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Alan Winde and .. The performers
THE NAME YAHTO KRAFT IS SOON TO BE ON EVERYONE’S LIPS WHEN HIS POWERFUL DEBUT SINGLE UGLY DROPPED ON FRIDAY 17 APRIL.
Mag 26
Written by Yahto with Matthew Marinus back in 2016 when he was just 16 years old, he took an experience of heartbreak and turned it on its head, writing a song that is fast becoming an anthem of sorts for those who have been downtrodden and victimised, encouraging them to believe that “you are enough” and giving them hope and inspiration to live to fight another day.
With strong pop and rock elements and its catchy beat, it’s the profound and inspiring words that capture your attention. Ugly was performed at both the 2018 and 2019 Born To Perform’s SHINE! Concerts by Yahto and was undoubtedly one of the key show-stopping moments of each performance.
Yahto, now 19 years old, explains how the song came about: “Ugly started all the way back in 2016 when I was 16. I was going out with friends and we were doing things we definitely were not supposed to and kissing people we weren’t supposed to. It just so happened that the boy I kissed was my crush for the longest time, so I was absolutely on top of the world! The next weekend we decided to do it all over again, and I thought he and I were going to turn into one of those couples you see in a movie but, alas, it flipped and went from a cheesy rom-com to a horror movie. When I tried to kiss him again, he just looked at me and said: “Dude, I was desperate and gone, you’re not my type, you’re fat and ugly.”
He continues; “Needless to say, my little heart was absolutely shattered. I went home and put my feelings into words. Thus, Ugly was born. I took this raw piece of work to the incredible Matthew Marinus and he helped fine-tune my lyrics into an actual song. I then was offered the opportunity to perform the song at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City. This arrangement ( by the incomparable Brian Schimmel) was very big and theatrical, perfect for the stage. I got to perform this version again in 2019 at The Teatro at Montecasino. This will forever be a defining moment in my career. He continues; “It’s massive, it’s raw, it dares you to look your heartbreak right between the eyes and say ‘You don’t scare me anymore’. It’s not about my singular experience anymore, I don’t think it ever was. It’s a song about resilience. It’s a song about taking back your power. People like the boy who broke me don’t realise the weight of their words. It makes me shudder just thinking about what others went through in a similar situation. “
Co-writer Matthew Marinus of Upstream Worldwide adds his voice; “Yahto is not just a world-class singer, he is someone that knows how to dream and communicate his big picture idea to his team and its very exciting to be working alongside this young dedicated visionary. The reason for this single is so much more than just a nice tune, as no-one wants to feel alone in their despair and I think this song might just save someone’s life one day.”
The decision was made to go with a Lyric Music video concept. Matthew Marinus explains; “This is not just your ”regular” pop/ rock song; the impactful lyrics led us to the easy decision of rather going with a lyric video. As you read those words while listening to the song you will realise even more, the power behind the inspiring words and be moved by it. I believe that Yahto will become one of the inspiring voices of his generation.”
Yahto concludes by explaining why Ugly means so much to him; “This song is now for all of us. Those of us who have been broken and beaten down, not only by a significant other but by society’s perceived ideologies of what we should be and what the world wants us to be, it is for anyone who has ever been seen as different or other. It’s for the outcast.
I got to perform my own song that I wrote on a stage that I’ve dreamt of since I was a child, wearing something I sewed myself. I got complete free reign over my performance, and it felt incredible. The amount of personal growth I’ve experienced since writing this song is astronomical, and I owe it all to this one song, and I knew I had to share this song with the world.” After seeing the overwhelming effect Ugly had on the 2019 Born To Perform’s SHINE audiences with many of them sharing their own stories afterwards, or those of their children, saying how hearing the lyrics of Ugly helped them deal with their own situations, it was a no-brainer for the team to take the decision to release Ugly as Yahto’s debut single. The song has been re-worked into a more glam rock space since these performances, with influences such as Queen and The Darkness. lyrics with the windows down. Dance naked in front of your mirror and feel at home in your own body. Listen in bed when you’re feeling at the end of your rope and just have the song give you a hug and let it whisper in your ear “you are enough, you are strong and you are you”. I hope this song brings us together as one massive family but also makes us as individuals fight back and take back our thrones. Claim your crown and be your own version of you. This is what Ugly is and was, and I hope you all love it as much as I do. UGLY is now available for download on all major digital platforms: https://smarturl.it/kvldxi UGLY Official Lyric Music Video link : https://youtu.be/ibTnM8DCUiI
This song is for everyone to jam to. Get in your car and yell the
Says Yahto: “I wanted people to relate, not only to the lyrics but to the feeling of the song. This song has a more anthemic rock n roll edge to it, this time round. This song now sounds exactly like it does in my dreams. It makes you feel nostalgic, with its glam rock flicks, yet it is completely new and now. It has some
Connect with Yahto Kraft on Social Media : Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/yahtokraft/ Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/yahtokraftt Twitter : https://twitter.com/YahtoKraft YouTube : Yahto Kraft TikTok : https://vm.tiktok.com/W28QHk/ Mag 27
If you had to choose, would you prefer hairy or smooth? Or do you really need to choose? Depending on your own body type and what you’re into, you might be looking for silky smooth exposed skin or the ability to run your fingers through your lover’s chest or back hair. Some guys think hairy is hot, while other men clearly do not. To some guys body hair is total catnip and to others it is a complete turn-off. During the 1980’s at the height of the gay-liberation movement, leather and fetish clubs abounded and the iconic ideal man was depicted by Touko Valio Laaksonen’s Tom of Finland as muscular, moustached, well-hung uber-manly men. The stereotypical gay man sported a moustache, the bigger the better and lamb-chop side-burns - remember the iconic Marlboro man! (Who was gay!) But, there are hair fanciers who focus in on specific body parts, like treasure trails, fuzzy legs, or hairy butts. “Give me a buddy with bushy pubes and pits, and I’m happy,” one such fan confesses. Then there are fur fetishists who like hair everywhere. One of them says, “I really love lots of body hair, not just on the chest and legs, but on the butt, back, shoulders, all over. To me, it just shouts out masculinity.” He’s not alone; Bears are a whole subculture that celebrates chunky, hirsute, all-male males. Our fur fetishist rhetorically asks, “Who wants a guy who’s smooth as a girl?” But times change and with the AIDS crisis of that decade young gay men took to the gyms, shaved their bodies for a healthier more defined look and this became the it seems the norm through the 90’s and persists today. Smooth chested gorgeous guys with great pecs abound in every club, showing off their glistening gym-ripped, topless bodies as they party the night away. Smooth bodies seem to belong to the youth and represent a purity that is lost with age – perhaps? But it is not only fashion trends that set the standards. Body hair’s a marker of maturity, too. Sure, there are very hairy 18-year-olds, but in general, fur increases with age.
To some guys body hair is total catnip So those who get turned on by twink-type young men tend to prefer smooth torsos. Likewise, those who go for femme guys are likely to like them fur-free. Those into hunkier, manlier types often look for a sign of body hair. Along with the gay gym-culture many companies decided to cash in on the trend and today there are whole sections devoted to male grooming products in our supermarkets that thirty years ago would not have been seen. Nowadays men seem to take more care about moisturising, trimming and man-scaping than ever before. What may have been perceived as effeminate is now seen as completely acceptable, right and part of every man’s daily routine – gay, bi or straight - In fact those that don’t groom are not welcome. As trends stand now, it seems beards are becoming more popular, whether neatly trimmed or bushy. But, as with most things gay, body hair is a matter of style, preference, and function. Where and what you trim is a personal choice. Q News Australia reported that a survey carried out of more than 4,000 women and gay men to get their thoughts on chest hair, had the following results. According to the respondents, 58% of the gay men who took part prefer a partner to keep it natural with a hairy chest, while 61% of the women preferred their men to be bare-chested. HAIRY OR SMOOOTH
“Homosexual men preferred hairier stimuli than heterosexual women, supporting past findings that homosexual men have strong preferences for masculine traits,” the study found.
The results also mirror a similar survey conducted by Manhunt in 2013 that found 79% of gay men wanted their men to leave their body hair the way God intended, and only 21% wanted it shorn.
Nearly 1,000 men were asked about their own grooming habits and the respondents were divided on manscaping: 46% percent of them said they shaved their chest, compared to 54% who don’t. Single Man director Tom Ford doesn’t think men should shave their chest. Speaking ahead of the release of Nocturnal Animals in 2016 he said there was no way he was going to make Jake Gyllenhaal manscape.
‘I happen to like body hair. I think people should leave it alone — I’m not a fan of all this manscaping that goes on. I don’t really get it.’
He added as he gestured downward: ‘If you like the chest, you should see what’s down here. There is no manscaping.’ Then Ford repeated for extra emphasis: ‘There is no manscaping.’
Some men clearly like a natural bush, others like Graham Norton who did a segment a few years ago where the poor (stupid?) volunteer got a “back, sack and crack.” Said, “I’m not a fan of excessive grooming, but I’ve gotta say that I’ve seen some human Wookies that could really use Nair.”
Jennifer Aniston has said in various interviews that she favours an appropriately manscaped partner, whatever that means.
In a recent interview with People magazine, the WWE star and actor John Cena, revealed his time-consuming manscaping routine that takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour daily, using around six bottles of shaving cream every month.
“I’m completely manscaped from head to toe — from the ears down — so that takes a bit of time,” he told the outlet. “I’m
Tom of Finland men were masculine, moustached and muscular
constantly trying to stay up on fine lines in my skin and that stuff, so I’m a lot more grooming-centric than you would realize. My routine is a lot more than you would think — I’d say it’s a strong 7 1/2 out of 10.” He started when he was body-building and has always just kept it up.
In 2016, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that male chest hair was back on trend and a survey of their readers on the topic found over 70% of respondents favoured a hairier look.
Another survey found both the men and women reported bearded partners were more suitable for long-term relationships, with the gay men reporting an even stronger preference for facial hair than the women.
So, whether you prefer romping in a luxuriant forest of fur or sliding smoothly across bare skin, it seems that your fetish is a personal one, driven by your own fantasies, personal preference and whatever your in to there’s a man out there who will tick every box and if you haven’t met him yet there’s lots of fun trying to meet him and who knows you might meet someone who turns all your preferences on their head and you start hankering for the other side of the hair/less spectrum. Have fun and be safe.
