Artist of the Month: MR. HE
Genre: Queer Cult Horror Bio: MR. HE is blue over you and searching for closure. The drag queen ghost under Parker Allen Stanley’s bedsheets. A multidisciplinary performance artist from Orange County, California. Currently living dead in Brooklyn, New York. As a singer/songwriter, actor, and producer, she focuses on creating art that inspires audiences to sneak out of their houses late at night with some lipstick on. A manifested apparition of the avant-garde nightlife scene in NYC, she’s a specter who’s even been seen internationally, performing both as a solo act and alongside her drag family the Haus Of FemAnon. Her debut single ZOMBIE BOY and follow up THE BRIDE OF can be found on all streaming services. Small review of your year this year: Hmmmm let’s see… 2021 has been wild. January was rough. Unfortunately, my grandfather gave up the ghost at the beginning of the year. COVID-19 related issues. Decided it was best to focus on family and push back the release my second song BLUE NEW YEAR until December 2021. February is when the mysteries began. I announced 'MR. HE LOVES ME, MR. HE LOVES ME NOT.’ the first of my Mystery Mixtapes. This mail order valentine, now infamous for its hidden TRACK 11, unknowingly revealed my newest song THE BRIDE OF to those who participated. In March, I officially announced my follow up single THE BRIDE OF to the public. But to hear the song before it hit streaming services, listeners were encourage to participate in a Mystery Box This mysterious package sent mail would create an intimate experience between listener & artist. A 4 part series: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, & Something Blue From private performance footage, single artwork reveal, handmade chocolate, and all of it building up to THE MR (HE.) & MRS. Mystery Mixtape, a podcast experience featuring interviews with new brides & brides to be. THE BRIDE OF was released to the public on March 30th. April went from crawling out of crashed cars to being back in the recording studio all in the same day. I literally released THE BRIDE OF Visualizer as I was in Los Angeles, sitting in this little booth doing the vocals for 2 more songs. The hustle is life lol But with the hustle comes the rewards: I was able to see the world premiere of ’Synonymous With’ at the Kansas City FilmFest International, a horror short film I helped co-produce. Even did my first podcast interview with The Bewitching Hour (PART 1 & PART 2).
For me, it’s all about story. Who’s telling the story? Who am I telling the story to? I truly try to make each song feel like it’s being sung to a very certain someone, whoever the audience may think that is. Once I have the viewpoint on lock, the lyrics sorta just flow outta me. Everything I do is autobiographical, a therapeutic release, as I try to find closure with the situation I’ve brought before myself. I get the bulk of my inspiration from the monstrous narratives in horror, then I try to disguise the references with a catchy pop melody, and final step is the music production. How can I build the world? Drag is a very visual art. How do you transfer that visual to an audio soundscape. Do I need to add the sound of heels on a cold floor? Do I need horses in the background? I want every song to sound like it’s coming from its own world. As if the listener being thrown into a completely different universe right at the climax. Artists You are inspired by? Who would be the dream to work with?
Currently, I’m very inspired by Orville Peck I would kill to have him do a feature on SIX FEET DEEP. Those close to me, know that the Chromatica Oreo Queen, Ms. Lady Gaga is my #1 inspo. I dream of the day we’re able to work together. Idk if I’m suppose to say this… but *oops* I was able to get her personal saxophone player for my October release. Crazy to think about how many times I’ve seen him preform during her jazz shows and now he’s working with me. These degree of separation games are getting wild!! Haha Anyway.. I guess since we’re giving away all our secrets, I might as well mention that BLUE NEW YEAR is a duet and does have a feature on it. I can’t reveal who BUT I can say that she’s one of my biggest inspirations. When I was making ZOMBIE BOY, I literally showed my producer one of her songs and said “Like this!” Fast forward a few months later and now she’s on one of my songs!! I cried. Y’all are gonna die. Life is crazy. *no, it's not gaga lol*
What do you want listeners to take away from your music?
The ability to spread the gay agenda. All you gotta do is sit in a car with your parents, grab the aux chord as your mother preaches about the new air fryer recipes she’s seen on Facebook, and watch their reaction as one of my stories unfolds. I’ve truly been shocked by the number of parental figures who seem to enjoy my music haha and let me tell you... nothing is funnier than your father's face after he says “I like this. Who is this?” and you respond with “our local drag queen.” But in all seriousness... I hope it gives anyone a moment of escape, an opportunity to teach empathy, and a story you can feel in your bones. What is your favorite release of the year so far?
THE BRIDE OF Visualizer. A single shot video of a car I managed to flip with the help of my father and favorite photographer. Waking up at 4:30am to get in drag, so we could beat the crowds and film with no one around to bother us on a desert road. The video was stun. The photoshoot was even better. I just can’t believe that we, a team of three, managed to pull off that stunt. YES! It was a real car lol literally had to tie it to my car and drive forward just to flip it back over. Chaos. But worth it. Thankfully, we managed to do it all in about an hour, which worked out because a ranger pulled up as we were driving away! Nothing to see here!!
What's coming out next?
The next installment is a track called ‘6 FEET DEEP.’ A stormy country arena rock song meant to create a thunderstorm of feet stomps, yee-haws, and the occasional off beat clap. The song will hit streaming services June 2021 because I don't know what says “Happy Pride!” more than the off-off-off-off broadway ballad of an angry cowboy scream crying in the rain.
What are the challenges you face in the creative process?
MONEY. Oh my god. I can not begin to explain how expensive making music is. like wtf. I truly don't understand how people do it. I’m just scratching the service, doing this completely independent, working with friends, and a producer in LA who truly manages to deal with my chaotic energy when I say stuff like “I feel like we should add human screams in the background.” Plus in the world of drag, you need new wigs, nails, heels, and looks for every single project because heaven forbid you wear the same outfit twice lol Support your local drag queens! We need it haha Other than that, the creative process should be a bit challenging! That’s the fun part! Where you get the good stuff! I wanna know you, as an artist, worked hard on the art. Don’t waste my time with content you don’t care about. What is something unexpected that you learned during these projects?
Work Ethic. If you thought the world was going to end, that live theatre may cease to exist, that the only way to create art would be to reimagine everything you’ve been training for years to do and literally start from scratch… could you? ZOMBIE BOY was the product of that.