RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Rosé Releases “Santa Baby” Music Video
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Rosé has loved Christmas since 1997 when Santa gifted her with a Doom 64 game for her Nintendo. Early this month, she sang her appreciation to everyone’s favorite jolly elf with her own sweet rendition of the classic tune, “Santa Baby.” Now, Rosé is releasing a fun new music video to accompany the song.
In Rosé’s “Santa Baby” video, Santa is depicted as hurdling through the sky, high as a kite, on Christmas Eve. He flies over a snowy forest and pulls over to land for a break. There, he sees a quaint little rosy pink cottage and inside it, the silhouette of a beautiful woman playing music on a gramophone.
In a flash, we're inside the woman’s home, and lo and behold, it’s Rosé! She is the picture of irresistibility and with the help of four sexy men, Rosé launches into a full, bells on performance. She sings and dances, begging Santa to fulfill her Christmas wishes. Old Santa is losing his folly mind over the sexy temptress but at the end of the song, the mysterious cottage vanishes into thin air and, along with Santa, we realize it was all merely an extremely festive hallucination.
“I have always adored ‘Santa Baby’,” Rosé reflects of the classic song. “I love its naughty, sexy mood, and its femininity. My version pays homage to Eartha Kitt’s, Madonna’s, and Gwen Stefani’s but I make the song my own by peppering in some light percussion and a few string moments. Also, my ‘Santa Baby’ is almost 100% vocal, and the voice is of a cis man.”
The animation in Rosé’s “Santa Baby” was created by Joe Sulsenti of Nickelodeon, and Miles Schlenker of Disney. The featured dancers are Ryan John, Danny Lopez, Karaj Pettis, and Casey Sheehan.
Miguel Zarate choreographed the video. Make-up and costuming is by Rosé.
“The original dress I had planned to wear got lost in the mail,” Rosé explains. “And the day of the shoot, my hair was not giving.” Rosé ended up using alternative choices, but all worked out in the end. “I'm so glad the Universe pointed me in a new direction because I love the green and ice blonde moment.”
Rosé is looking forward to the holiday season. She will spend it with her nieces and nephews in Houston, Texas. She is also excited about the new year and plans to make a lot more music.
Rosé’s “Santa Baby” is available now on iTunes, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its video is on Youtube.
Tom Goss Rings in the Holidays with New EP “Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas”
A Rollicking Collection of Original Songs that Celebrate
Living Joyfully, Exuberantly, and Authentically Queer
Tom Goss isn’t a fan of Christmas music, but that isn’t stopping him from recording his first holiday album! His new EP, Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas, is Christmas-themed, but with songs like “Santa Slay,” “Put that Ass in Christmass,” “Sassy Santa,” and “Ho Ho Homo,” it’s not a traditional holiday album. “I want people to laugh and smile, then strip down to their undies and dance,” he says. “That’s the Christmas I’m most looking forward to this year!”
Joining Tom on the EP are some of the biggest names in gay hip hop, rock-and-roll and country music: Benjamin Koll, Big Daddy Karsten, Keith Lawrence, de ROCHE and more. “They are all a part of my queer family,” Tom explains. “We may sing in different music genres but we are the same in that we live our lives joyfully, exuberantly, and as authentically as possible!” Tom Goss’s Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas will be available on Apple Music, Spotify and all major digital platforms on November 18.
At first glance, the songs on Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas appear tongue-in-cheek, but those who look deeper will recognize a serious side to the record. “I have spent a lot of my life censoring myself,” Tom laments. “Censoring what I say, what I write, how I dress, what my music sounds like, and so much more. It’s been a constant state of second-guessing, carefully carving out a life that is unoffensive, in hopes that everyone will love me. But that’s not real. With my first holiday EP, I wanted to make something that was big, fun, unapologetic, body positive, and queer as f**k.”
Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas begins with “Santa Slay,” a dance/ballroom track that Tom wrote with Jaake Castro about a Santa who is big, confident, queer and in touch with his feminine side. “This Santa is not only delivering toys, he is throwing it down in bed,” Tom explains. Ned Douglas mixed and mastered the record. Drag queen Roxy Wood is the lead vocalist, Tom sings the chorus, Ryan Satyr provides background vocals and Drake Jensen serves the sexy deep-voiced Santa.
The second track on the EP is “Put that Ass in Christmass,” a song about celebrating Christmas with a booty shake. Big Daddy Karsten raps the first verse and Keith Lawrence raps on verse two. “I’ve been a fan of both guys for years,” Tom reflects. “I just love how aggressively big and queer Karsten is. As soon as I wrote the song, I knew I wanted him on it. As for Keith, we were casually texting and I asked “hey, do you rap?” I sent him the track and he immediately called me, excited. Like me, Keith loves a big boy, so it was wonderful to get giddy about ways we could paint men of size in a positive light.”
Tom Goss wrote “Sassy Santa,” the third track on Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas, with hopes of getting Benjamin Koll on the EP. “I have a huge crush on Benjamin,” Tom confesses. “I love the joy and positivity he brings to the bear community.”
Knowing Benjamin’s affinity for funk and dance runs, Tom worked both sounds into the song’s rough mix that he sent to Benjamin with fingers crossed. To his delight, Benjamin agreed to perform on the record! He added instrumentation, vocals, mixing, and mastering, turning “Sassy Santa” into a slamming retro dance/funk track that Tom loves.
Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas concludes with “Ho Ho Homo,” a beautiful track Tom recorded with his frequent collaborator, de ROCHE. He credits de ROCHE with bringing the song to life with vocals that sound like a group of carolers on the doorstep. “De ROCHE and I have been making music together for over a decade. I want her to be a part of everything I do until the end of time.”
The album’s cover art is by Joseph Fortuno. “Joseph created something so much edgier, cuter, gayer, and more visually stunning than I ever could have imagined,” Tom raves. “It’s the perfect wrapping for this big, fat, gay ass gift of an EP.”
Tom Goss was raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a small city on Lake Michigan, between Chicago and Milwaukee. Much of his youth was spent focused on his studies and on wrestling. He didn’t feel much in the way of sexual and emotional desires growing up. In fact, he didn’t go on his first date until he was 22, while in seminary, training to be a Catholic priest.
That was when Tom realized he did have an appetite for sex, only it wasn’t towards women or even the men that society deemed as handsome. His attraction was toward plus-sized men, known as "bears" in the gay community. Many of his biggest pop hits today are odes to the large, furry men he loves.
Visit http://tomgossmusic.com