in advance of the EP release with a select run of shows beginning at Bowery Ballroom in New York City on July 26th, where he will be backed by a dynamic 11-piece band. Additional stops have been announced for Philadelphia, DC, and Boston.

For more info, check out his official website here.