Spotlight: Keiynan Lonsdale Reflects on Creative Inspirations Ahead of His Debut Live Performance at Los Globos
IN HIS LATEST ALBUM, Keiynan Lonsdale translates queer sexuality into fourteen tracks that feel liberated, meditative, and - if we are being honest - downright sexy. Released back in 2020, Rainbow Boy explores and celebrates his newfound sexuality in spite of the intersectional stereotyping that comes with being a young, black, queer male in the public eye. Even in his most powerfully defiant tracks, his lyrics are filled with celebration for who he is and how far he has come. With sounds that range from seductive and slow to fast-paced pop, every track feels like a love song to both himself and to those listening.
Growing up in Australia, Lonsdale remembers standing out from the crowd. At an age when it isn’t unusual for us to feel ostracized and insecure, he remembers having seemingly every reason to feel discouraged. “I was the only boy dancing at my school, I was the only black kid in a lot of places that I went...even within my own family I stood out”. Nonetheless, he recognized his potential to harness those differences and use them to draw people in. He watched Michael Jackson on the TV and became determined to perform for audiences of his own one day. “The kid I was,” he explained, “I was always happy to stay focused on what I wanted.” He started attending musical auditions and appearing on screen, but it wasn’t until after his debuts in major pictures like Love, Simon and Divergent that he decided to dive fully into a music career. He cites the support of his family as a major source for his confidence in taking on a new direction. “Growing up watching them live confidently in themselves, that showed me a way,” he recalled. So, he started releasing his own music, experimenting with his sound and being unafraid to dip into different genres, particularly R&B and pop.
At the same time he was discovering his sound, he was coming to terms with his queer identity as well. He recalled the fears he held when coming out to the public amidst his burgeoning career. The worry that the media would try to push him in a box threatened his development as a genuine artist. “Boxes are what they know how to sell,” he explained, “so it’s a bit of a mental game to stay strong and to not cave in. My mom told me that from the beginning.”
Through his successful release of Rainbow Boy and performance at Billboard’s Virtual Pride Event in 2020, it’s apparent he hasn’t lost the tenacity and original talent that he recognized in himself as a young boy. In his track “Ancient One,” he sings openly about how “the pressure of society ain’t light,” but he realized he needed to “blossom” and “share the love” through his music. When asked where he found the courage to own his identity - in both his music and his sex life - he traced it back again to family. “One of my sisters came out when she was 16 and I was 12,” he told me, “she was always a good example of someone that didn’t care what anyone thought.” Call it poetic justice, then, that his openness throughout the rest of the album has passed down his sister’s torch, helping thousands of his fans celebrate their sexuality too. Each song preaches for the listener to connect - to themselves, to one another and to what life has called them to do.
On November 16th, he will be performing his first live show at the Los Globos Theater in Los Angeles. It marks yet another exciting feat in his musical career, and he cannot wait to give fans the kind of performance they’ve missed since quarantine. “I am excited for them to see me in my element... this is what I wanted to do my whole life, so out of everything that people have supported me with, this is my ultimate expression,” Lonsdale said.
While there’s no doubt Lonsdale will bring the usual infectious energy and dance that he’s brought to past performances, he promised fans can expect to see new visuals that help tell the story of Rainbow Boy. Lonsdale says he cannot wait for fans to “watch [us] wear our hearts on our sleeve and really give everything we got,” so that he can finally perform his album and begin releasing new music again. “I am excited in the next few months to keep developing,” he said, “I am ready to adapt and keep cutting the diamond.” I told him that’s good to hear, because if there’s anything that can get us more ecstatic than his bound-to-be dazzling debut performance this Tuesday, it’s the knowledge that Keiynan Lonsdale is only getting started.
Connect with Keiynan Lonsdale
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