Every time I hear super awesome music from none other than a drag queen, one fairy gets born. Drag queens who are also a great musicians are extremely rare, especially those who write and play their music. Trixie Mattel is one of those drag queens and she might as well be considered a fairy. Her excessive makeup is her magic wand and she is not afraid to use it.
When you think about the music of drag queens, you probably think of EDM fueled, house-dance pop jams that may or may not be bearable to listen to. But now it comes the real shocker - Trixie Mattel plays acoustic folk music. The winner of RuPauls DragRace All Stars 3 just released her debut album One Stone which magically managed to reach #1 on iTunes. It is possible that the finale of the show, which aired at the same day One Stone was released, pushed the album to the top position. But let's now worry about chart performance. Let's focus on Trixie's performing and singing abilities.
Brian Firkus aka Trixie Mattell plays various acoustic instruments, with harp being the most interesting of them. While Trixie might not be virtuoso, her lyric writing abilities compensate for the lack of playing expertise. However, that's not to say that Trixie is not talented in that area, rather that she shines fully in songwriting. I mean, just take a look at the lyrics of the album's first single Moving Parts, which serve as a metaphor for both her drag character and love relationships.
Living is like a jigsawAnd the farther in you goIf you're missing piecesNever really knowWhen you're ticking like a timepieceOn which you can rely Wonder why you wind itWhen you're running out of time
Sometimes there's a danger of choking on the partsNo one gave a warning to the breaking of your heartsPick up all your pieces and go back to the startNever losing, only using all your moving partsAll your moving parts
Soldier is another standout, a track in which Trixie covers the theme of growing as an individual and how the change is incremental and time-consuming. Little Sister is my last warm recommendation, although all of the other 4 songs are pretty chill. Second single Break Your Heart is the worst as it sounds like Taylor Swift pop balderdash.
Who would though a drag queen could be such a talented folk songwriter? Dolly Parton, you have a serious competition.
