News: Courtney Act Announces New ‘Kaleidoscope’ EP
2 min read
(US) Fresh from her gender-bending stint on last year’s season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in the US, gender-bending artist and singer, Courtney Act, returns to her first love with the international release of her new EP, Kaleidoscope, on 7 July.
The new, six-song debut EP take’s gender diversity, sexuality and glamour to the mainstream, not to mention a whole lot of fun, and is inspired by Madonna, Grace Jones, Lady Gaga, Cher, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s message of peace and love.
As Courtney herself describes, it, Kaleidoscope is “a little bit Kylie, a bit Tove Lo, a bit Robyn, and a good dollop of Vegemite. I recommend listening to it while jumping on your bed in your pajamas.”
With an impressive range, some tongue-in-cheek humor, and co-writes with dancefloor legends Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) and Sam Sparro, Kaleidoscope tackles some unexpectedly deep and current topics including embracing your many strengths and weaknesses (Kaleidoscope), pushing the boundaries of gender and sex (Body Parts), the numbing effect that social media can have on self-esteem (Ugly) and how music and the dance floor can liberate and unite (Ecstasy).
The “insanely talented” artist (real name: Shane Jenek) continues to defy the constraints of gender, having walked the runway at LA Fashion Week and Australian Fashion Week, appearing as one of American Apparel’s ad girls last year, being the face of Sheer Cover makeup in Australia. Along the way, Courtney has picked up a legion of celeb fans including Lady Gaga, Cheyenne Jackson, Adam Lambert, Conchita Wurst and Nicole Richie.
The official video for Ecstasy was directed by Kylie Minogue’s longtime collaborator, William Baker. The new video for Ugly will be released on 29 June. The first single from the Kaleidoscope EP, Ecstasy, is available now on iTunes. The Kaleidoscope EP is released on Tuesday, 7 July, 2015. Courtney Act’s new single, Ugly, is at radio next Monday, 29 June.
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