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Ezra Michel: Trans Liberation Through Music

Ezra Michel: Trans Liberation Through Music

Exra Michel

In the words of Mark Twain, “Write what you know.” That is exactly what Los Angeles-based, multidisciplinary artist Ezra Michel does. 

Pulling inspiration from his experiences as a trans man, Michel is focused on creating content that explores gender, expression, and liberation. His goal is to highlight the nuances of existing within the realm of nonbinary transmasculinity, with a lighthearted and genuine approach. 

Earlier this summer, the queer singer released his latest single and video, “Girl Baby,” which tells the story of an AFAB child growing into their nonbinary identity and receiving support from their parents, who are played by trans superstars Gottmik and Laith Ashley. Michel says the song’s intention is to imagine a world where coming out as nonbinary or trans is not an Earth-shattering event or something to fear. The music video also marks the directorial debut of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Eight winner Bob the Drag Queen, who happens to be Michel’s partner. 

OFM had the opportunity to catch up with Michel and talk more about “Girl Baby,” his coming-out story, and music goals he would like to accomplish.

Can you begin by telling us more about your latest single, “Girl Baby,” and what inspired you to write it?
I actually wrote it a few years ago in my bedroom. I was going to bed, and then the phrase ‘girl baby’ suddenly popped in my head. You hear the phrase ‘baby girl’ a lot in reference to a newborn child or whatever, but I was just thinking about the phrase and was like, ‘Whoa, they thought I was a girl baby, and I wasn’t.’ For some reason, it just blew my mind. 

So, I leapt out of bed and wrote the song in like 15 minutes. I played it at shows as a folk song for a long time, but when I brought it to a producer, he produced a different song for me. He was like, ‘I feel like we can turn this into something else. Like, some sort of pop track.’ I said, ‘Sure.’ So, that is where it came from. 

How has the track and video been received by audiences?
So far, it has been amazing. We still do not have a lot of trans masculine representation in media. Compared to other folks and sectors of our community, trans masculine representation is still lacking a lot. Because of that, I think anytime that someone kind of breaks out and makes some art that is related to the trans masculine experience, it seems to be pretty well received because we are kind of craving it. 

Why do you think trans masculine representation is still lacking? Do you believe the music industry is afraid, or just unwilling?
I have not experienced that personally, but I am sure there is fear. For me, I am not really focused on the industry at large. I am more focused on my community and the music that I am creating as a way of healing. All my songs are kind of just journal entries that I ended up recording and putting out there. Maybe this is naïve of me, but I don’t think about the music industry as a big thing. I just think, if I make this art honestly and truthfully, be vulnerable and share my experience, what could go wrong?

The music video for “Girl Baby” features an all trans cast, which includes you, Gottmik, and Laith Ashley. What was it like working with them, and why did you choose these two to be involved?
My partner, Bob the Drag Queen, is the one who directed the video. When he brought the idea to me, he had this whole fantasy already played out in his mind of what it would look like, and I was just blown away. He was like, we have to get some parents. 

Gottmik had already been cast on Drag Race, and it was in the middle of the season, and I said it would be a trip if we got Gottmik to be the mom and Laith Ashely, who is a friend of mine, to be the dad. I always joke around with Laith, calling him my dad anyways [laughs]. Which is so silly because he is not that much older than me, but when I was a teenager, I really looked up to Laith. I always idolized him. I put him up on a huge pedestal when I was younger; then we became friends. So, I immediately thought of him, but it would be wild and amazing if we could get Gottmik.

This was also Bob’s directorial debut. How meaningful was it for you to share this experience with him?
It was really special. Bob has been so generous with sharing his platform and supporting me in whatever way he can with my music. We talked about it, and he was like, ‘I’m not doing this just because you’re my boyfriend. I actually like your music.’ Like, thank God! The great thing about Bob is that you can take everything he says at face value. He doesn’t mean anything by anything other than what you think it means. He is just so direct and honest, so I really trust that. He has never lied to me, not once, and that is pretty beautiful in almost two years of a relationship. So, working with him has been very dreamy, it has been a lot of fun to create together, and he is very supportive of uplifting the trans community in whatever way he can.

You two are also in a polyamorous relationship with Jacob Brits. How did you all meet?
I’m not dating Jacob. Bob is dating Jacob and dating me. So, we are not, like, a throuple, but we met because I posted a slutty video on Instagram of me jumping onto a couch in a jockstrap. He said, and I quote, ‘This is my new obsession.’ Then I said, you can have it. Then he invited me to his hotel room, and the rest is history. 

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?
Yes, which is so funny because I never ever thought I would pursue it as a career. I am a hairdresser by trade and a college dropout, and as far as art goes, I really did not have much of a goal for my life. Hairdressing is art, but it’s safe. 

Ever since I was a kid, I was always writing music. I was not classically trained in anything, but I would rewrite songs. I loved this band called Dream Street; it was Jesse McCartney’s first band, and I would listen to my favorite CD of theirs on my little portable CD player and rewrite the lyrics of each song in my own words. 

Can you talk more about your musical aesthetic?
I grew up really idolizing musicians who were not perfect. Those who didn’t fit the category or probably wouldn’t be featured on the top 40. I idolized people who would sing off key and put it in the song and put it in the final version. Be like, this is it. I came from a background of pour your fucking heart out, record it, and put it out into the world. I grew up playing farmer’s markets and busking on the street corners of Santa Barbara. Playing guitar in a circle with drums, that is kind of the vibe that I came from. 

That shaped me a lot. Now, I am entering into some sort of pop world, and I am, obviously, more produced than just a boy with a guitar, which is also definitely still my vibe. There is a part of me that always wanted to be kind of polished, but I was afraid or didn’t think I deserved to. I am really excited to be able to play more with that. 

What are some of the top messages you hope listeners take away from your music?
I am very specific with the way that I make music. I really try to share from my own experience. I don’t like to make general, sweeping statements about the trans community at large. I do write a lot of music about being trans, but I write about my own trans experience. If people can relate in any way, that’s beautiful, because I think connecting and relating to each other strengthens our community a lot. So, I hope that we gain strength from relating in any way. Also, I hope that by me being vulnerable and sharing that, it gives permission for others to also be vulnerable and open up about their experiences as well. 

What was it like for you growing up trans and coming out?
I had a really hard go of it. I am a drug addict in recovery, and I mostly just turned to numbing out and running away from everything for a while. Even though I did come out as a lesbian in high school, after that, I quickly turned to drinking and drugs. It was like, ‘Yeah, this is me,’ but when I got the reaction, then I was like, ‘Fuck, what have I done? I have to go hide now.’ [laughs] So, it took a while for me to find some confidence and really own it. 

I really went through it as a teenager, and I almost didn’t make it so many times. I almost didn’t graduate from high school. It was very tough, and I do attribute it to having known that there was something off and not being able to pinpoint it because there really wasn’t any language for it yet. When I did think that maybe I could find the language, I was not secure enough to own or claim it. I was in the dark, hiding, binding my chest at two in the morning, looking in the mirror, crying, and writing songs. That was the vibe I was going through. 

What are some future goals you would like to achieve with your music career?
In whatever capacity, I would like to be a household name. I would like that so much. I also want to make albums instead of just singles, and I think that is an achievable short-term goal. I have written over 70 songs. I have so much music that I am just sitting on that no one knows about! That is the result of a lot of ideas and really severe ADHD.  

Connect with Michel by following him on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Patreon.

Photos Courtesy of Ezra Michel

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