Music
Donny Evans (IG @iamdonnyevans)
RNBW
Showcasing Queer Music in Nashville Tuesday Shows at Lipstick Lounge Give Platform to Upcoming & Established Artists
Brian Sullivan Lipstick Lounge’s Tuesday nights are rapidly becoming LEGENDARY— RNBW offers new, up-and-coming LGBTQ+ artists a stage and an eager, friendly audience. RNBW also offers these artists the opportunity to share a stage with Nashville LGBTQ+ music royalty like Ty Herndon and Shelly Fairchild. Recently, stars Cody Belew and Brooke Eden dropped in to share a little music—Belew even tested out some new, as yet unreleased work! While there, they spoke with OUTvoices’ Brian Sullivan about RNBW, their music and upcoming projects. Belew’s visit to Lipstick highlighted what makes RNBW so special. “So that's one of the exciting things about this little show tonight,” Belew said. “I'm going to debut everything I've been working on! We're going to be dropping singles starting next month, all the way through the end of November. So, this is like a test run. We're going to see what everybody thinks of 'em!” Besides working on his new album, Belew has kept busy recently. “I was lucky enough to get invited to the CMT Concert for Love & Acceptance. And that was a hugely impactful moment. I've looked up to those people, especially Ty Herndon, all these years, and to get asked to perform for that was a big honor. And then this just kind of popped up. We've not been … focused on shows because we've been focused on building the momentum and getting the singles out. There's some really cool stuff coming up in October that I can't talk about yet, but it's just gonna be a huge splash! And so I'm hoping that all of that rolls into show opportunities.” Brooke Eden has built a big name for herself in the Nashville music scene. While it may have really started to pay off recently in terms of name recognition, she’s been climbing this mountain since she was a kid. 12
August 2021
nashville.outvoices.us
“I mean, I've been in Nashville for nine years. But I started singing in the honkytonks with my dad's band when I was like five years old. So I've been doing this for a really long time. I've had a record deal for seven years now.” Coming out has reshaped her experience, and she attributes recent successes to the freedom it has given her—the freedom to be out and about and living her best life, doing shows like RNBW. “When I put out my first music, I didn't get to be myself, I didn't really get to put out the music that I wanted to put out. And now five years after putting out that music, I'm finally getting to put out the music that I love and the music that means something to me, and also getting to be my authentic self. And to me that changes everything. So I think that what you're seeing is probably just like me getting to finally be myself.” This is probably the most special thing about RNBW—it gives artists like Eden and Belew, and those coming up behind them a place to shine as the LGBTQ+ diamonds that they are. And they find an audience eager to embrace them as they are! And if they lose some fans in the process? “Oh, there were definitely some like some weeder-outers. There were definitely some people that unfollowed. And I was ready for that to happen. And I was totally cool with that… I was like, ‘Good! I don't want those people at my shows anyway…’ Nobody wants that homophobic energy at my shows!” And at RNBW shows at Lipstick Lounge (free every Tuesday, with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. and shows starting at 7:00 p.m.) you’ll find LIVE LGBTQ+ music, a friendly audience, and none of that homophobic energy that sometimes creeps into other music venues.
