To present our first cut is Jussie Smollett whose portrayal of Jamal Lyons in Empire helped represent the often overlooked lived experiences of black gay men and whose recent hate-based attack shows how it is far too often queer people of color who both lead our community and sacrifice most for us. I know we're all here hoping for a speedy recovery and that the hateful perpetuators of the act are swiftly brought to justice.
I feel the weight of just telling the truth. There really is no weight to telling the truth. It's a little scary sometimes, but if you tell the truth, you don't have to be looking over your shoulder.
How bitter these words taste now....
Our actual Queer Hero is Camila Díaz Córdova, a transwoman who was denied asylum in the United States and later was murdered in El Salvador. She represents the overwhelming violence that transwomen of color face in their every day life and the staggering lack of support they receive.
87. "Diamond"
By Jake Zyrus
6.148
Highest Scores: 10 x 3 (@CorgiCorgiCorgi @Reboot @Music Is Life)
Lowest Scores: 2 x 1 (@soratami)
My Score: 6
For if there's no pressure
There'll be no diamonds
So y'all saw this coming from a mile away so I clearly need to work on my subtlety... But in my defense I think we knew this song wasn't long for this rate. While some were very much here for the uplift and spirit of Zyrus's first English-language release since coming out as trans, others couldn't get passed the cheese factor of it all. For me, a 6 felt like the right score for a song that was overall pleasant to listen and whose overall basicness was outshone by the story behind the song. While the same song released by Katy Perry or another more faceless pop star would feel vacuous and the metaphor tired and used, Zyrus has truly felt the pressure.
For those who don't know, Jake Zyrus was introduced to the world as Charice: a big voiced Filipino singer whose youtube covers earned him duets with pros like Celine Dion. However, as Zyrus's star power rose, his personal life and professional life in his home in the Philippines came crashing down. His estranged father was murdered and as he explored a more masculine appearance the media harangued him endlessly. This
in depth interview with Billboard covers more of this difficult time, but I'd like to spend more time with where Zyrus is now. He says of coming out as a trans man:
I wasn't scared at all. I knew that a lot of people would make fun of it, but I didn't care because in the back of my mind I was like, fuck it,” he says. “I'm so glad that [I experienced] all the struggles, the challenges, the pain that I felt. When I came out as a trans man, I was so proud. It was the opposite of everything that I felt before.
He's faced a huge amount of pressure and trauma, even attempting suicide "just because I wanted to be myself" which sadly can resonate with many of us. However, hopefully, his current life is also highly relatable. Learning to love yourself, be proud of yourself, after all the struggle of becoming yourself is the most rewarding experience possible.
Y'all were overall polite if a bit underwhelmed in your commentary minus a few stans and a hater:
untitled i see his music is still stuck in 2011. not that that's a bad thing
reboot I’m a sucker for this kind of song and video. It’s very boybandy.
Pop3Blow2 This is fine. Some decent lyrical ideas here. Does all sound a bit generic, though.
Yuuurei Such a great message, and the song is great!
The Hot Rock Nice vocals but production was a bit bland.
Kalonite Wow, that's a tired metaphor. Yikes.
Untouchable Ace I like the rhaspy quality to his voice
Music Is Life I love his voice and the production on this. The middle-8 is amazing.
Londonrain I used to stan his vocal ability pre-transition so I was a bit nervous about how he’d sound now. I needn’t have worried. This is kind of generic but I enjoy it anyway.
