In honor of Satisfaction Month, Atwood Journal has invited artists to take part in a collection of essays reflecting on id, music, tradition, inclusion, and extra.

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At present, Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter and DJ Mike Taylor shares his essay, “Satisfaction Unconfined: Navigating Id, Illustration, and Liberation as a Queer Artist of Shade,” as part of Atwood Journal’s Satisfaction Month collection! Says Taylor, “This essay explores my year-round pleasure as a queer individual of coloration, my experiences as an artist navigating intersections of id, the significance of difficult assumptions and stereotypes, and the facility of illustration and visibility.”

Mike Taylor’s inspirations might be traced again to rising up in Philly, absorbing the sounds on MTV spanning from the Infamous B.I.G. and Daft Punk to Marilyn Manson and Inexperienced Day. Raised by his mom, who raised him on hip-hop, R&B and soul, he explored the opposite aspect of music—performing—by watching his father, a neighborhood jazz musician, at golf equipment and bars, in addition to exploring the eclectic sounds of town.

He started throwing events along with his mates, accruing cultural cachet within the space after hitting a collection of roadblocks whereas attempting to get his music heard. “I obtained sick of begging DJs and begging promoters to guide me at their venues, so me and my homies began throwing our personal occasions,” he remembers. “After years of efficiently doing these occasions our events in addition to our fan base obtained greater and greater, and it created a buzz round our collective in addition to me as an artist.”

Now, as a solo artist carrying the torch, Taylor is blurring genres on his personal—“If you open your self as much as completely different sorts of music, that very same openness stays with you in the course of the creation course of,” he says—and taking probabilities that may outline his path as a artistic power throughout boundaries.

Mike boasts a sonically various discography with over 1.48 million month-to-month listeners and a whopping 240 million whole streams on Spotify. Mike Taylor has a jam-packed 2023 as he rolls out his artist venture with a slew of releases, and a back-to-back summer time line-up of reside performances celebrating the Satisfaction group.

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“PRIDE UNCONFINED”

Navigating Id, Illustration, and Liberation as a Queer Artist of Shade

by Mike Taylor

My pleasure extends far past the boundaries of a single month. It’s a fixed flame that burns brightly all year long, illuminating my path and guiding my journey of self-acceptance and liberation. Nevertheless, Satisfaction Month holds a particular place in my coronary heart. It serves as a devoted time to replicate on the brave souls who’ve paved the way in which within the ongoing battle for queer and Black liberation. My Satisfaction as a queer individual of coloration can’t be confined to a mere month. It’s an intrinsic a part of my id that resonates inside me daily. It’s a celebration of my authenticity, resilience, and the colourful tapestry of experiences that make me who I’m. This year-round pleasure fuels my dedication to reside unapologetically, embrace love and acceptance, and problem the systemic limitations that hinder progress.

As an artist from West Philadelphia, the intersectionality of my Blackness, queerness, and concrete upbringing has profoundly influenced my music and perspective. It’s a novel standpoint that displays marginalized communities’ realities, struggles, and resilience. By way of my music, I try to problem stereotypes, amplify voices, ignite social change, and unapologetically perpetuate pleasure. My id occupies a number of areas, and my music turns into a platform to navigate the intersections of those identities. The complexities of my expertise inform my perspective. I’m typically advised that “I don’t come throughout as queer,” or typically, due to the genres I mix that my music isn’t typical “Black music.” my response is all the time the identical,  I’m not typical, and my music is Black and Queer Af as a result of I’m Black and Queer AF, interval.

In a world that usually seeks to categorize and label people based mostly on appearances, assumptions about id might be dangerously deceptive. As a masculine-of-center queer man, I perceive the significance of difficult preconceived notions and the perils of judging somebody’s id at a look. Many queer people embody a broad spectrum of experiences, appearances, and expressions. Our identities should not confined to societal norms or stereotypes. It’s essential to acknowledge that queerness can’t be distilled right into a single visible or auditory illustration. To imagine in any other case perpetuates the erasure of various experiences inside our whole group.

It has been difficult for me to seek out my place within the music business, however not for the explanations it’s possible you’ll suppose. I spent years not essentially within the closet but in addition not explicitly out. I all the time took subject with the truth that queer of us needed to publicly announce their identities to the world in a approach that straight folks didn’t. So I refused to. I had no downside with anybody realizing, however I might be vehemently towards popping out. To me, it was my act of protest. However over time, I might go searching and see a lacking piece to the puzzle. I didn’t see myself wherever. I noticed nothing reflecting my id in music, style, and leisure. I bear in mind speaking to a really shut queer buddy, they usually advised me, “It’s a must to be that individual you wanted while you have been somewhat queer boy”—that second made me notice the significance of being open about my id. Popping out publicly was a tough resolution, however it allowed me to be true to myself and to characterize those that could really feel unheard or unseen. It’s important to have illustration and visibility for marginalized communities in all types of media. I hope to proceed positively influencing and advocating for queer people in music and past.

In conclusion, my Satisfaction as a Black, queer particular person isn’t a seasonal show however a continuous celebration of my individuality and resilience.

Whereas extremely important, Satisfaction Month is a highlighted second in a year-round journey. My work as an artist is an avenue of self-expression and a platform to problem conventions, provide a definite perspective, and advocate for the popularity and validation of various identities. It serves as a beacon of illustration for individuals who really feel unseen and unheard. I’ve grappled with my place within the music business and society, skilled the frustrations of expectations and assumptions, and understood the facility of being seen.

My journey has been marked by self-acceptance, liberation, and an unwavering dedication to problem systemic limitations. I stand proud as a queer individual of coloration, unapologetically embracing my fact and utilizing my voice to drive change. Finally, my pleasure isn’t nearly self-affirmation but in addition about inspiring, empowering, and igniting change for the broader queer group and past. – Mike Taylor

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