Showing posts with label Our Lady J. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our Lady J. Show all posts

8/1/12

Our Lady J Music Video "We Stand"



Huffpost interviews Lady J:

(HP)Where did "We Stand" come from?

"We Stand" is about the power of two, how 1 + 1 = 3. I wrote it while riding a bus down Hollywood Boulevard! [Laughs] I hadn't gotten my driver's license yet, and it was too late at night to be riding my bike. (I now have my license, like a proper California girl.)

(HP)Many gay and/or trans artists say that their sexual or gender identities have little to do with their art, but in your case, trans themes seem to be prevalent. Do you think this is a fair reading, and if so, why do you include these themes?

When artists say that identity politics have "little to do with our art," it's really just a nice way of saying "let's not scare away the mortals" -- a valid point when an artist's survival could be threatened by the majority's limited exposure to the minority. The reality is that our sexual and gender identities do influence what we create, because everything in our lives influences our artistic output (unless we're completely splintered sociopaths). I publicly admit that my experience as a transgender person influences my music, purely for the fact that there are so few trans role models out there for the younger generation. I was starving for these role models when I was a kid, and the lack of positive media exposure for the queer community nearly prevented me from getting to where I am today. But to say that my music is only trans themed isn't accurate. Everyone can relate to the search for our true identities, which is what I'm really singing about.

Read the rest of the article on Huffington Post