What inspired your album Velvet?
I wanted it to be a love letter to the music I heard growing up. My parents had an amazing vinyl collection and so there was a lot of music from the ’70s and the early ’80s. That was the music that made me want to be a musician.
How do you think music can be a force for social change?
People need to summon the pride that they have in themselves and in the groups that they identify with and to fight for their rights, to be heard and to be part of the equation. I have always represented the weird kid, the outcast, and I continue to do so.
How does fashion and style impact your work?
I want to have an element of fun and ridiculousness. Hopefully, wearing whatever I feel like inspires somebody else to do the same thing. My pet peeve is when people say, “That’s really cool, I could never pull it off.”
How has working with the band Queen impacted your solo work?
Since working with them, I’ve become a better musician. Singing Queens’ hits, it reminds you what it takes to make a song that won’t go out of style.
What do you think we need more right now in music?
People doing their own thing. I find it tiresome when everybody just copies the last hit. I’m inspired by artists that carve out their own path and follow their own sound.
