By Tom Corliss, April 2016 Web Exclusive.
Electro pop star Ricky Rebel has a lot to be proud of this year. Just last week, he and his Rebel Mafia performed to an enthusiastic crowd at Avalon in Hollywood. It's a venue the openly gay glam rocker had always wanted to perform at – Lady Gaga performed there, for goodness sake!
It was a moment Rebel said he'll always remember. Since the performance, he and his band have been booking shows like crazy. They’re opening for O-Town in June. More importantly, they’re performing at the Phoenix Pride festival's Main Stage from 6 to 6:45 p.m. April 3.
Here's what Rebel had to share with Echo readers ahead of his Phoenix show:
Q:In your opinion, what’s the next equal rights battle?
A: I think that it's our responsibility within the LGBT community to be more loving toward one another. One of the hardest battles in my career has been the fact that I'm fabulous and I was born with a penis and not a vagina. Don't get me wrong, I love my penis, but it seems to me that a vast majority of gay men feel OK supporting a pop artist if they are a female, a drag queen or a straight male. But they don’t support openly gay male pop stars! We need to change that.
A: It's between [Trump] and Hillary.
Q:How do you feel about the support [Trump] has received?
A: American people on both sides are not happy. The U.S. is extremely divided at the moment. Democrats versus republicans, blacks versus whites, gays versus straights ... I think people need to look at both sides of the story and try hard not to think so black and white.
Q: Are you in the gray area?
A: I'm a strong personality. I tend to gravitate toward other strong leaders. However, no matter who you're voting for, you're lying to yourself if you believe and agree with everything that your candidate says and stands for. There are pros and cons to each of the candidates. No one has all of the absolute right answers. I admire all of the candidates in general for having the courage to stand in front of the world and be so public about their views. This is the first time that I'm going to vote.
Q: Is now the time to celebrate?
A: Absolutely. Gays have the right to get married! That's huge. It's the law of the land. Hell yeah, we need to celebrate.
Q: Speaking of celebrations, what will you perform at the Phoenix Pride festival?
A: I am excited to perform my current single, "Star," remixed by world-renowned DJ Hector Fonseca. The "Star (Remix)" is being played in 15 countries worldwide!
Q:What’s next?
A: My new song is called "Boys & Sometimes Girls." It’s about how it doesn't matter what your sexual preference is anymore. We need to come together and love one another and have some fun with each other because life is too short not to.
Q: Will there be a video?
A: Of course! We’re filming it now. It's being sponsored by MustaeV, a fantastic high-end makeup company I've been working with. I am able to create beautiful glam looks effortlessly using their products in my videos, photoshoots and concerts. It's the best makeup I've ever used on my face. Makeup for men is a billion dollar industry.
Q: What is your message to fans this Pride?
A: Let's make America glam again.
For more information on Ricky Rebel, visit rickyrebelrocks.com.