GenQ - For the not so straight individual

International recording artist Ari Gold talks to Queer Planet about his new billboard hit single, being a spokes model for Boy George's clothing line, his upcoming book that will be the centerpiece for coffee tables worldwide and what it's like to be a queer musician. Nothing stops this golden boy to send out his message that ?Love Will Take Over?.

queerplanet: Mention a musical gay icon to any homosexual man and a dreamy, ?Ari Gold? response will flow from his lips. You are by far, one of the hottest international stars in the gay community right now. That has got to be a great feeling! What kind of support are you receiving from your fan base? Do you feel it's stronger in the United States or worldwide?

Ari Gold: If I'm one of the hottest international stars in the gay community right now that's great! I mean, I've worked hard for everything I have cause I am an Indie artist without the backing of a major label. And I think my music is on par quality wise with any mainstream pop artists. But a lot of my popularity also has to do with the fact that nobody else has been willing to be out in popular music, nobody wants to take that risk. So I think people really respond to that cause gay people are hungry for someone who's out there and actually proud to be a gay man and sing about it too. I just hope it inspires more artists to do the same so that we can see what a varied and diverse people we are'cause I'm only one example of what it means to be gay...although I definitely think a lot of gay people can relate to what I sing about. A lot of straight people can relate too'and that's also important'for straight people to see that they can relate to the gay experience. White people do it with hip-hop music. They do it with gay TV shows like Will and Grace. It's only a matter of time before they do it with gay music'whatever that may be. It's strange to me that music is the last frontier.

QP: Let's talk about your new single you just released, ?Love Will Take Over?. It's already claiming success on the Billboard Dance Charts. What kind of message were you hoping to portray with this song?

Ari Gold: I actually wrote that song after 9/11. I just thought it was a message we needed to hear because we can't change who's running this country but we can still have hope, faith and love. Nobody can take that away from us and hopefully that will continue to give us the strength to fight for what we believe in. Of course now with everything that's going on in the South, we need all the hope we can get! We must believe that love will take over otherwise we might as well, well, I'm not gonna say the rest...

QP: You have been voted one of the ?hottest men? in several magazines to being the spokes model for Boy George's clothing line, RUDE. Your music alone has received rave reviews from critics, been featured in films and also has been on Queer as Folk. Which comes more naturally to you? Modeling or songwriting?

Ari Gold: Well posing in front of a camera is something I've been doing since I was like 6 years old...songwriting is definitely a more intricate and emotional process for me'I mean that's my art. I don't know why people make such a big deal of the modeling thing...every mainstream pop star has tons of photo shoots and spreads and ad campaigns. I'm just waiting for the campaign that's actually gonna pay for my next record! I have no problem being called a sex symbol and a lot of that has to do with what I've put out there into the world. And I think its cool to have a gay man who is a sex-symbol. But sometimes I think that focusing on that is a way for people to dismiss my music and dismiss what I'm trying to say. And I think because I am saying something that isn't entirely popular, people have a hard time giving it the respect it deserves'unfortunately even gay people. We're not used to seeing ourselves reflected back in a real and honest way and I think it scares us sometimes.

QP: You do so much for the gay community. Can you tell our readers a little bit more about your charity events?

Ari Gold: Yes! I have donated my music to 2 CD's that support same sex unions--?Marry Me? for the ACLU (with RuPaul, Adam Joseph etc.) and ?Love Rocks? for the HRC (with Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Porter, Dolly Parton, etc.) I've done a lot of work with Baily House which provides housing to people living with HIV. I've also done work with the Ali Forney Center which helps queer homeless youth as well as trying to raise money for the Hetrick Martin Institute and the Black AIDS institute.

QP: One thing that is so appealing about your music is the lyrics. You don't hold back in writing about relations with men. Do you feel that your fans can relate more with your music by being more open with your songs? What is your opinion on the exposure of gay musicians in the music industry today?

Ari Gold: Thank You! I definitely think people can relate because I try to be specific about my experiences while at the same time trying to make it relatable. It's something I am always working toward. Most gay men and plenty of straight girls can relate to a song like ?He's On My Team? cause we've all had our debates about one person or another! And then my song, ?Bashert (Meant To Be) is a gay love song, but I use a Yiddish word to describe the way I feel about someone which I think is pretty subversive. Some songs its more clear what I'm speaking about and some are a bit more mysterious and open. It depends.
As far as exposure for gay musicians in the mainstream music industry'there is very little. Other than the musicians who were first really popular and then came out and paved the way for an artist like myself, there really isn't that many new artists who are out from the start that are getting a lot of recognition. Especially in pop or R&B. The industry is afraid. They only care about selling records and they think gay artists don't sell. I think they just haven't figured out how to be creative with their marketing. But they don't even want to spend the time thinking about it when they can just create the next Britney Spears or Hillary Duff. Or wait to promote the next winner of American Idol or some other TV contest.

QP: Fans will be pleased to know they will have more Ari Gold eye candy coming their way with a photo book coming out in the fall. What can you tell us about that?

Ari Gold: I am super excited about my book! So many great photographers and artists have contributed to it and it's going to come with a brand new remix CD. Bruno Gmunder is publishing it and they have great distribution so it will be everywhere! They were also great at respecting my ideas and making it more than just a beefcake book. There's some cool text in it as well.

QP: Where do you draw inspiration from in your songwriting? With your busy schedule, where do you find the time to write new music?

Ari Gold: That's a good question! Well, I'm always writing...lyrics, ideas, melodies, song titles. But I really work best when I'm in the studio creating music from scratch and collaborating. Life always inspires me and I just looking forward to getting in the studio to work on album #3 and hopefully all of the experiences of the last few years will inspire my new music. There should be lots of stuff to draw upon! It's been quite a journey thus far.

QP: What can fans expect from Ari Gold in the future? Do you have anything you would like to say to our readers?

Ari Gold: I just hope I can continue to make great music that means something to me and that means something to the people. And I hope that life takes me to as many creative places as possible so that I am using ?the gift? to its fullest extent! And I hope that love will always take over in the end.

*Photo credit: Aaron Cobbett