TITUSS BURGESS SPILLS THE 'PEENO NOIR' FOR US

With work in television, film, theatre, and music, Tituss Burgess has become one of the entertainment industry’s most versatile and dynamic performers who has generated both critical and commercial acclaim. Television audiences first met him when he appeared on the hit NBC series 30 Rock, but it was his role in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Kimmy’s over-the-top best friend and roommate Titus Andromedon that made him a star. Burgess instantly became a household name and spawned hundreds of GIFs and memes as a result of his exaggerated expressiveness.

Adding to his diverse talents, Burgess released his first piece of music aimed squarely at dance music culture. If you thought “Peeno Noir” and the ultimate Lemonade spoof was fierce, then you must check out “Dance M.F.” This sexy track with an attitude is certain to bring comfort and escapism to our currently socially distanced souls. Originally intended to spice up this year’s canceled Pride season, “Dance M.F.” became this summer’s anthem.

Burgess took some time to chat more with OUT FRONT about the new track, playing the iconic character of Titus Andromedon, and some upcoming film and TV projects.

Hello, Tituss! I cannot get enough of your sultry stomper of a track, “Dance M.F.” How has it been received by audiences?

People have been tweeting at me and sending DMs of them dancing to it and such. I sort of throw things out in the world and try not too hard to pay attention to how well they are doing because I don’t want the space in between—the space that I can’t govern or control, to begin to influence how I felt making it and influence why I made it, to sort of alter the energy that I put into constructing it. So, I put it out there, and people who need it, hopefully they find it, and it serves them. I am already drumming up something else to give to the public, because we need fun things to take our minds off of what’s really going on.

This is your first official dance track. What made you want to tackle that genre?

I didn’t set out to write a dance track. I wrote this with a young lady named Imani Coppola and a guy named Dan Edinberg. I took derived lyrics from a letter that I wrote to myself last winter. I was going through a particularly dark time, and I do not journal, but I jotted down some thoughts. I went into the studio with these guys and began to explain the energetic atmosphere that I wanted to create, which translated into what it would sound sonically. I then dumped some of the verbiage into the verses because I thought, ‘I don’t want to just sing all over the place. I want to create. I want to feel like I’m at the bar, the club.’ Sort of 90s, underground club scene party. Once we came up with the sound, it was very clear that this was about to be a dance track, so it happened rather organically.

Last year, you released your EP Saint Tituss, but I heard that you felt like you were unable to give it the attention it deserves. Any plans to revisit it?

I will say this, and this is both related and unrelated: I just started working on a project with a director/ choreographer, and we are going to be looking at the possibility of using a great deal of the music that I have written that by and large have not been consumed by the public. To create some sort of theatrical piece. So, the answer is yes, I will revisit it, just perhaps not in the way that I initially intended the world to consume it.

I would like to switch gears and ask a couple questions about the show that launched you into the public spotlight, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. How emotional is it for you now that it’s over?

You know, I joked with Tina[Fey] and said I don’t think Kimmy is ever over [laughs]. I really doubt it. That’s me starting rumors, and that’s not me confirming that she confirmed it because she did not, but when we did a panel, she said she was open to keeping Kimmy universe going. So, I don’t know what this means, but she is open to it. I don’t know if I feel there is closure because it may still go on.

As an openly gay man, did you have any hesitations accepting the role of a flamboyantly gay character?

No, because she wrote such a fully formed character. They were telling me about the arc, and in many ways, Titus Andromedon is more an everyman than everyone else. He is the epitome of every marginalized group. He’s overweight, which is a no-no in the gay community. He is Black, that is a no-no in America. He is a gay Christian, and that’s a no-no. He can’t get a job because he is all of these things, so he represents everyone. I

also made it a point to make his eccentricities, including his flamboyance, not a key ingredient to who Titus Andromedon was. It was his delusions of grandeur, his inability to consider others, and his fight to be who he was after being repressed and suppressed for so long, coming out so late. It’s all of those things that influence our actions when we do come out later in life.

So, I jumped at the chance of playing that because while I came out at 17,18, there are other things we come out of the closet for, things we don’t talk about. We are always unearthing something within ourselves, so it was easy to tap into, and I was proud to play him and proud to represent more of America.

Do people expect you to be just like Titus Andromendon when they meet you?

When things first started out, the answer was wholeheartedly yes. I think that narrative is shifting, and I’m not really sure why. Maybe because there’s distance now between me and the show when it premiered, but also with my emergence in other areas and movies. People are starting to find me who don’t even know about Kimmy Schmidt. I think in many ways, I’m still a bit of a toddler in this business. I think that won’t be such a hurdle in the near future.

A film I am very happy that you are involved with is the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect, that is set to release in January. You play James Cleveland. How did you get involved with this film?

I auditioned! [Laughs] And they gave me the role. I know this man’s music very, very, very intimately. I was the music director of my church at an early age, and my grandmother listened to all of James Cleveland’s albums and sermons. His music has influenced much of how I write, the narratives that I use, and some of the sounds that I use.

Between you and me, I knew I was going to get this part. Like, I am so equipped to do this! And I was having a sh*tty day when it was time for me to go in there and do this, but I got focused, and I used all of that frustration. There was a beautiful monologue I had to deliver, and I just put all of my pain inside that. I just hope I did the role justice.

Before we wrap up, are there any other projects we should be on the lookout for?

There is something coming down the pipeline from Netflix that I did, and I think the world is going to really enjoy it. It is in the non-scripted space. Season two of Central Park is underway; Season Two of Dishmantled for Quibi will be filmed soon; Respect comes out this winter, and there is a whole bunch of other stuff!

To stay up-to-date with Burgess, follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/TitussBurgess and Instagram @instatituss. To read the full interview, visit outfrontmagazine.com.