Tag Archives: Music Diva

Rihanna Speaks Out Against Indiana’s Controversial ‘Religious Freedom’ Law

Rihanna joined has a number of other celebrities to slam Indiana’s controversial ‘religious freedom’ law that enables businesses to refuse to serve gay people.

While onstage at NCAA March Madness Music Fest in Indianapolis over the weekend, the singer – in addition to debuting a brand new song American Oxygen – she expressed her political opposition to the law.

Referring to the state’s new RFRA in-between songs, Rihanna said:

“Who’s feeling these new bulls**t laws that they’re trying to pass over here? I say f**k that s**t… we’re just living our motherf***ing lives, Indiana!”

The singer also got the crowd to chant: “f**k that s**t”.

The Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence recently signed into law the controversial ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act’, which gives people the right to discriminate against gay people on the grounds of religion.

Rihanna has often shown her supporter of gay rights. Last year, the singer shared a photo of herself on social media rocking a hat emblazoned with the logo “P6,” short for Principle 6 — a campaign opposed to Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law.

Rihanna was also one of many stars who opposed to Prop 8, a ballot proposition that was eventually passed in California banning same-sex marriage in the state.

Rihanna’s vocal opposition to Indiana’s RFRA comes on the heels of Miley Cyrus telling Time magazine that supporters of Indiana’s anti-gay bill are “dinosaurs, and they are dying off,” before throwing her social media weight behind the gay community by tweeting the following:

Iggy Azalea Calls Out ‘Fake Bisexuals’ in New Interview

The topic of celebrity sexuality has been a long debated one. Most of the time the conversation is dominated with the question ‘do celebrities have a right to privacy when it comes to their sexuality and do they have a right to be outed?’

However, with recent statements from formerly bisexual celebs who say that they are now straight (such as Lady Gaga and Jessie J who both came out as straight earlier this year) many are contemplating the topic of ‘fake bisexuals’. The fake bisexual is apparently a straight person who masquerades as queer for the sake of attention or to pander to a queer audience.

Now we don’t dispute that some people may just have a change of heart or sexuality (as one is wont to do) but faking it for personal gain seems a little iffy. One person who agrees with the idea that fake bisexuals are wrong is rapper Iggy Azalea and in a recent interview she has called them out.

Speaking to Pride Source on her new album, Iggy explained that:

“There was such a big trend of people being fake bisexuals. I don’t know what that was about. Like, “I’m such a bisexual woman,” and I’d be like, “But you had boyfriends your whole life; you’re not gay. Why are you pretending to be? What’s with that?”

While she is right that fake bisexuals suck, it’s uncomfortable rapper equates being bisexual to ‘pretending’ to be gay and she also invalidates bisexuality by suggesting that only having dated one gender means you aren’t attracted to another. However, given Iggy’s homophobic (and racist) outbursts in the past, it’s of little surprise.

Other choice (and rather offensive) quotes include Iggy saying that she’s the ‘mother hen’ of gay people, stating that she “always [calls herself] a drag queen” and explaining that her and gay people “have being ostracized in common” clearly failing to realise that she’s a privileged white woman making a dime off of the back of black culture. That’s certainly not my definition of being ‘ostracized’ anyway.

And furthermore, if there are still people out there looking to claim her as a member of the LGBT community due to comments she’s made in the past about how attractive women are, the rapper clarifies that she’s straight. Four times.

“I’m not gay. I love gay people, but I’m straight. I don’t wanna kiss girls. I’m not into girls. I appreciate women, and I like rapping about them, but in case you thought I was a lame person pretending to be gay, um, I’m not.”

The rest of this interview is at the source link below.

Source: Pride Source

Lady Gaga Discusses Her ‘Gay Beginnings’ LGBT Activism in New Interview

A good many people around the world know of the name ‘Lady Gaga’. Tipped as the equally as blonde, equally as Italian and equally as talented version of Madonna, the singer has made her name with both her outlandish fashion choices and her incredibly catchy, chart topping hits.

But in the LGBT community she is also known for her activism. Once coming out as bisexual (before scuttling back into the closet, announcing during Atlanta Pride that she is ‘straight’), she set up the LGBT friendly ‘Born This Way Foundation’ charity and it’s for these reasons that Lady Gaga has long been regarded as an LGBT ally.

It makes sense then that she’s continuously asked about her impact on the LGBT community, but even before she became vocal about LGBT rights her music label reportedly thought that she was ‘too gay’.

Speaking on French TV show “C à Vous”, the singer explained that

“I was told you’re too gay, you dance too gay, your clothes are too gay, everything is too gay and I told them, well there are homosexuals in the world and you know my intentions with my music is not to make money or be famous.”

Lady Gaga

While it’s unclear what her label meant exactly by ‘too gay’ (surely good pop music and sequinned leotards are universal?) but it is very apparent that Lady Gaga isn’t interested in how mainstream music perceives her.

And, on the topic of her music, she also added that

“My intention is to spread love. My whole intention… in every song, in every concert I talk about it, you know. It is beautiful, these images, these two boys who express their love for each other and are equal but if you think about the gay community of the older generation who did not grow up like that, who suffered, some has no money, some did not work, they didn’t have the same opportunities in the 50’s, 70’s than now.”

Lady Gaga

Spreading love is wonderful, we can’t argue with that, but arguably there are allies a little bit better than Lady Gaga. She has come under fire for racism regarding some of her songs and fashion choices (her song ‘Burqa’ and her use of blackface are just two examples), her use of trans slurs are less than admirable and she also refers to gay people as “the gays” which understandably doesn’t sit right with lots of people.

Nonetheless, I can’t really argue with that quote about spreading love so let’s hope she decides to do that albeit in a less offensive way in the future.

Tori Amos Makes a Stand in Moscow Gig by Performing Lesbian Anthem

Tori Amos performed a lesbian anthem in a Moscow concert as part of her recent world tour. The singer told News.com.au she was intentionally making a point by performing ‘Not Gonna Get Us’ by t.A.T.u, who are famous for their lesbian image.

“The Russian audiences suggested it and I thought OK, that’s a really good idea. Little did I know, Putin was the next person to take that stage. He was going to be giving a speech there the next morning. His security showed up at the end of my show to start scoping the place, not knowing I’d just sung a lesbian anthem on stage…

You can’t not do those songs without knowing what it can mean… I mean I’m 50, I’m not completely naive! You can’t be coy about it. To play a t.A.T.u. song, a lesbian anthem, in Moscow — you’ve gotta grab it with both hands, because if you don’t, it’s not going to work. [In Russia] you’re kind of safe, but even then you have intimidating security everywhere.

My tour manager, who’s a lesbian, made them stand down because they were very threatening. But the Moscow show was great; we had people from Russia there, and people from Kiev, and to see them joined in unity, above and beyond government, was inspiring to see. I don’t sing for government, I sing for the people.”

Tori Amos

Kate Bush, Musical Genius

Kate Bush had the privilege of growing up in a musical family. She mastered her instrumental skills early, and had all the support she needed from her family to begin a musical career. When Bush did sign on with a record company, she would prove to be far more than a talented, skilled and passionate new voice. Her erudition and creativity met in haunting, well-crafted songs reflective of the expansive soul behind them. Her debut album contained songs that she had composed in her early teens. Bush took inspiration from literary classics and contemporary politics, declining to write and sing too much about her own life or her own personal feelings.

One song in her debut album, “Kashka from Baghdad”, was a slice-of-life portrayal of a relationship between homosexual men…

“At night, they’re seen… laughing, loving… They know the way… to be happy”.

She incorporated visual concepts and interpretive dance in her videos. She would be outspoken, and incisively insightful, about the industry she worked in: decrying sexist marketing policies, as well as the way her record label forced her to rush her second album.

Bush had fought for her first song release to be “Wuthering Heights” instead of “James and the Cold Gun”, showing initiative and commitment to a clear vision early on in her career. When her own record label demanded that she produce an album within a time limit that left her dissatisfied with the product, she founded her own label with her family as members of the company.

Having established absolute creative control, Bush was then free to grant the world some truly enthralling and profoundly beautiful songs that she composed, performed, and even produced by herself. The instrumentation gradually became more exotic and adventurous, and the subjects and themes remained profound. Once so prolific that she had composed over forty songs before the age of twelve, her album releases became fewer and further between. Never has she lost her instinct for innovation, her musical genius becoming a national treasure.

Diva | Barbados-Beauty, Rihanna

This Barbados-born beauty began her musical career at only fifteen years of age. She jumped right into professional recording without almost no training or music theory background. It is certainly admirable that, since then, she has risen to the challenge of proving one of the most versatile and prolific talents in the pop music industry today.

This talented singer’s personal life has been mired in controversy. In February of 2009, her boyfriend Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna over the latter’s allegations of romantic text messages that Brown had sent somebody else. Photographic evidence of Rihanna’s injuries as well as her identity had been made public, which was neither usual nor recommended in media reports of domestic violence.

Rihanna’s subsequent professional collaborations with her ex-boyfriend and ex-abuser over the past few years have sparked heated debates and discussions about the dynamics of abusive relationships. While criticized for prioritizing her personal life over becoming a role model for her fans, especially encouraging young girl to leave abusive relationships with her example, Rihanna might also serve as a reminder that real human beings, even those who are pop stars, aren’t ideas. Her weaknesses or failings in continuing to work with her abuser could be seen as reminders that human relationships are complex, especially when it comes to the nature of forgiveness or enabling harmful behavior.

Through the problematic aspects that Rihanna shows of her relationships under public scrutiny, it becomes more difficult to deny that there is more than one way for a woman to be empowered and make her own decisions. While examination of such personal details might be a controversy in and of itself, the discussions surrounding these actions have sometimes brought to light an additional layer to this controversial issue. That is: the morality of entertainment media that can reward an unrepentant abuser of women.

Recently, Rihanna has featured in Shakira’s new single, “Can’t Remember To Forget You”, the video of which is quite suggestive of lesbianism between the featured stars. Opinions about whether this is a boon or a bane to LGBT representation remain mixed.

Lesbian Icon: Don’t Miss Out on Missy Elliott

“I gotta feel like what I’m giving the fans is one hundred percent and that it’s game-changing. I don’t just throw out microwave records,”

said Missy Elliott to Nicole James from Fuse TV, explaining Elliott’s hiatus this year.

That might be the best description of the depth and creative integrity of this rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. She has won multiple Grammy awards for her work, and has collaborated with such superstars as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and producer Timbaland (who is also a childhood friend of hers.)

Missy Elliott 02Elliott has been open about her troubled beginnings. She had realized from an early age that she wanted to work in the music industry—and also knew that this was not a career path that she could pursue and be taken seriously or supported. Speaking of serious matters, she was also balancing a troubled home life. Her father abused her mother to the extent that the young Missy Elliott would refuse to attend slumber parties at her friends’ houses in case she returned home to find her mother dead. One day, her mother took initiative and moved out. Elliott says that it was leaving such a grave situation of domestic violence that allowed her mother to accept her own strength and independence, and this change influenced Missy Elliott more positively as she was growing up.

While Elliott herself was voiced pessimism about the representation of gay talents in rap music, she is living evidence of the ability to overcome personal adversity as well as that of society. She had also undergone treatments for an autoimmune disorder known as Graves’ disease.

While lesbian rapper Syd the Kid speculated on Missy Elliott’s orientation in an interview with IKONS, Missy Elliott herself remains private on both her own orientation and her stance on identity politics. Fans await Elliott’s new album with baited breath.

image source – atlanticrecords.com