Xantheartist: Kanye, Military & Self-Defence
Gay Music: In the Key of Q · Dan Hall
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (podcasts.captivate.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
In the Key of Q is a weekly podcast featuring Queer musicians from around the world as they share stories, inspirations and of course their music.
Xantheartist counts an impressive hundred thousand streams on Spotify. He's only three years into his music career, but has already secured a number one record with his cover Hapsburg Lippp. Before transitioning to a man, he served in the US military and went on to make a considerable name for himself on the drag king circuit.
He grew up in a household with Nirvana, Phil Collins, New Edition and Luther Vandross pumping from the family hifi. The home was of military stock, and during his childhood his father was deployed in the first Iraq war. The strict household and challenges around gender identity dropped PTSD on Xan, which is being worked through today with counseling.
Accidental encounters showed Xan that he was an excellent performer, both as a rapper and drag king. He increasingly felt the drag king persona was closer to his genuine identity and went onto transition, female-to-male. He speaks eloquently about the importance to avoid mis-gendering, and the hurt this can cause.
He speaks passionately about the importance of self-denfence for the LGBTQ community and especially within the QPOC community. 'You can walk with your head high and confidently knowing that you can defend yourself against anything. '
Additional Material
- Xantheartist on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
- Xantheartist on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
- Xantheartist merch
- Xantheartist homepage
If you enjoyed this episode why not take a listen to Ryan Cassata.
In the Key of Q is a weekly podcast featuring inspiring Queer musicians from around the world as they share stories, inspirations and of course their music.
Theme tune is by Paul Leonidou and many thanks to Moray for his continued support.
The podcast can be reached on email with the main website here. Would you like to appear on the show? Or have an artist you'd like to recommend, please tell them to get in touch via email.
Presenter and Producer Dan Hall is a documentary producer / director, and his showreel can be found here.