Gender-Bending Queer Artist ALONE Releases “Everything”, An Ode to His Trans Siblings
Debut Single Declares “Opulence is a State of Mind”
“Everything”, the debut single from the gender-bending Queer artist ALONE, pays homage to the shiny, brassy days of Motown while also serving as an affirming ode to the Transgender Community who continue to enrich our world while battling tremendous negativity. “I want my siblings to know that they are blessed, loved and perfect just the way they are,” says ALONE, who’s own lewk blends disco-rock camp fierceness with svelte Hollywood glamour silhouettes. He wrote, composed, and arranged the soulful RnB Pop track, and topped it off with soaring falsetto vocals brimming with joy fitting for a true anthem. The song was recorded in New York City with a full live band on all-analog equipment. “It is meant to be a bright and feel-good reminder that you already have everything you need to be happy and thrive,” he explains. ALONE’s “Everything” is available now on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its music video is available on YouTube.
“Everything” started as a love song to a guy I was dating who had a fabulous life but couldn't stop complaining about everything,” ALONE recalls from his NYC home. “I wrote the song to try to convince him to see how good he had it and help him cultivate a spirit of gratitude.”
During the production of the song, the message grew larger than a simple love song. It became a proclamation for all to appreciate life regardless of unfavorable circumstances. "Your joy is not dependent on external factors," ALONE urges. "Right now, just as you are, you are already as good, as well and as complete as anyone can ever hope to be — and therefore you are already, in fact, everything."
“I wrote the lyric, ‘Opulence is a state of mind,’ while sunbathing on the crumbling roof of an old house I was living in,” he continues. “At the time, I was barely making rent and struggling to find work and ways to bring my music to life. I laid down a patch of Astro turf on that hot tar, covered it with a piece of leopard fabric, treated myself to a box of strawberries and felt like royalty.”
In the song’s music video, ALONE spotlights an all Trans and Gender Non-Conforming cast. “I wanted to assure the Trans and Queer youth out there that there is a family here for them and that they are beautiful, powerful and worthy,” he says. He enlisted some of the leading activists in the Black Trans Lives Matter Movement including Tahtianna Fermin, founder of Bridges 4 Life, an organization that serves Trans youth in the foster care system; Danni Gucci, founder of the #Wontberased campaign for Trans visibility; and Suburbia, a drag queen who has been featured on HBO Max’s And Just Like That, and is the founder of the POC Collective.
ALONE was born Alon and raised in Israel, in a small coastal town called Herzliya. His father died in military action when he was three and a half years old. He grew up in a household of women, with only his mom and sister. His musical influences were Prince, Grace Jones, George Michael and Sylvester. “Growing up as a Queer kid who never fully fit in anywhere, seeing a Queer artist like Sylvester was a beacon of hope,” ALONE reflects. “It made me feel like I wasn't alone, like there was a future for me and that there were others out there like me.”
Upon moving to New York City, Alon changed his name to ALONE to reclaim the word; empowering its meaning from something sad and scary to independent and in control. “Being alone is one thing everyone experiences from time to time. There is beauty and strength-building in it. The binary concept that being alone is bad and being together is good is false. Both are equally important to our growth and well-being.”
ALONE’s next single, "Fine", is currently in production and scheduled to be released on April 8th with an accompanying music video. A sultry tribute to homo- and pansexual attraction, it pays homage to 80s rock strip songs while challenging the prevalent notions of sexuality and gender.
ALONE’s “Everything” is available now on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its music video is available on YouTube. Visit his website and follow ALONE on Instagram @ TogethALONE.
John Duff Releases “I Hate L.A.” Single and Music Video
Singer Rebrands ‘City of Dreams’ as ‘City of Living Beyond Your Means’
John Duff’s sings about his disdain for consumer culture in “I Hate L.A.,” his new mid-tempo pop anthem. “L.A. is a city that profits off of people not feeling good about themselves,” he laments. “It isn’t about Los Angeles, though - it’s about what Los Angeles represents ideologically. It’s about the product being sold - all in all, it’s about lack mentality.” He says it’s easy to feel less than when comparing yourself to others; and not just for regular people like him. When he looks up into the hills and sees the thirty-million-dollar mansions, he knows that the people living there aren’t content either. “They want to be Oprah!” Co-written with Aaron Pfeifer and produced by Koil PreAmple and Daniel Schaub, John Duff’s “I Hate L.A.” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video is available on iTunes, Vimeo and on YouTube.
“I wanted to create something out of my negativity that sounded anthemic and proud,” John Duff continues about “I Hate L.A.”. “We all have negative thoughts; that isn’t unhealthy or unusual. So long as you don’t judge yourself for your feelings, there’s no inherent problem.”
Duff directed the “I Hate L.A.” music video with Brad Hammer, who has a far less hatred of the city than Duff. It was important to John that the video depict the city as he sees it. “I didn’t want the video to be about people doing coke, or the Kardashian’s; we’ve seen that, and it’s tired. I wanted the video to catch the reflection of the glaring hypocrisy. L.A. is a paradox. It’s this liberal paradise with the grossest wealth inequality. It’s morally corrupt.”
Duff set out to glamorize his perceived ugliness of Los Angeles. Every image in the video is layered with symbolism; such as when John is laying on Astroturf, dressed as a rhinestone cowboy, puffing on cigarettes while surrounded by healing crystals. In another scene, he is sticking out of a $130,000 G-wagon filled to the gills with plastic bottles from fancy juice places, wearing an “I Voted” sticker.
The painted face scene is a nod to the city’s beauty influencers, an industry that ranks low in Duff’s estimation. “I think marketing ‘facial improvement’ to children is kind of gross. To each their own, I’m sure people disagree with me. They should make their own music video about that.”
John Duff grew up in a suburb outside of Baltimore, Maryland. He studied musical theater at Syracuse University and after graduating college, he made his way to the bright lights of New York City. After six years in the Big Apple, he moved west to Hollywood to pursue his artistic dreams. He has been in Los Angeles for four years and has released several outrageously gay smash singles including “Hokie Pokie” and “Girly.”
“I encourage listeners to extract from “I Hate L.A.” what they want. If they simply want to hear it as a fun pop song with a colorful video, great. If they want to listen to the lyrics and read into the symbolism in the video, that’s cool, too. Either way, my job is done, so take whatever you want; just remember to tag me!”
John Duff’s “I Hate L.A.” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its video is available on YouTube.
Follow John Duff on Facebook and Instagram @ iamjohnduff