Pride Month

June marks a busy time of year; it is Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month. We wouldn’t be FACTOR if we didn’t believe music unites us, offering strength in times of challenge and amplifying times of joy.

We have issued a #FACTORfunded Indigenous History Month playlist and are spotlighting notable Indigenous artists, industry figures, and associations with profile interviews.

FACTOR too joins in Pride Month festivities with a celebratory playlist and a series of profiles of remarkable artists and industry builders.

Featured Story:

Club Quarantine

I’m Brad Allen, I’m a co-founder of Club Q, as well as the social media editor and head of creative, which means I’m usually the one that comes up with the wacky gay themes that haunt this space.

Before CQ I produced a first of its kind, variety show trilogy called ‘Fruitcake’ in Toronto, which was the origin of a lot of what you see at Club Q. I also spent most of my days creating digital content online and performed at many dive bars getting paid in drink tickets and “exposure”…living the dream. I thrive to create queer spaces in the most random places while pushing Queer content past its current boundaries.

As you make plans in 2021 and relate it to when you began… What has changed most in how you approach your next project or business strategy? This might be pandemic-related but, if so, what about pandemic is a challenge or opportunity?

Obviously, the importance and weight of virtual shows have grown, so that most definitely changed how you got about things. but we knew this was gonna happen it just got fast-forwarded with the pandemic. The one struggle that is present right now, is this weird fence-sitting approach partners take because they don’t know if they want to invest in “virtual” shows still because they think it’s somewhat still temporary and IRL shows will return to the same capacity post-pandemic, which I think is the biggest mistake. URL shows are not just a band-aid for covid time, they are the future and it’s time to invest…

Is there an LGBTQ2 film, TV series, book, play, music, artwork, or person – that (or who) has resonated with you and you would recommend to others to explore?

Honestly, all openly queer artists inspire me and I push for anyone to seek out and support queer artists within their communities. It might look like we have all this exposure, but it’s still extremely hard out there. A good majority of our “supporters” drop out after pride month. But, if I have to choose, I love the producer and DJ Himera. Nightmare on Elm Street 2, is my favourite queer film. And I believe Divine is the most underrated actor of all time, rest her soul.

Is there a specific subculture or scene which inspired you in a formative time or something which inspires you now?

Everyone who comes to club q, every Friday. They are the most imaginative, smart, kind souls out there. They have helped all of us over here at club q discover our own queerness through their fearlessness and ability to just radiate love through the screen. They continue to inspire us. plus, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. Facts.

What gave you the desire to pursue a career in the music industry, and what in your process would you pass on as a tip to someone considering the same?

I don’t remember actually making the decision to pursue the arts ever, it just happened, and I couldn’t quit if I wanted, It’s who I am. And I would say to anyone considering it, don’t do it unless you would die for it. The arts is a cutthroat industry and you have to be dedicated and a little nuts. If that’s you, go for it. If it’s not, don’t do it; save yourself. Oh, and discover what makes you different as soon as you can and go with that. Even if that’s the thing you kind of hate or you’re insecure about, just go with it. That’s your brand and you will end up kind of digging it one day anyways, promise. <3

Photo Credit: Joe Bulawan

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Featured Story:

FACTOR Pride Month Playlist

To honour and celebrate Pride Month FACTOR created FACTOR Pride Month Playlist. The playlist features artists such as KAYTRANADA, Cartel Madras, Lido Pimienta, T. Thomason and many others.

Listen and share now!

Featured Story:

James Baley

Toronto’s James Baley is a JUNO-winning music creator and multi-disciplinary artist whose radiant energy continues to establish him as a distinctive and magnetizing performer. Sharing compelling stories through his vulnerable lyrics, James combines his R&B, gospel, and electronic influences to create soulful reflections and exuberant dance tracks for the church, club, and vogue ballroom. In 2021, James released his first two singles in four years (“Saviour” and “On My Mind”), was credited as a co-writer/co-producer on July Talk’s JUNO-winning album, Pray For It, and will also be performing at Pride Toronto’s 40th anniversary closing ceremony on June 27.

Is there an LGBTQ2S film, TV series, book, play, music, artwork, or person – that (or who) has resonated with you and you would recommend to others to explore?

Films – “Paris Is Burning“, “The Queens“, and “KIKI”

TV shows – “POSE“, “Legendary“, “Shine True”

Artists – Rashaad Newsome, J uliana Huxtable, and Jah Grey

Musical artists – Bjork, Nakhane, Anohni, and Laura Mvula (just to name a few)

Is there a specific subculture or scene that has long influenced you?

The international and Kiki ballroom scenes – for over five years, the ballroom scene has been a community that has given me an extended chosen family and a space to express myself and explore my queerness through art and competition.

What gave you the desire to pursue music as a career and what in your process would you pass on as a tip to someone considering the same?

The support from my family and community over the years has been very affirming and gave me the push I needed to follow through on my passion to create and pursue a musical existence.

Believing in yourself and your abilities is the most important tip anyone in a creative field can receive, but truly acknowledging your ability and having faith in your pursuits is a lifelong process. Surrounding yourself with passionate folks who want to see you win is also key.

Photo Credit: Joshua Rille and Jorian Charlton

Check out his music at:

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Featured Story:

Partner

Partner is funny, but not a joke. Gay, but not for each other.

Lucy and Josée formed Partner to experiment with genre, discuss being gay, and share some jokes and ideas. Their objective has remained the same over the past six years, although in that time their sound has shifted considerably.

Their debut album, In Search of Lost Time, was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and Partner won the SOCAN songwriting prize for their song “Play the Field.”

Their follow up full-length Never Give Up, delivers their most exciting, riff-laden effort yet.

Is there a specific subculture or scene that has long influenced you?

We have always been influenced by all the queer communities we are exposed to. It’s great to get to travel around and take part in scenes everywhere and meet the people who do amazing things. There’s an endless amount of ingenuity and dedication in most of these settings whether it’s the music scene or just the queer scene in general. We have been lucky enough to meet people from all over the world who share our passion for queer self-expression, and it is something that never stops influencing us.

Does your sense of belonging in the LGBTQ+ community inform your work as an artist – is there a motivation of serving the community, being a beacon of the community, or is your art separate but with intersections to community?

Our sense of belonging in the queer community definitely informs our work. We were really only able to start making the style of music we make now when we fully embraced the idea of talking about our identities explicitly. Art is all about being honest, and it’s hard to be honest without talking about our sexuality. Once we opened up the idea of talking more openly about it, it gave us a lot of new material because we never get tired of discussing our sexuality. It’s been a long time and we are still writing new songs about it.

Photo Credit: Lesley Marshall

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Pride Month

Featured Story:

Club Quarantine

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Connect with Brad Allen on:

Featured Story:

FACTOR Pride Month Playlist

Listen and share now!

Featured Story:

James Baley

Check out his music at:

Connect with him on:

Featured Story:

Partner

Check out their music at:

Connect with them on:

Choose another Featured Story

Club Quarantine

FACTOR Pride Month Playlist

James Baley

Partner

#FACTOR funded