Billy Porter Is Classically Timeless

by Denny Patterson

After captivating audiences as Lola in Broadway’s Kinky Boots and Pray Tell in FX’s critically acclaimed series Pose, Billy Porter is making a return to music with his brand-new album, Black Mona Lisa

According to the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning multi-hyphenate, not only does the album shed a light on his life and journey, but it allows him to be his authentically queer self. Porter, who began his music career in 1997 with the release of his debut album Untitled, claims that the business was very homophobic back then, and it did not work out well

On Black Mona Lisa, he says, “It’s really the first time that I’ve been able to fully express myself and who I am through my music, through my mainstream pop music space. It’s like my magnum opus. It’s everything to me. You’ll really get a glimpse into who I am even deeper with this music.”

In addition to the forthcoming album, Porter will also be touring the country for six weeks with his first-ever pop music concert tour, The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume 1. This 90-minute powerhouse event, equipped with a full band and backed by a video installation, will stop at Denver’s Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre on May 2.

Porter caught up with OFM to talk more about the album and tour, as well as the importance of mental health in creative spaces and how he will never let his light or voice dim.

Let me begin by asking, how excited are you to embark on your first-ever concert tour? (Laughs) Very excited! It’s an original dream come true. I had sort of settled with the fact that this might not ever happen, and I have moved forward and expanded with other dreams and ideas, so I'm just lucky and blessed to have multiple skill sets and talents. My first album came out in 1997, and the industry was very homophobic at the time. It didn't work out so well for me, and now I get to come back on the other side on my own terms and speak with my real, true, authentic voice. It’s such a gift. I'm getting a second chance with all this!

In addition to some of your chart-topping hits, Broadway, and a nod to Pose, you will be singing tracks from your forthcoming album Black Mona Lisa. Can you tell us more about the concept and inspiration behind this project?

When I was approached to sort of come back into the industry, I wanted the mainstream part of it because I have four albums of my own, three of which are self-produced. So, I wanted to make sure that the music reflected my journey, and my journey has been to self-acceptance, self-love, self-actualization, authenticity, and out-front queerness. Really leaning into the queerness as joy and healing.

My music and art are healing. My music and art are my calling, purpose, and ministry. The singing is the original gift. I started singing in church when I was five, and the bullying stopped in the fifth grade when I won the talent show. I understand the power of my voice very early, and it’s time for the world to see that side of me again.

Is that why you consider this album your magnum opus?

Yeah, I feel like it's my real magnum opus. I feel like there's a lot of stuff that can come and will come after this, but in terms of what I want to say to the world and the way I want to say it, this is the first time I've ever been able to accomplish that.

When is the album's official release date?

We don't have an official release date. We’re using the power of this tour, and, hopefully, the momentum of the “Baby Was a Dancer” single, and we have a couple other singles in line to come out before the album. The idea is to have the music industry side, the music world, and the overall world to understand that I’m a singer. It’s so ironic because for the first 25 years of my acting career, I spent those 25 years trying to get people to take me seriously as an actor.

Now, sometimes I’ll read things that say, “Oh, I didn't know Pray Tell could sing!” Like, OK, first of all, my name’s not Pray Tell. Second of all, the singing is the reason why all these other things have been able to flourish because I had courage. My singing voice gave me courage to try and sort of master all these other creative areas that I am blessed to be able to exist inside of.

There are 14 tracks on Black Mona Lisa, and you wrote almost every one of them. Did everything come together quickly, or did the process take a while?

Because I'm a multi-hyphenate, I had to sit and write music when my schedule would permit. So, it took about a year and some change to sort of get everything together and get it to the place that I wanted it to be. Also, it was last April when I turned my album in, so the other part that I love about this is that it's classic. The music that I've made is never going to go out of style. It’s the past, present, and future, which is where the Black Mona Lisa title comes from.

The Mona Lisa is classic. She’s been around for centuries, and yet, she’s still the most relevant of all art. Like, that’s what I’m saying. Put Black in front of that, and I’m ready.

I’m the past; I’m the present; I’m the future. I’m 53 years old, and I own that. I honor that, and I will never lie about that. I’ve earned my age. I’ve lived a life that requires me to be honest and not apologetic.

Ultimately, what do you hope au diences take away from the al bum, as well as the concert tour?

I'm coming to celebrate life, love, hope, joy, and peace. I'm coming to give the world a big bear hug and saying, "We're better together." We can do this together. There's a lot of work to do on this planet. There always has been a lot of work to do on this planet. Do not be scared. Do not be terrified because the change has already happened. I want people to leave my space empowered, and hopeful.

As a multi-hyphenate, you are constantly on the go and juggling multiple projects at once. Why is self-care so important and neces sary while in this space?

Because self-care is about remaining healthy enough to show up for all the things that are required of you. If I don't take care of myself, then I'm run down and sick, and I’m no use to anybody. And listen, I'm still in the process of learning what self-care means, what it looks like, and how to engage with it. It's not an easy thing for me, but COVID really helped me understand how to begin that pro cess.

How do you keep your own mental health and well-being in check?

There's a lot of therapy. That's first and foremost. Secondly, I have a house now. I bought my first house during quarantine, and I got out of the city. I have a place to go that's like a solace. I didn't really know that. When I moved to New York, I lived in a little apartment, and I’ve always lived in small spaces. So, what’s great about the self-care compartment is that I have this house; I'm literally standing in it right now, looking at my backyard.

There’s breath, and we just need to be able to breathe sometimes. That’s self-care. I also do the massage thing, which is really good, and when I can,

I like to do yoga and meditate. I started getting back into shape for the concert, so I’ve been doing Pilates, and it’s been really good for me. I’m taking care of myself, and a little weed every now and again won’t hurt anybody either (laughs).

Outside of entertainment, you are very vocal about politics and LGBTQ activism. Would you like to comment about the recent sweep of anti-drag and anti-trans bills?

It’s in the presentation for me. First of all, it’s all about power, and it’s all a distraction so that power can be achieved. Power continues to be stolen from the people who actually earned it by vote. The other part about it, to me, is the way we cover the information. We need to look at that, and I'm talking from every vantage point. The way we cover it, it’s as if it's new. Nothing that is happening right now is new. We don't teach our history in America. They're making the truth illegal, so those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it, and we're right in the middle of one of those cycles.

All we need to do is remember that the history of this country is built on the backs of my ancestors. It's built on slavery and a lie. We are not the shining city on the hill, and as an American, I get to question that. That's what democracy is about. We get to challenge that, but unfortunately, the fear mongering is working right now. How do we shift that? I’m not sure, but I know for me, what I'm saying is, the change has already happened. As much as I can say it, the change has already happened. Be encouraged and inspired by that!

I know that the change has already happened because I'm here, and I lived it. I'm a product of what change is. It was impossible for me to be who I am when I started in this business over 30 years ago. So, how do we lean into the positive of all this mess so that we can be empowered together? Yes, when they go low, we go high, but we need to redefine what going high looks like in this new world order. It's a new day. We’re in the Wild West in terms of activism. When I think about the Civil Rights Movement, they had television, and that was their anchor to get the world to see what was going on.

Television doesn't work anymore because we see the horrors every day and we’re now desensitized. So, what’s next? I don't have the answer, but it's time for the way we engage to evolve, and I'm trying to be at the forefront of whatever that means. I said on The View that everybody is so afraid of a civil war, but we’re already in one. A civil war of our minds. We are so confused about what’s going on, and somebody had the audacity to say in the comments that I was calling for murder. Like, this is what I’m talking about! I’m just going to continue speaking up and stay the course, honey!

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug? I’m just trying to plug this music, so hopefully people will buy it, and I can sell out stadiums in a few years. We’re making some hits, darling!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Porter by following him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @theebillyporter. Visit theebillyporter.com to purchase tickets for The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume 1, coming May 2 to Denver’s Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre.