Artist spotlight: Jonny McGovern

By Ellen Angelico

Jonny McGovern has accomplished a lot: he hosts the Number One LGBT Podcast on iTunes, he’s recorded seven albums, and his gay-themed parody of

“Like a G6” went viral with over 400,000 views. But don’t worry that he’s taking himself too seriously.

"I’m not afraid of being G-A-Y in your face!" McGovern exclaims. "I'm always a comedian first. At the core of every one of my songs is comedy. I want you to hear them and smile first, then blush or dance or get freaky."

His energy is infectious. It’s no wonder that HBO’s True Blood and Showtime’s Queer as Folk picked up his song "Soccer Practice," catapulting McGovern into heavy rotation in dance clubs and the national spotlight. His comedy and dance music have been featured on MTV, VH-1, tru-TV, Comedy Central, PerezHilton.com, Bravo's Watch What Happens LIVE! and LOGO's The Big Gay Sketch Show.

The success of “Soccer Practice” has led McGovern to contribute commentary to a wide variety of shows on VH1 and earned him a slot on Comedy Central’s Out on the Edge. All the while, McGovern continued to record his hilarious brand of music as "The Gay Pimp," whom he calls a "pop star/superhero." His hard work paid off when his parody of "Like a G6" went viral, introducing The Gay Pimp to a whole new audience.

McGovern’s YouTube channel is a flurry of activity, with over 2,500 subscribers and new videos of music, sketch comedy, and live performances uploaded regularly. His website is the same, bursting at the seams with information about upcoming events he’s promoting and new videos or music he’s working on.

"I just released an EP called "Songs About The Golden Girls" which is exactly what it sounds like," McGovern says. "And I'm releasing a full LP of homotastic dance jams called 'The Gayest Of All Time' in June and there will be videos for almost every song on the album!"

His bold and exciting style makes McGovern a perfect fit for Nashville Pride.

"Pride is important because it’s the time of year we can get together as a community and celebrate who we are,” McGovern says. “I wouldn't trade being gay for anything in the world!"

Check out what’s on the horizon for McGovern at www.gaypimp.com and if you like having a good time (and who doesn’t?) be sure to catch him on the main stage at this year’s Nashville Pride Festival.