A new music series, QUSIC, has been launched at Kelowna’s first LGBTQ2 lounge to highlight emerging musicians coming out and onto the province’s music scene.
“There’s nothing really out there that highlights LGBT musicians this way,” said Dustyn Baulkham, Rebellious Unicorns executive producer.
“LGBT people have had their voices suppressed and we have had some well-known musicians come out over the past few years but there are still a lot who haven’t.”
In QUSIC, they are highlighting the voices of emerging musicians, many of whom have just come out publicly, thanks to a grant from Creative BC.
Every other Wednesday, guests can buy a ticket to the event or watch via live stream to see the series that showcases a performance by a member of the LGBTQ2 community where they can share their story and their music.
“It’s important because also, youth growing up need to see that there are people in these positions that do identify as LGBT and are similar to them, so they can embrace who they are as a person,” said Baulkham.
Just a week before his performance on QUSIC, Adam Kern came out publicly.
“It was a really great experience for me as a musician and also to help facilitate my coming out experience to be more positive,” said Kern who performs under Fight or Flea.
“For me, the big help was that I was coming out as a musician who was bisexual, not just a bisexual musician because at the core I am a musician it doesn’t matter what letter you are.”
The interview portion is what makes their series stand out to hundreds of viewers and it’s where Kern was able to share more than just his music.
“Music is a story anyway but there is always a story behind the story,” said Kris Johnson, QUSIC host. “It’s basically that opportunity to take a glimpse inside the life of the artist and what has inspired the music itself.”
To catch the next QUSIC performance on Wednesday, June 24th or apply to perform visit their website.