Punk-pop artist, Blake English has released a music video for his single, “Sad Girls Dance Party,” the first song off his debut EP, Spiders Make Great Poets. The song, produced by Gabe Lopez (Tyler Hilton, Belinda Carlisle), is a testament and open-letter for his listeners, to the challenging upbringing of growing up as a gay child in a conservative household.
“Sad Girls Dance Party” tells a story of a boy growing up and dealing with his father limiting his freedom of self-expression. With the help of his imagination and the characters he creates in his head, he is taken on a journey to meet his future self, which helps him accept who he is. The video is an inside look into the manner in which English himself would use to escape from the reality of being a gay child growing up in a conservative environment from the south. As a kid, his only safe space was the basement in his childhood home, where he would set up a dance room decked out with a fog machine and Christmas lights strung about. English teamed up with director Hao Jer Chang (Two Seas Media) to recreate his experience in music video form. The video throws in a dash of Stranger Things and is “a total homage to every horror movie and creature feature I love, with the narrative story of my childhood mixed in there,” states English. When naming the single, English states, “The reason it’s called “Sad Girls Dance Party” is because years ago, when I would order at a drive-thru, my voice had not changed yet, so to someone that couldn’t see me, they assumed I was a girl. At the time, this was very traumatizing for someone who was dealing with the confusing mix of shame over my sexuality and the brainwashing oppressive standards of gender and masculinity imposed on me as a child.” While the single is upbeat and fun, it taps into a much deeper and long-standing issue that permeates within the LGBTQ+ community, allowing his story to grasp an audience that has lived, or may continue to live, in those traumatic situations. “Sad Girls Dance Party” is a message for listeners and those of the gay community always to stand firm for their voice, body, and the life they want to lead.
American punk-pop artist and triple threat, Blake English is from Athens, Georgia, currently residing in Los Angeles. English is first and foremost a performer, drawing constant inspiration of theatrics and performance style from artists such as Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, and Marilyn Manson, with his sound reminiscent of bands like My Chemical Romance. During the time with English’s former band, he headlined events for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, did three national tours, performed for Radio Disney’s Christmas Show, played SXSW, and shared the stage with Amanda Palmer from The Dresden Dolls. Recently, he was nominated for “Best Song” at the 2020 Berlin Music Video Awards for “Sad Girls Dance Party.”
With intimate lyrics and a theatrical performance, the music video for “Sad Girls Dance Party” emanates the notion of self-expression, creativity, and loving yourself in a lonely world.
Stream the EP, Spiders Make Great Poets on digital music platforms worldwide.
To stay up-to-date with Blake English’s journey, visit BlakeEnglishWorld.com
https://twitter.com/blakeisenglish
