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Todrick Hall has preached about integration, self-acceptance and gay pride for a large part of his career. It was therefore logical that he preaches about these messages when he accepted an MTV Video Music Award on behalf of Taylor Swift for his anti-hate anthem "You must calm down".
The clip, which he co-produced, stars Swift, his close friend, as well as many other LGBTQ artists such as Billy Porter, RuPaul and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, in a colorful, effervescent yet energetic shot of the enemies of the world, including those who spread homophobia.
When the video debuted, some people wondered if Swift was following the gay pride train, but Hall said the superstar was just playing and using his voice.
"I have been friends with Taylor for four or five years and I've seen people hanging her out because she says she's not opinionated enough that she's not sure what's going on." she does not use her platform to defend women's rights, for the gay community, tell people to vote in a certain way – they do not feel like she's using her voice, he said in a recent interview.
"And the second she does it, people drag her around because they think she's opportunistic. And I'm so happy that she's currently in a place where she knows what she's doing is good. "
It's also a place where Hall feels like living these days. The artist – known for his Broadway debut in "Kinky Boots" and his dazzling mini-movies inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" and "Singin 'in Rain" – released his "Haus Party, Pt. 1 "album earlier this summer; "I Like Boys" is a new anthem of dance, while "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" shows him stilettos with a shape that would make Beyonce proud. Ciara is featured on the recently released remix.
For Hall, the album was another form of personal pride and a way to give others who are not as daring a reason to do so.
"It's the music that people want; they want music that gives them a fabulous feeling. They want music that makes them want to dance in heels and music that allows them to feel free and unapologetic about their identity, "he said.
After a brief stint at "Waitress" on Broadway, he will take the album on the road in a production he promises that he will be more liberating than his previous tours, where he admits to feeling a little handcuffed because He played characters based on his YouTube. videos.
"It's my first album I've ever done, it's fun music I wanted to write, which is an aspect of me and who I am as a person / artist," he said. declared. "This tour is called 'The Haus Party' and if I do not feel like a party, I did not do my job well."
Hall's party atmosphere was perfectly visible at the MTV VMA, where he performed with purple and pink dreadlocks in Swift's colors. The couple laughed and danced together throughout the show.
Hall counts Swift among his closest friends. she was standing by her side while he was talking when "You must calm down" won the "Video for Good" award at Monday's ceremony.
The artist stated that Swift had helped him in his new position and had become "a good, solid friend; it's something you want to keep all your life. "
"It was really great to be a person she loves and whom she trusts. And for her to tell me her deepest dark secrets and know that I'm going to keep them safe and that I'm able to do the same with her and that I know without the shadow of it. a doubt that she will not repeat them to anyone, it's really great. "
Hall says Ru Paul and Porter have also helped navigate the glory as a black homosexual man, particularly the star of the Emmy-nominated "Pose," which he describes as his "godmother of the fairies, godfather of the fairies".
"He spoke to me about the difficulties that he has gone through to get to this place where he feels comfortable enough to show up at the Oscars in dress," Hall said. "It's a very big battle for him and he saw that it came from a world where it was not safe to do it; it was a vital or fatal decision to wear a ball gown on a red carpet and now be in a place where he could wear it and be celebrated and make headlines. "
Although more and more gay artists are being accepted in Hollywood and beyond, Hall added that more work is needed. He would like to see a world where gay performers are the performers presented at a musical show and not the backdrop; where homosexual characters are regularly introduced in children's programs; and movies about homosexuals do not involve any plot where "being gay is not the problem".
"I would love to see two Disney princes fall in love one day, as in a cartoon or animated feature," he said.
He added, "I think I'm a content creator for a reason and that's what I rather want to devote to my life, it's like creating content that normalizes these things and makes sure that people who spend millions of dollars to make movies be like, 'Oh that's good. The world has not ended. 'People watch the movie, they really love it and everyone is alive. And we had to calm down.
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