Amber Bain, aka The Japanese House, on being unapologetically candid and her sophomore album In The End It Always Does.

WORDS BY JOSH OSMAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANIFAH MOHAMMAD
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY UMAR SARWAR
ART DIRECTION BY ANISA CLEAVER

“People liked talking about my ‘anonymity’ a lot,” Amber Bain, aka The Japanese House, says with a smirk, sitting cross-legged from the floor of her Detroit apartment. In conversation she’s refreshingly candid, just as she is on her emotionally forthright new album, In The End It Always Does. 

As Bain herself notes, an air of mystery has long followed the singer-songwriter – even as she makes efforts to be more forthright as both an artist and a public face. The reason points back to her low-profile beginning as a musician, where she opted to dodge the media and her identity was surrounded by speculation.

Nowadays, the question of anonymity is something Bain finds absurd – becoming increasingly outspoken on songs and in the press, she doesn’t feel like she’s hiding. “I’ve always been very frank in my lyrics and in interviews,” she notes. “I find it funny when people think I’m trying to be mysterious, because I’m like, ‘What more do you want? Do you want to know my period cycle?’”  

Signing to Dirty Hit in 2012, Bain has long been heralded as an artist to watch. But, in recent years, the musician’s profile has rapidly transcended past underground artist status. Bain’s 2017 debut EP, Pools To Bathe In, marked her as an unconventional pop star and now, with her sophomore project, the singer-songwriter is rewriting the record and stepping out as a major name.

Right now, she seems surprisingly relaxed – but it’s easy to see that her career is on the cusp of serious change. Currently finding herself on a whirlwind press cycle promoting her new alternative-pop album, she’s preparing for a slew of US and UK tour dates that will take her everywhere from Southampton to Washington DC.  

Transformation – in all its forms – has been embraced by Bain. Since her 2019 debut release, Good At Falling, Bain has been through substantial change – she’s moved twice, once from London to Kent, and once across the Atlantic, questioned her gender identity and fallen in love with multiple people at the same time, and also broken up with them. Among this, the singer finds humour in how much things have evolved. “I don’t think anyone was looking at me and thinking that’s a straight person,” she jokes, recalling how she struggled to discuss her queerness as a new musician. 

However, things couldn’t be any more different in her album. Bain openly details her life, decorating songs with outright honesty.  On ‘Morning Pages’, her collaboration with close friends MUNA, she sings: “You wait for a feeling, it never quite hits / And you wait for the moment she reaches your lips / She never quite hits”. The singer also treads into more traditional pop territory on the album, with more guitar-led riffs and piano ballads, while still embracing the “messy” electronica of her earlier days. Working alongside queer producer Chloe Kraemer steered the album’s “magical” personal direction. 

Elsewhere, gentler moments on the album are found in tragic liminalities – things that never quite come, and things that are fated to end. “There is a beauty in sadness when the dramatic moments of heartbreak aren’t always the drama,” she says. “Sometimes the heartbreak doesn’t look like heartbreak, it just looks like a normal day, but it’s just the worst day of your life, you know?” 

The musician is also aware of the nuances that come with queer love and relationships: “If you’re queer, you’re used to not necessarily following the main road when it comes to how you have relationships because you’re already breaking normal standards and barriers.” Her first experience of polyamory, where she entered into a relationship with a couple, may have only lasted three months, but it was both ephemeral and revelatory. “It really did make me think about relationships and love in a different way. I was witnessing so many things and then experiencing them afterwards.” To her, the experience was “strange and rare”, watching two people already in love with each other fall in love with her at the same time. “I got to see them try to manage the really complex feelings surrounding jealousy, love and loyalty and see everything being thrown up in the air and landing around me,” she reveals.

Vulnerability colours Bain’s songwriting surrounding her experience of a polyamorous relationship, which appears throughout In The End It Always Does. ‘Friends’ is a “sexy tongue-in-cheek song about having two girlfriends”. While ‘Over There’, chronicles Bain’s yearning after one partner left the relationship. “It was really difficult, but there are parts of it that felt like being on the cusp of something magical,” Bain reminisces. Though she often realises the impact of certain events long after the time has passed, she is adamant that she “knew the magic” of this experience while it was happening. “I didn’t want to let go, because I knew it wasn’t gonna last long,” she says.

Looking back on it all, Bain reflects that she has no “specific opinion” on how she loves. “I don’t even know if it is for me, being polyamorous, but you never know. It’s like reading a new book and seeing things from a completely new standpoint. It’s inspirational and you can’t escape from that,” she explains. The space to consider these questions is a privilege she feels lucky to have, after spending the last five years “shaking off guilt and shame about being gay”. While the artist still doesn’t have an answer for how she entirely identifies, she’s “learning to accept that that is another key thing about feeling comfortable with it”. Finding a label, or exact answer, is no longer the goal for Bain – particularly when it comes to gender. “You can sit with it for as long as you want, don’t feel a need to have a definite answer, I just use genderqueer because I don’t f**king know!” 

Self-exploration is central to In The End It Always Does and in moments of introspection, the album interrogates the external events which shape us from the outside-in. “There’s tragedy in recognising that the things that have happened to you are part of you,” Bain reflects, as if recognising that no matter where you go, the past will always follow you – it’s carried within you. 

But despite the adventures of change, agony and acceptance, Bain is already confidently ready for her next project – before she’s even put her second album to bed. With six new songs already written, the musician is ready to revisit the process of understanding herself and her sound. 

The Japanese House’s album In The End It Always Does is out now via Dirty Hit. You can buy tickets to her tour here.

The post The Japanese House is on a cyclical journey of self-discovery appeared first on GAY TIMES.

In his one-off London headline show, the rising star pulls off a captivating performance. 

WORDS BY JOSH OSMAN 

As a rainstorm washes over Camden, die-hard fans queue up for Omar Apollo’s sold-out surprise show at Roundhouse. Since his last London headline show at KOKO, last June, the 26-year-old has become quite the phenomenon. Between supporting SZA on her spectacular SOS Tour and going viral on TikTok, the breakout pop star has had quite the year. 

Roundhouse marks the singer’s largest UK headline show yet and, as his eagerly awaiting audience pour through the doors, his set hints at something special. Blinking red lights wash over onlookers and a spoken word introduction invites the band and Apollo, who’s kitted out in a glittering, black bodysuit. Beginning with his alternative R&B-influenced single ‘Ice Slippin’, the singer bucks the tradition by opening with the album’s introductory interlude. And, no doubt, the show setlist is sure to please with hits from last year’s Ivory, as well as his former 2020 mixtape, Apolonio. 

Entracing the crowd, Apollo seamlessly switches through genres, sewing together playful styles and stage presence for an effortless performance. The singer’s ease on stage is mirrored with his messages to his audience, as he shares advice and initiates energetic interactions. And, of course, there’s humour too; a trait Apollo has become known for online. He quips about getting “gaslit a little bit”, subtly referring to the backlash he received for his ‘3 Boys’ music video’. Later, he slows this down as pays homage to Latinx Heritage Month; before the “very Mexican” ‘En El Olvido’ – with colours of the Mexican Flag lighting up the room. 

Apollo riles things up with tracks ‘Talk’ and ‘Kamikaze’, before retreating back into his signature softpop sounds. As things slow down, Apollo’s stellar vocals take the helm, gliding between husky low notes and quick-fire rapping on ‘Tamagotchi’ to credible falsettos on ‘Killing Me’. With the show drawing to an end, the singer shares the slow-burning ballad ‘Evergreen’ with the crowd. Even the famous faces in the crowd – notably the Heartstopper cast – get into screaming the bridge back to the star. 

‘Go Away’, a danceable tune with melancholic lyrics, swells inside Roundhouse signing off the set with an upbeat yet bittersweet end. “If you don’t bounce in this song, I’m gonna cry when I get home,” Apollo jokes. But, for right now, there’s enough queer joy and euphoria in the room to wipe away the dreary weather outside. It’s a show of unforgettable community, showmanship and vocals. Omar Apollo has been the ‘one to watch’ for a while, but it’s clear that he has every intention to kamikaze his way to stardom.

GAY TIMES rating: ★★★★

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The Italian-Norwegian artist on breaking into the music scene, her new single ‘Bad Bitch’ and being inspired by Beyoncé.

WORDS BY JOSH OSMAN

A self-described ‘confident bitch’, Alessandra has broken out as one of music’s exciting new stars. A crowned winner of TV’s much beloved Eurovision, the singer-songwriter is ready to make her mark on the pop world. The 20-year-old has a lot on the cards — and yes, this means new music. But, outside of dropping new tunes, the newbie artist is ready to reset her reputation.

We caught up with the ‘Bad Bitch’ artist to hear more about her big music plans. 

It’s been a couple of months since Eurovision now… Have you had some time to take it all in? 

It is crazy to think that a couple of months have passed. It doesn’t feel that way. I miss all the people and the feeling that Eurovision brought. It was magical. And the journey continues! ‘Queen of Kings’ has really taken off, even more so since the event!

It’s quite the hit! What was the inspiration behind the song?

That song is about this strong woman who even through the bad periods continues to stay strong. She is proud of what she has learned during the difficult times and uses that knowledge to grow wiser and happier.

Your newest single, ‘Bad Bitch’ is just as raucous and catchy! Where did that track come from?

We were having a session at Limpi, the school I attended in Lillehammer. And the melodies just came out of nowhere, as if music was talking to us! So get ready to feel confident, my bad bitches! 

When did you decide that you want to pursue music as a career?

I’ve always known this is what I wanted to do. Unconsciously my body and soul knew that I was born for this. I am born to make a show! 

Empowerment, especially female empowerment, is at the core of your music. Who are the women who have inspired you the most?

BEYONCÉ is my goddess, my inspiration, my teacher. She represents music to me. How she feels it. How she makes you feel with her voice and her stage presence. I can’t describe how much I look up to her. I also love Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa…and the list goes on.

How did competing on The Voice change the trajectory of your career?

I am quite sure that the people who asked me to write for MGP knew about me thanks to The Voice, especially my last performance ‘One Night Only. So, without the voice, there wouldn’t have been the MGP composing camp, and without the composing camp, no QUEEN OF KINGS! Crazy right? 

You’ve taken on global stages, now, what’s next for you?

I am an ambitious woman. I work hard and love what I’m doing. I cannot see myself without writing music, performing, engaging with my fans and connecting thanks to what music makes us feel. My love for music and singing will make me achieve greatness.

The post Alessandra Mele is proving she’s more than a Eurovision star appeared first on GAY TIMES.

The breakout American artist on being inspired by drag, flipping the Christian culture, and new music.

WORDS BY JOSH OSMAN 
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN CLEMENS

The last year has seen the rise of Chappell Roan (real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz): queer pop’s pageant queen. After a staggered rollout, the rising pop princess is about to release her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Off the back of hit singles ‘Pink Pony Club’ and ‘Naked in Manhattan’, she sold out her first London headline show and is expecting to sell out her upcoming North American tour.

Roan’s journey to stardom has been a rough ride. Raised in Missouri, the singer found herself both boxed in by and ostracised from a conservative Christian culture that inhibited her ability to express herself as a woman in the way she wanted. Her first full-length project sees her boldly embrace her queerness and wholly overthrow the confines of Midwestern womanhood. It’s a fourteen-track powerhouse of thumping, club-ready anthems that seem at the same time entirely characteristic of and antithetical to her theatrical, extravagant image.

Moving to LA changed the 25-year-old’s life, enabling her to both express and embody unbridled queer joy, which simply wasn’t possible at home. Now, just before The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is unleashed into the world, Kayleigh Rose Amstutz is more ready than ever before to bring the bedazzled spectacle of ‘Chappell Roan’ to a new height and greater audience. 

For the newest instalment of our new music editorial series Queer & Now, we hung out with Roan over Zoom to chat about her debut album, being inspired by drag, and flipping the Christian culture of her upbringing on its head.

Hey Chappell! How’s it going? What’s keeping you busy?

I just got back from summer camp, where I’m a counsellor. I’ve been one for eight years. It’s getting to the point where I can’t go to all of the camp, but I teach songwriting there. That’s what I was doing the past couple of weeks. We’ve had a lot of really big career moments the past couple of weeks too!

How’s the rollout for your debut album going?

It’s crazy, it feels surreal. I’m trying to take in every moment – you only have your debut album one time. So far, the response is really good, better than we expected. It’s very affirming. It’s been a trek to get there, this album is four years in the making.

How did you get into music and what made you want to be an artist?

I got into music when I was 14 or 15. I started writing because it was the best way to channel my despair as a teenager. Then it just catapulted into being signed when I turned 17. It was a very, very quick process at the beginning and then it was slow for like, five years. Now it’s fast again!

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

I was really inspired by Ellie Goulding. I listened to her every day. ‘Stay’ by Rihanna was the catalyst of my writing. I just wanted to write a song like ‘Stay’. That was the first thing I can remember, but I grew up on Christian rock because I grew up in a Christian household.

The ‘popstar’ image is a big part of the ‘Chappell Roan’ persona now. Has it always been?

It is now but wasn’t for the first five or six years of my career. I was very anti- anything loud and garish and I wanted to be taken seriously. I took myself too seriously, it was really dramatic. Once I let that go and was like, ‘I’m going to be a DIY pop star’, I could be the girl that I always wanted to be when I was little, which is the sparkly kind of princess, dollar store vibe of a pop star. When I accepted myself, that that was who I was regardless if people took it seriously or not, everything started working very quickly.

‘Pink Pony Club’ is definitely your biggest song right now! What was the inspiration behind the song?

I wrote it a week or two after I went to my first gay club, I’d just turned 21. I went to West Hollywood, and could finally see what I’d always been so curious about. I’d never been to a gay club, we don’t have any in my hometown. We have some in the surrounding towns, but I’d never been to them. ‘Pink Pony’ was inspired by the feeling that that club gave me. It was so crazy: everything I was taught about gay culture was the opposite of what I was seeing in front of me. It seemed so full of love, everything felt really natural, there was nothing demonic about it. If anything, it was spiritual. I was awakened! I had to write about that. There were go-go dancers at that club and I really wanted to be one, but I was too scared to audition, so I wrote a song about me being a go-go dancer.

Like you say, you only get your debut album once. What was it like to work on a project so important to you during a time like the pandemic?

It was very hard to keep going because I had no money. I had to move back in with my parents for a bit because I ran out of money in LA. I was working part-time for years. This is the first year I’ve made money off my music. I can finally support my rent and my food and gas solely off my music, and it’s taken almost a decade to get there. I was just making minimum wage, trying to work a shift at the donut shop and then go to a writing session afterwards. It took a lot of tenacity to keep going. I’m proud of myself, but also of my friends. This was a group effort. A lot of people worked for free for over a year and volunteered to help. I had to learn how to do my own makeup. I had to style myself. I learned to do a lot of random skills myself, that I never would have had to if I had a tonne of money.

‘Hot to GO!’, the newest single from the album, is out now! How does it feel to have that finally out in the world?

It’s the biggest single we’ve had on the first day, so far. It’s streamed really good the first day. I was very surprised. This is a song that I felt self-conscious about even writing because I was like, ‘Oh my god, it doesn’t mean anything’. It’s literally just about being hot. It’s so counter-song writer, meaningful, I don’t know. Then I was just like, ‘It’s camp’. I just need to be silly and I really wanted a dance that I could sing and dance with the audience, like the YMCA! I was like, ‘I need to do that! I need to spell something with my hands that people in the audience can learn too!’ Simply, the whole point of the song is for me to do it live with the audience. It’s so fun to perform because I’ve been performing it before it’s been out, like on the spring tour. People love participating, it’s so fun.

The debut album feels like a collection of songs in which you really tap into every facet of who you are and want to be, defining yourself on your own terms. What inspired your thematic and visual approach?

I’m inspired by drag mostly. I almost look at myself as a drag queen. My real name is Kaylee, and I feel like my drag name is ‘Chappell Roan’. The way I dress is inspired by drag. With music, what I would want to hear in the club is what I write. I also like writing narratively and creating characters. A lot of the stories aren’t necessarily true – it was just based on my fantasy. Aesthetically, I turn to my inner child and ask that version of myself of what feels good. Most of the time, it’s things like Bratz dolls, princesses and tacky big jewellery, drag queens, burlesque. Anything over the top but not unaccessible. I’m not trying to be dripping in real solid gold and diamonds. I think fake jewellery, like costume jewellery, is much prettier and more appealing.

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Police have charged the person suspected of attacking RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne earlier this year.

On 16 June, the man approached The Vivienne in a Liverpool McDonald’s and made homophobic comments.

He then punched her in the face and fled, according to Merseyside Police.

Alan Whitfield, 50, of Everton, has been charged with assault. He will appear before magistrates on 5 September.

The post Man charged for homophobic attack against Drag Race star The Vivienne appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Canadian actor Elliot Page spoke about his journey with testosterone and his new memoir last weekend at the Library of Congress National Book Festival.

During the interview, conducted by trans journalist Gina Chua, Page revealed more about the process of writing Pageboy, as well as his trans journey more generally.

“I’m on testosterone, I’ve been on testosterone for a bit over two years,” he told the audience. “It’s something that has drastically changed my life for the better, personally. Everybody has different experiences, and what they want, and relationships with their body, needless to say. For me, it’s made my life better.”

Joking about stereotypes targeting trans men, he proudly declares, “I’m the least angry I’ve ever been! Everyone needs to stop blaming testosterone.”

He also explained that he knew how coming out would help to end the “endless discomfort” he had felt for years.

“I could have never imagined in a million years, how different I feel,” Page reveals. How centred, how present, the space in my mind to be creative to feel inspired. I could have never sat down and written a book before.”

READ MORE: The Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page joyfully shares new passport photo after transition

Upon being asked how his transition affected his creative process, Page replied: “I feel inherently so much better and present and that I’m just happier on set. If I came out as trans and my work got worse, that’s fine. I don’t need to be in anymore movies, like I’m good! I wanna be able to live my life, truly, but I think it’s made me feel more embodied and more connected and more able to be fully present in a scene.”

Elliot Page shared advice to trans youth struggling with bullying

The actor also shared some heartfelt advice to young trans members of his audience, in terms of dealing with bullying, or unsupportive people surrounding them.

Page said: “You should talk to the people that you love and trust the most, the friends you can rely on, the teachers you can rely on, and maybe start there and ask for their support. Speak to the bullying, because that definitely shouldn’t be happening and have a group and a community of people that’s going to embrace you and support you to not have to deal with that silliness.

“I was bullied, wasn’t fun. But it’ll be ok. It will be. I wish I could give you a better answer and help more. I’m not trained or well-equipped to know exactly what to say. I just want you to feel the support and love you should feel.”

READ MORE: Elliot Page reveals cover and release date of upcoming memoir Pageboy

He also shared his favourite moments of trans joy: “I now have such an awesome group of trans friends. When we get together and all hang out and do karaoke, and everyone is just in the moment, together and feeling liberated. Those moments feel really really special, that sense of community.”

For Page, it is especially important to retain the optimism, particularly in times such as now.

“What I focus on, particularly when that noise, which is obviously very loud right now, is coming in, I do everything that I can to connect to the core of me t hat feels a way I could have never imagined possible, and all the times when I didn’t see a future for myself. The happiness that I feel, the joy that I feel. I refuse to let that get taken away from me.”

The post Elliot Page: “Testosterone drastically changed my life for the better” appeared first on GAY TIMES.

The Irish indie artist is back, more rocky and raw than ever before.

WORDS BY JOSH OSMAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FLOWER UP (ALEX EVANS)

After years of fostering a dedicated cult following, Orla Gartland catapulted into indie stardom last year. Her 2018 song, ‘Why Am I Like This?’, became an overnight viral sensation, thanks to its inclusion in the hit Netflix teen series Heartstopper.

Gartland released her debut album Woman On The Internet, in 2021, after a series of EPs over the last 10 years. Though she started with simple, yet sweet acoustic pop songs, the 28-year-old has slowly but surely curated a discography with an endlessly expansive sound. Woman On The Internet is a forceful debut that effortlessly demonstrates her impressive range, spanning drum-heavy, alternative rock-influenced sounds to gentle indie-pop. However, every quality is elevated by her versatile voice, as she floats from  husky belts to smooth falsettos with ease.

Now, after a break from the Internet and public eye, Gartland is back. She’s released a new solo single, ‘Kiss Ur Face Forever’, which has also made it onto the soundtrack for Heartstopper’s second season. Plus, she’s teamed up with indie icons dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown to form FIZZ, a band whose music she described as ‘bottled joy’. 

We caught Garland while she’s on holiday to talk about Heartstopper, FIZZ and her most precious music memories.

Hey Orla! How’s it going?

I’m all good! I’m on a very remote island off the coast of Ireland with my family and it’s straight out of Father Ted, it’s really good. 

We haven’t had new solo stuff from you for a while! What have you been up to?

Gosh, what have I not been up to? I’ve been writing my second album. After the first, I was doing a lot of shows and went on a couple of tours. As of last year, I’ve been working on album two and writing a side-project album with my friends in a band called FIZZ. I was offline and it was a publicly quiet time, but in my own life it was jammers. That’s the weird thing about the internet, that feeling of ‘if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it fall?’ Sometimes the internet feels like that, if you didn’t post online that you were doing everything, were you actually doing it?

The new song, ‘Kiss Ur Face Forever’, is finally out and it’s in Heartstopper season two. How’re you feeling about it?

Great! This year has been so busy, I’ve enjoyed doing all these things with the band, but I’m also really happy to have a little moment for me in the middle of it. I wrote it at the end of last year with Tom, my co-producer for Woman on the Internet, and my housemate, Lauren Aquilina. She’s one of the best songwriters I’ve ever seen – if songwriting was an Olympic sport, she’d be gold. We’ve been best friends for about eleven years and we’d never written a song together until now. That was really special to write with someone I know really well, who I felt very understood by. She made the whole thing so effortless. I’m really excited to have it out and play it live! It’s a real statement of intent – I hope it can act as a reminder that I’m still here and working on music. Hopefully it’ll set a more raucous, raw tone for what might be to come.

It’s been nearly two years since Woman On The Internet, your debut album. How do you feel about it two years later?

Very proud. I’d been playing music for so long before it, and there were a lot of times in the years before that where I could have got started on a debut and it just didn’t feel right. I had quite a lot of false starts. I was several EPs in, and they’re a bit, ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride.’ It was a long time coming by the time it came around. Two years later, having that under my belt, I don’t know if that is true but I definitely feel I’ve been taken more seriously for having a big body of work out in the world. I released it independently and I’m really proud of how it did. Often, with creative people, you can sit with your work for too long and it gets a little stale, but I still listen back to those songs, and I’m like, ‘Ok, still slaps!’

How did it feel to see ‘Why Am I Like This?’, an older song of yours, go viral after being in Heartstopper last year?

There’s a randomness to something like that. With ‘Why Am I Like This?’, I’m still in awe of that whole thing. There’s something so interesting about an old song being plucked out of obscurity and given this new life. My whole life since releasing music, since about 2012, it’s always been a slow machine that I have to drive. It’s never been ‘pop the music out and sit back’. I’ve got my hands on the steering wheel, and I’m like ‘Let’s do this!’ This was the first moment where it was driving away without me. It was really cool – I kind of had nothing to do with it, apart from it being my song. 

Are you a big fan of the show?

Heartstopper is so special. It’s the kind of show I would’ve loved to have when I was a bit younger, feeling a bit ‘other’. I would’ve eaten it up and needed it so much. I’m so glad, particularly for younger people, that it exists. I’m very honoured to be part of the soundtrack again. I couldn’t endorse a show more! I’m glad there was no big spoiler in my scene because I had to skip forward to that bit to see how my song would work in the show. I’m such a fan that I didn’t want any plot spoilers! I’m watching it by myself at the moment, it’s so nourishing to watch whenever you sit down.

Do you have any other older songs you’d like to see get a similar revival?

I love ‘Did It To Myself’, it’s a deep cut that I still feel attached to. If I have a half hour or forty minute set, that one pretty much never makes the cut anymore, which is just what happens when you have this amount of music out. Even though it’s so nice to release albums and feel like a proper musician, the downside is that the more you put out, these other ones fall through the cracks and slip away. There’s a couple on Freckle Season, my EP from 2020. Even though it did its thing in my community, if one of those was to get plucked out of obscurity, I certainly wouldn’t fight it, that would be fun. But also, those things are so rare, I got very very lucky. 

In a really early interview, from when you were fifteen, you said you were nervous but enthusiastic about pursuing music as a career. Did you have any idea you’d get the indie stardom that Heartstopper brought you?

The Internet moves so fast that I find it hard to have perspective. It’s like a train moving so fast and you’re trying to grab onto the sides. As much as I’m in awe of all these things and I feel really excited to have a place in this totally weird industry, I’ve never had any other jobs. I feel lucky to have any place in it. Music being my full time job was always my marker of success – some people are obsessed with playing certain sized venues or a chart position, but I just wanted to live off it. That was my one tickbox. Everything past it is kind of a bonus. 

I also think of 15-year-old me about to move over to London. I want to protect her – I want to wrap her in cotton wool and be like, ‘You’re definitely doing the right thing, but God, it’s not gonna be easy.’ Particularly for creative people, one of the hardest things in life is to know what you actually want to do. How you get there and do it is up to you to design. It’s cute, thinking back and knowing that I wanted to do this then and that I’m still out here. It gives me a warm, sweet, fuzzy feeling.

What’s been your favourite music memory in these past 13 years?

I did my first European tour last year. Some countries were still closed and a lot of people were telling me not to go. Lots of the countries hadn’t opened up yet, so the tickets were on sale but no one was buying them and I was going to lose a lot of money. In the end, I decided to go ahead with it, even if I was playing in a 300 capacity venue and there were 20 people. I thought I owed it to my diehard fans out there who were really excited for me to finally come. It ended up being one of the best tours ever – out of the blue, ticket sales picked up really quickly and the rooms were packed.’ I just felt this rush of happiness and was so glad I went ahead with the tour.

FIZZ is a band composed of other artists you’ve been friends with and admired for such a long time. What’s been your favourite collaboration so far?

I did a song with Cavetown, ‘Robbie’s Song’. In the gap between Woman On The Internet and ‘Kiss Ur Face Forever’, I did a couple of collabs. I hadn’t really done that before, being a guest on other people’s songs. I also did one with half-alive. Maybe I’m biassed because they were quite recent, but I love the trust someone gives you when they allow you to sing on their song. I know what it’s like to hand that off, to say, ‘you can have the second verse’. I think that’s amazing. Although they were both done remotely, hearing it come together at the end was really fun. It felt very precious to be given that privilege both times, but maybe the Cavetown one is my favourite.

It feels like FIZZ has been a long time in the making. Are you excited for the album and tour?

Absolutely. It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever been involved in. We’ve been doing our solo things for a really long time, feeling quite caged by it and we were writing songs together for fun. It almost feels like a joke that’s got out of hand. We were writing songs together long before we had a band name or any intention to release it. At the end of last year, we had a whole album worth of songs we’d recorded. I was like, ‘Guys, we have to release this, it can’t live on our computers together.’ The songs feel like bottled joy. It was a very pure intention and I’m loving sharing in all the highs and lows with friends, because I’ve never had that before.

What is in store for Orla Gartland over the next year?

Lots of FIZZ over the next couple of months. We’re releasing the album in September, then touring in September and October, maybe a bit more towards the end of the year. Then album two for me, I’m three quarters of the way to having it done. I’ve been chipping away at it in the background and working on it at different points all year and feeling really good. It’s missing maybe a song or two and nuts and bolts need tightening. As soon as FIZZ is over, I’m hoping to delve into that and return to the world I’ve built. I’ve loved doing FIZZ but I also care about my world and people and audience. I love them so much, I want to feed them with more music. 

FIZZ’s debut album The Secret to Life is out 15 September via Decca Records.

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Sam Smith posted a sentimental message to Instagram alongside a clip in which they were visibly overwhelmed with emotion onstage.

When they walked on in Montreal, Canada for a performance as part of their Gloria tour, Smith was met with roaring applause, leaving them in tears.

They have since opened up about the moment, addressing the fans in Montreal.

“When I was in my early teens, a DVD of Rihanna’s Girl Gone Bad tour came out and the show was a the Bell Centre. I watched it religiously,” they explained. “I was totally obsessed.”

“Deep down it was my life’s mission to get to that room and to sing on that stage. My first time doing a show on that stage was at 21 years old with the In the Lonely Hour tour and it was my favourite show of the entire tour. You’ve just done it again.”

They expressed immense gratitude for the fans’ energy at the show.

READ MORE: Jason Mraz opens up about accepting his queer identity: “I feel brand new”

“Last night made me feel a type of way I don’t think I’ve ever felt on stage. I’ve never felt so much love or heard an applause like that for myself ever. It makes every hard and challenging moment so worth it.

“The love for music and art in Montreal is astounding. I’m deeply deeply grateful to you all. You made that confused 14 year old queer kid watching @badgalriri from a TV in a tiny village in England’s dreams come true last night.”

 

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Fans, and other artists including Ryan Tedder and Lauren Jauregui, commented to show their support.

Despite cancelling some shows earlier this year due to a vocal injury, Sam is continuing their Gloria tour from now until November, performing at venues all over North America, Asia and Oceania.

The post Sam Smith reflects on journey from ‘confused queer kid’ to global superstar appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Influencer Wendy Guevara has made history as the first openly trans woman to win a Mexican reality TV series.

Wendy was a contestant on the inaugural season of La casa de los famosos México, the Mexican adaptation of Celebrity Big Brother.

With over 18.2 million votes, she was selected as the show’s winner on 13 August – beating out Peruvian TV star Nicola Porcella.

She shared a clip of the moment she won to her Instagram page.

Guevara skyrocketed to internet fame after a 2017 viral video, in which she is lost on a hill with her friend.

 

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The pair were labelled ‘Las Perdidas’, as fans were amused by their hilarious reaction to their dangerous situation.

She has amassed an enormous online following since, with over six million on Instagram.

READ MORE: Beyoncé declares “trans is beautiful” during New York concert

Fans expressed their support for Guevara on social media.

Tomás Mier, pop and Latin music writer for Rolling Stone, tweeted: “ALL of Mexico is celebrating. It’s as if el America won the championship up in here at El Ángel.”

“She is the soul, love, and heart of Mexico right now and I am so hopeful for the future,” another fan tweeted.

The post Wendy Guevara becomes first openly trans woman to win a Mexican reality TV show appeared first on GAY TIMES.

London-based anti-pop singer Baby Queen has announced her debut album and released an accompanying single, ‘All The Things’.

The new track is the third single from Quarter Life Crisis. The song is classic Baby Queen: pulsating synths, an infectious hook and lyrics that perfectly capture the all-consuming nature of romantic affection.

“‘All The Things’ draws inspiration from the relationship between two of the main characters in Heartstopper called Tao and Elle,” the 25-year old (real name Bella Lantham) explains.

“But it also encapsulates the emotions I was feeling very strongly at the time of writing it, so it’s a very personal song to me.

“It’s about being so enamoured with a person that the things that once brought you happiness don’t hit or affect you in quite the same way because all the things you used to want to do, you now want to do with that person by your side.”

The single also features on the soundtrack of Heartstopper season two.

READ MORE: Baby Queen: “I don’t want to be put in a f**king stupid little box”

Quarter Life Crisis features 12 songs, including the previously released ‘Dream Girl’ and ‘We Can Be Anything’.

‘All The Things’ will appear on the deluxe edition of the album.

“This album tells the story of my journey through my early 20s – leaving my childhood and my adolescence behind but never really losing my childlike wonder and never quite growing up,” Lantham said.

“The songs are all facets of what early adulthood has been like for me while discovering new parts of myself, my sexuality, my past and my place in this world.

“It has been lonely, chaotic, beautiful, devastating and inspiring and I think these songs reflect that, creating a space in which innocence and experience can live side by side as two conflicting entities.

Baby Queen concluded: “I really want this album to leave people feeling hopeful, because there is so much beauty to live through and look forward to and it truly is magical and extraordinary to be alive and to have the very short opportunity to experience every emotion imaginable.”

Alongside the album, Lantham announced a UK headline tour this autumn. The tour dates are available below.

31 October – Brighton – Concorde 2
1 November – Norwich – The Waterfront
3 November – Birmingham – O2 Academy2
4 November – Sheffield – Leadmill
5 November – Newcastle – Newcastle University
7 November – Glasgow – St Luke’s
9 November – Manchester – Academy2
10 November – Liverpool – O2 Academy2
11 November – Leeds – Leeds University Stylus
13 November – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
14 November – Bristol – Trinity Centre
15 November – London – O2 Forum Kentish Town

Quarter Life Crisis is out 6 October. Watch the official visualiser for ‘All The Things’ below.

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