Tag: Pride Music

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Pride Music: Tom Goss “Bears”

Pride Month includes all of our diverse communities, so I love sharing this music video.

Back in 2013, over 200 “bears” joined together to make guitar-toting Tom Goss’s super-fun music video for “Bears.”

Complete with lots of robust, hirsute men playing with Super Soakers, careening down a slip and slide, and dancing in a club (usually in slow motion), the video celebrates all the furry goodness.

Prominent figures in the “bear” and LGBTQ community star in the film including model and Bear World Magazine’s “Bear of the Month,” Miles Windsor (a.k.a. Lumberjack Bear), Charger Stone (DC Bear Crue), and well-known drag queen, B’Naka.

Aside from his personal tastes (his husband since 2010 is a self-professed Bear), Tom wanted to showcase the diversity of the gay community in a high caliber production.

“We are overrun with images of perfect men, in perfect clothes and perfect bodies, and as a result, many people doubt their self-image,” says Goss.  “This video showcases what it means to be beautiful and sexy, regardless of size,” he continues.

Even before it’s formal release, the buzz both online and through the production had already resulted in Goss receiving dozens of emails from men thanking him for boosting their self-image.

All things Tom Goss can be found at his official website here.

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Pride Music: Ty Herndon “That Kind Of Night”

In November of 2016, hunky country singer Ty Herndon released his album House on Fire marking his first album release since coming out as a gay man in 2014. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Herndon said, “This album was a new education for me for my future, investing in my life as a songwriter and a producer and getting outside of my comfort zone. And lord knows I got outside of my comfort zone when I came out, but I came outside of my comfort zone to move into a life of pure authenticity. That was most important to me.” The “What Mattered Most” singer’s first music video from the new album was the musical romp, “That Kind of Night.” Check it out below.

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Pride Music: Billy Porter “Love Yourself”

Tony and Grammy Award-Winner Billy Porter releases his new gospel-tinged single “Love Yourself” right on time for Pride Month.
Billy Porter

Tony and Grammy Award-Winner Billy Porter releases his new gospel-tinged single “Love Yourself” right on time for Pride Month.

“I’m thrilled to be spreading the message of self-love to my community whose humanity and worth have been up for legislation for way too long,” says Porter about the release. “On this 50th anniversary of Stonewall I’m proud to unite with my LGBTQ brothers & sisters to remind the world that we’re here and we ain’t goin’ nowhere. Love always wins!”

During World Pride programming this year, Porter will serve as co-host of ABC’s telecast of the Pride March in New York City, and will serve as one of the Grand Marshals alongside his POSE co-stars.

In addition, Porter will serve as Master of Ceremonies for CFDA and Susanne Bartsch’s Love Ball III, taking place on June 25th at Gotham Hall in New York City.

This is what we need on this fab Friday. Hit play and bounce.

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Pride Music: Trey Pearson “Love Is Love”

Out singer/songwriter Trey Pearson dedicated his 2017 music video, “Love Is Love,” to LGBTQ safe spaces.

Pearson made international headlines in 2016 when he came out after years as the lead singer of Christian rock band, Everyday Sunday.

From The Advocate:

“‘Love Is Love’ has become a mantra in the LGBTQ community that stands up for the right to love and be loved, fully. This love song, and this album, represent that freedom for me,” Pearson told The Advocate.

“I wanted the music video to be a tribute to all LGBTQ sacred spaces. Gay bars and queer spaces have been a refuge for me over this last year, and it is where I have been able rebuild my life after losing so much when I came out. I’m overjoyed to be able to make a video about a gay love song that takes pride in these spaces that mean so much for our community.”

Speaking to Billboard, Pearson described the track as “an anthem celebrating the freedom to love each other, without fear, because all you need is love.”

With a solid pop hook, top shelf production and Pearson’s soaring vocals “Love Is Love” is a worthy solo debut effort.

Listen below and check out the album on iTunes here.

Here’s Pearson’s appearance on The View where he discusses coming out:

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Pride Music: Sam Smith Covers Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know”

Back in 2014, out recording artist Sam Smith debuted his new cover of the Whitney Houston hit “How Will I Know” while visiting the SiriusXM Studios yesterday.

I love when folks slow a song down and we discover a whole new side to the writer’s work.

Gorgeous idea here.

(h/t JMG)

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Pride Music: ROZES “Call Me”

As we celebrate our strength and resilience of not just surviving but thriving as a community during Pride Month, it’s also important to remember even the strongest among us might need a word of support.

Out singer/songwriter ROZES drops her new single, “Call Me,” a soulful, solo piano anthem with a heartfelt hook.

“Just know that you can call me, and I’ll always be there.”

With over 1 billion-plus streams, she has been praised by folks at Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, Paper Mag and Marie Claire, and clocked appearances on CONAN, Good Morning America and more.

Known for her recent single “Halfway There,” the “Official Anthem of the 2019 Women’s March,” the Philadelphia artist intentionally worked with an all-female team to produce the new track.

(photo credit: Adam Contiello)

The song sounds the alarm in support of mental health, an important topic close to the talented artist, who says “our mental health is not a burden.”

“I think it’s important that we do not underestimate the power of a phone call,” shares ROZES regarding the inspiration of the song. “The courage to reach out can change a life, and maybe it’s your own. It’s honest about mental health and offering hopeful hand to those in the thick of it.”

Sensitive, passionate, and candidly emotional, “Call Me” falls right in the sweet spot for the multi-platinum artist.

An artist worthy of your attention.  If you like Alicia Keyes or Adele, hit the play button below.

I like.

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Pride Music: Ty Herndon “What Mattered Most”

Ty Herndon

Sometimes, it just takes a while for some of us to embrace our authentic selves.

Country singer Ty Herndon, who had his first #1 hit in 1995 with the single “What Mattered Most”, has re-visited the song saying this new take – with male pronouns – is “the way I wish I could have sang it for you then.”

Watching the video is a deeply visceral experience as Herndon’s emotions are clearly front and center.

When you understand the journey we all go on to get to ‘here,’ the sense of freedom Herndon must have felt while recording the new version must have been palpable in the studio.

Herndon came out in People Magazine in 2014.

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Pride Music: Starley “Love Is Love”

Today’s Pride Music comes from Australian artist Starley, whose deeply personal single “Love is Love” was released in June 2018.

“Love is Love” was the follow-up to Starley’s global smash hit “Call on Me” which went 4x Platinum in Australia, #1 in Sweden and the Top 10 in more than 30 countries.

Along the way, all that fan love added up to more than 1 billion streams globally.

Using an earthy mix of rhythms and a sound that feels authentic and personal, the singer from ‘down under’ finds the center of her music. And in doing so, connects with the singer.

Even the approach to artwork for her music is has to have a true connection.

“The cover for ‘Love is Love’ is not to be about me,” said Starley. “Although, this song is my personal story, it’s a song for everyone, so I felt like a heart was the perfect way to go.”

“I feel like there should be a flag that represents love in all forms – interracial, interfaith, gay, straight, bisexual, trans, and so on,” she adds.

“Until that exists, I’ve chosen to use the colours of the bisexual flag because they relate to my personal journey,” says the Aussie singer regarding the inspiration behind her single artwork.

And while I have your attention, check out Starley’s debut single, “Call On Me” 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.