Note: The video above contains graphic language.
Don't know AB Soto? This up-and-coming queer musician has spent the last several years making waves, and he's back, inspired and ready to bring you a new album.
AB Soto is one of those musicians whose performances stay with you -- just check out his video for "Crunchy" above. His performances and music not only challenge traditional understandings of "butch" and "femme," but he's part of a growing collective of musicians who increasingly seem like they will shape the future of music and mainstream queer performance.
It's been over a year since AB Soto released his last album, and now he's crowdsourcing the funds to produce now music through a Kickstarter campaign. The Huffington Post chatted with the musician this week about the Kickstarter and his identity as a queer musician.
The Huffington Post: Who is AB Soto? How would you describe yourself as an artist and performer?AB Soto: AB is short for Abraham. I combine my background in fashion and dance with music and visual performance. My work is a stylized commentary on homophobic attitudes present within dominant culture.
How do you explore queerness through your music?I explore queerness by challenging ideas and expressing my own personal story growing up as a gay Latin boy in East Los Angeles. My goal is to inspire others by showing the diversity of the more marginalized members of the gay community and bring them to a wider audience.
What are you trying to accomplish with this new Kickstarter?The goal with this Kickstarter is to raise $10,000 to produce my third album. I just returned from my second overseas tour and it's been over a year since my last album. Since I am an independent artist, this campaign is a great way to help spread the word and let the fans get involved in the creative process.
I plan to continue to grow as a person and as an artist by making new videos for this album and eventually planning another tour.