We love hearing some new tunes from great new artists and it is our goal to share these with you weekly in our Friday Five to Follow. Each week we’ll share five songs/artists that may be a new artist, a new release, or an older tune/artist we want to say hey, don’t forget about this one! We will always be heavy handed on LGBTQ+ artists, but on occasion, there will be some great allies included, too.
This week we got some great pieces to give an ear to.
1 – Rufus Wainwright – @rufuswainwright – “You Ain’t Big”
The Canadian of Canadians, Rufus Wainwright gives a “Vaudevillian” stroll through Americana history, the nice “Leave It To Beaver” imagery clashed with the various social change moments in history. Seems very fitting for this time we are sitting in right now.
2 – Billy Porter – @theebillyporter – “For What It’s Worth”
The Kinky Boots star and do we say cultural icon gives us a powerful take on the classic protest song by Buffalo Springfield from the ’60s. “For What It’s Worth” is no more relevant today than it has ever been, classics stand the test of time, and the voice on this performance is pretty moving.
3 – PRIMME – @primmemusic – “Boys”
PRIMME (Dude has some seriously PERFECT HAIR ) is a New York City-based pop recording artist, producer, and performer. Growing up in the ’90s, PRIMME has been inspired by a narrative songwriting style that he infuses with elements of EDM and R&B as he creates his own flavor of dancefloor-thumping pop. What makes any PRIMME song a signature is the shimmer on the surface with the production and the bubbling ethos underneath it because of the autobiographical songwriting. And it is a pretty fun video.
4 – Micki Maverick – @micki_maverick – “Mojave”
I covered Micki Maverick last summer and I just find her adorable in every sense of the word (With ‘Demons4Friends’ & ‘Fine’, Micki Maverick Puts It All Out There. Role Model Material? Let’s See). Talking about her love of life, her willingness to discuss her mental health, and aspirations to help young gay kids to connect and accept themselves. For all of that, and this is just a great song Mojave.
5 – Dead Or Alive – @DeadOrAlive – “Lover Come Back To Me”
The Throwback – The song that cemented the late flamboyant Pete Burns into an era and the decade of the ’90s. Dead Or Alive had no limits in anything they did, with titles like “Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know” for an album title, or “Nude” with Burns standing in a G-string on the cover, this song has been remixed more times than he went to the plastic surgeon. Like the hits album “Rip It Up” this remix certainly does just that. I was walking around Paris on my birthday in 2016, receiving a text that Pete had passed from a heart attack. Rest in Peace Pete (August 5,1959 – October 23, 2016).
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLutDFzB3y3NTE07drsq9uH07w2fUiwjEa