Do Over Fest: Artist Roundup
“Created by the people, for the people.” This distinct slogan is something we’ve encountered or seen used by media sources time and time again, we see it hanging on almost every other news site's introduction line without even realizing it’s there. Due to the overdone nature of this phrase, the meaning and context behind the words has been lost. If I had to skim through a handful of festivals, promoters, and even news sources, the only one that comes to my mind that accurately matches, “Created by the people, for the people” in all its glory, is Do Over Fest.
Curated by Flynn Namala, (whom I had the pleasure to sit down with & discuss the fest more in depth, which you can find here) Do Over Fest was birthed as a way to showcase Los Angeles queer BIPOC artists. With the intention to spotlight artists who have been unrepresented and underappreciated for longer than they should be, it’s now acted as a chance to advocate for these young voices in a virtually accessible festival for eight consecutive days-- something that our local music communities have yet to experience. With over 54 artists on the lineup, Do Over Fest admirably celebrated the creation of writings, paintings, film, music and other art forms alike. A notable highlight was a live performance on the festival site from The Uhuruverse, a trans disabled artist who performs experimental solo projects and plays electric guitar for the Black queer punk band Fuck U Pay Us. The band also demands land reparations for the African Holocaust and free self-defense training for femmes.
With the festival coming to an end, I was able to chat with a few of the artists who were spotlighted on the Do Over Fest site. We discuss their artistry, the voices they use to uplift the queer youth, and how no matter what art form you create it’s important to share YOUR story before anyone else's. I had the honor of chatting with Nyfe and Amada of the trip-hop and genre-bending group, Closegood; Ciara, who creates limitless freedom within her photography and writes creative pieces from the soul; and lastly, Frankie Consent, who is a trans pop star in the making. Get to know the artists with a few Q&A’s below.
Artist: Ciara
How do you identify?
I identity as queer (they/she). It’s very difficult having to navigate a world where everyone is telling you who or what you're supposed to be; and never making you aware of the infinite possibilities. I’ve always known that I've never been comfortable with being labeled with anything. I hate feeling restricted, and feeling that in your own body is horrible.
I want to be able to move freely through the world; meaning I don’t want people immediately calling me a woman because of my appearance, or anything else that I haven’t confirmed to be something I’m okay with. I’d rather people view me as Ciara: an artist, a healer, and further a whole PERSON who doesn’t want to be watered down and placed into binary categories that limit others, in order to make people “understandable” and simple.
However, I cannot control the way others perceive me. Due to being very femme presenting, I will walk through this world being seen as a young black woman. We judge people and categorize them quickly so we can better understand them; but those rash generalizations narrow your mind and POV on what it means to be human and free from titles. There’s so much hatred and fear due to a severe lack of exposure to people who differ from you, or are unlike anyone you’ve ever encountered.
It boils down to this: Why are you so affected by someone else living that you go out of your way to cause them pain due to your insecurity in regards to understanding them? I never understood the need to harm others emotionally and physically, when you could simply stay quiet and mind your own. If you don’t understand: research, if you have lack of exposure: engage in new experiences (if possible), and if you have hate in your heart: find the root of your pain and anger, do the work, and keep the rest of us out of it.
Does your identity play a huge part within your photography & the other art forms you produce?
Absolutely! However, I didn’t always see this. My friend Alma Har’el, who’s a director, wanted to showcase some of my photos on her Instagram and asked me to write a bit about how I would describe my work. While I was gathering the photos, I realized that I didn’t have any photos of people who weren’t queer. It feels more comfortable to create with people you know and have a connection with, so a lot of the time would end up shooting my friends. It’s actually never been a conscious choice to shoot majority POC and queer people; it more so happened because of my immediate community and the people I gravitated to.
I’m always going to create with people who reflect pieces of me that are hidden and want out, or pieces that are already in the light, but want validity. People who are part of groups and identities that others oppress, tend to be so willing and free to create the wildest things. We aren’t afraid of being judged because we walk through every day being judged. I genuinely want to capture their power, radiate their true selves, and present an image and character that is beyond the bounds and limits of binaries and expectations.
I know you’re also a writer/poet as well, your most recent writing that you posted on Instagram is powerful, moving, and speaks volumes with truth on what is currently happening in our state of a country. Can you discuss how that poem came about and the process on how your writing flows within you?
I’ve always gravitated towards writing poetry and began performing my words when I was around sixteen. I fell off of it for years and recently picked it back up due to quarantine to relieve the running thoughts. I had realized why I stopped writing years ago and what was happening when I was around 16. There were so many shifts and emotions happening at the same time: an identity crisis, feeling isolated, and wanting to explore life, but feeling restricted by school and my age. I never wanted to force myself to write because I end up censoring or editing myself to please others.
During quarantine, I wasn’t feeling drawn to poetry, but I was being drawn to free form writing and long form spoken word, some prose. I have this section in my notes app called “Think Pieces” where I write out theories, jot down thoughts for later discourse, or marinate ideas for long form societal critiques I wanted to engage in.
So in regards to that piece of writing I posted, it came along after the news broke about Ahmaud Arbery. There were so many things that pissed me off at once; it was very difficult to process. It was this line: Here we go again. I had so much to say, so much anger at multiple systems and people, and I took a night to let it all out. I returned in the morning to refine it. I decided to post it because I needed people to hear a first hand perspective of the pain and frustration from someone who’s feeling hopeless and scared that nothing will change. I needed people to confront their privilege and break through their uncomfortability and fight for us without wanting a reward or doing it for performance. I needed others to fight because no one listens to us. It ended up getting picked up by hundreds of people worldwide; it was incredible to see that my words made such a large impact on people who I both knew personally, and those I’ve never met as far as Greece.
Whats one piece of advice you would like to give to the younger BIPOC & queer generation who are trying to create any art form? How important is it for queer, trans & GNC artists to create and be apart of art & music?
If you don't tell your stories, they will never be seen. Most people tend to discover the diversity of human beings from media; whether that be film, photographs, documentaries, songs and countless other ways. If you're not creating art for your own people, you're going to be lost in history. When you leave others to tell our stories, the result is history being white-washed and a lack of proper representation across medias.
So my main piece of advice is: if you want to see yourself reflected in media, you have to make that material because no one else will. If you want to see your community depicted properly and respectfully, overwhelm our medias with content that destroys stereotypes. We need to keep pushing out content that normalizes queer people/life and validates them, that normalizes black and brown joy and success, that normalizes and explores the beautiful diverse lifestyles of those with disabilities, that normalizes living both in and against societal norms and expectations.
We have to help bring those who are unaware of our various identities to a place of acceptance instead of fear; and to help show them through our work that we all hold such complex and wonderful lives filled with endless fluidity and diversity. No one is the same as the next person; queer or not. Show people this!
When did you know that the art forms you produce, such as photography and writing were your callings?
I had always been called to photography and visuals first. You could always find me recording my friends or taking photos- I love to document what others tend to forget. I got into filmmaking in high school and stayed with that for a long while, but photography is more accessible and always gave me comfort; whereas filmmaking stressed me out. I definitely think I’ll be moving into more of an experimental atmosphere of filmmaking and beginning to shift into music videos.
Photography will always be my first love. It’s literally cemented in my birth chart that photography and filmmaking are my destined callings. When it comes to writing, I had journalled heavily as a kid and I believe that’s what brought me over to poetry when I grew older. I still have an interest in poetry, but I think my writing will expand over to more theories, think pieces, critiques, and free form writing. I like to make people think because that’s all I ever do myself; I question and I question and give myself headaches trying to keep it all inside. I have a lot to share and I could only hope that I keep making art that pushes boundaries and raises questions (and eyebrows).
What’s one thing you would like to see change within your music community for LGBTQA+ & trans artists?
The DIY music scene in LA, at least when I was actively in it, felt very cis and male dominated. I really only ever saw queer bands with a diverse background when they were female fronted or in femme and queer heavy spaces. It’s one of those things where you can’t expect to see queer artists and bands in places where they have purposefully been excluded; meaning you have to make your own spaces.
I’ve always felt uncomfortable in these scenes because I’m black, and it was very rare to find other black people in the scene- especially when it came to punk or doom metal shows. It’s the venue’s responsibility, the audience’s responsibility, and the artist(s)’s responsibility to make sure that the spaces they provide are safe, respectful, and inclusive of all (who are not there with the intent to harass and cause harm). The music scene in itself is one filled with predatory, racist, and sexist behavior, so it’s everyone’s job to protect your fellow communities to keep spaces welcoming and filled with unity.
Artist: Closegood
How do you both identify?
Nyfe: I identify as non-binary. I prefer they/them pronouns.
Amada: I also identify as non-binary, sometimes I identify as transfemme. I'm also okay with she/hers or they/them pronouns but lately it’s been leaning more towards she/hers.
Does your identity play a huge part within your music repertoire & lyricism?
Yeah, I think that plays a definite part for us, we don't tend to intentionally write about any particular topic. A lot of songwriting just kind of comes with how I'm feeling in the moment or what I need a song to do for me. It's just mainly to articulate a specific feeling or sometimes you need some sort of healing from your music. But typically we would say trans and non-binary themes do come across within the lyrics. When it's in our music it's more of a reflection of our life, meaning this is us so it’s never intentional, it’s just us expressing who we are.
The music you create is very distinct, meaning it’s very genre-bending and has elements of Earl Sweatshirt, FKA Twigs & even moments of Tierra Whack. So how did you find your space in music and the sound you create?
Amada: When we started making music before we even started a project we would just mess around with sounds for ages. We had a sound that I haven't heard before. We started getting better at making music and there was a point where we felt that we could create songs now. So we started drifting into the style of different genres and bending the boundaries of music we like. It kind of ended up being a mixture of that and also creating music that just makes us happy.
Nyfe: I would say after the first project it was fun performing, but also difficult performing sometimes because you put yourself in this place to relive these difficult topics or situations we talk about. Our music has evolved to get us back to a place to talk about heavy things but still having fun with it in live spaces. Even the music we listen to influences our sound completely. When we first started making music together, most of our band practice just consisted of us showing each other music in different genres. So we knew we wanted to inject all of those sounds but make it our own.
How long have you both known each other & how long have you both been doing this project?
It’s been about four years now. At first we would just play music together and jam in the beginning. But in the summer of 2016 we started to make more serious songs and we would take longer periods of time to focus on one thing. We ended up creating our first EP with four to five songs.
We met each other at our college campus and had the keys to the film building that had all the sound equipment so that's where it all began with the whole project. We started putting stuff online and quickly got some great feedback along with a couple of industry people who had contacted us that wanted to invest in our project. That's when we started to take it seriously because people were now willing to invest in us, that’s when we knew this was more than just a fun project.
It’s funny because we both thought, “Well we have an EP, and now someone wants to pay us for an album so let's do this.” We also met at a private college that was a religious institution which is why our music came about the way that it does. So that’s how I met Taylor, and the environment was not super friendly to queer people or to black people. We both felt super isolated at that time, and I felt like I was losing my religion. When you're running away from things and you find people that are like minded in a place that you don't expect to find people that are like minded, you form a stronger bond. For us, this project was writing ourselves out of these places we didn't want to be in. It’s almost how we protected ourselves in this little bubble.
When did you know that this was your calling?
Nyfe: For me I’ve been writing songs since forever, I remember as a kid I would go into the shower and write songs then come out and think that's fun. But I didn't realize at the time that it was an artistic endeavor. I just assumed everybody had music in their head all the time but soon realized as I got older that isn't the case. It wasn't until I was in high school that I started taking songwriting as a practice. But I definitely didn't dive into it fully until I met Taylor (Amada).
Amada: I had played the guitar when I was younger and was in an acapella choir in school for a bit but never learned music theory properly. Even with the instruments I play, I felt like I could never articulate my musical ideas very well. Once we started making music together, I had the chance to use music production software in the studio and quickly realized the software is a way that I can actually articulate the melodies or ideas I held in my head and it built my passion for it. It was me being able to actually connect with music in a way where I felt like I was saying what I was trying to say or creating the sounds I wanted to create.
Whats one piece of advice you would like to give to the younger BIPOC & queer generation who are trying to create any art form? How important is it for queer, trans & GNC artists to create and be apart of art & music?
Nyfe: What draws me to hip-hop specifically, is that it’s a platform to give voices to people who are marginalized. Music as a whole is constantly doing that and queer young people specifically who may not have space to express themselves in their everyday lives can go to the internet to find resources within those scenes.
Amada: Music has always been a catalyst for opening the heart and opening the mind. I think it will help others understand us at some point but it’s most important to be a voice for other queer folks so they don’t feel alone. The call of the revolution can be in any role, it’s not only about music, it’s just about embodying that voice.
Artist: Frankie Consent
How do you identify?
I’m a black trans masc enby clown pop star.
Does your identity play a huge part within your music repertoire or other art forms?
Yes but I don’t actively think about making art that comments on my identity or writing songs about being trans or black etc. It plays a big role in my art because I try to be as truthful to my experience as possible, and to honor what I’m strongly feeling when I’m making a song or a performance piece or tangible object.
So, I’ll end up making songs about being authorized or angry at people that treat me and my community like shit, or wanting change, and also songs that are related to the love that I have for people that really see and respect me. Also, performing as a clown and making pieces related to queer clowns is an intentional way for me to hyper-adress that I’m interpreted as a freak and I’m going to get in people’s faces about that, while also being extremely sensitive and generous and fun!
How was the start of your career as an artist birthed?
I don’t think I have a career and if I do I’m in denial about it because I don’t really want one. I’ve been making things for a very long time, I can’t pinpoint when it started. But, my project FRANK/IE CONSENT, my current project started in 2017 and I guess it was birthed by the Brooklyn freak noisy DIY scene SHOUTOUT TO THE HOMIES. Being in the environment helped me feel like music was something that I could make and it shaped my sound and helped me grow as a human being.
What inspires you to create the music/art you do?
I’m inspired by generosity and the many forms in which it exists. I’m inspired by the generosity of trans people, and of other artists, people I meet on the streets, my roommates, Atlanta. When something or someone has a purely generous moment I become really inspired.
What’s one thing you would like to see change within your music community for LGBTQIA+ & trans artists?
I want to see way more trans people being given a platform where they feel comfortable experimenting with sounds and performative concepts. I would love it if it was cool to think ~outside of the box~ and in squiggly lines or whatever, just because I think that so many of us trans homies are shy. I definitely needed a push from other queer artists to feel like I could take up space and reject ideas of how we think about music and to find my own path.
With everything currently happening in local music scenes regarding the call out of sexual assault, what is something you hope to see change?
I literally need to see people being held accountable by their community. If everyone has heard that someone has predatory behavior and they just keep booking that person for shows and treating them the same/ not considering the environments that they’re going into or whose being put in harm, that’s fucked.
Being a trans artist can have it’s definite trials & tribulations while being in a CIS male dominated industry. What’s been your biggest struggle & your biggest achievement with being who you are?
I’m not a part of any industry and never want to be a part of any industry and I am lucky to have found a community of predominately trans and queer musicians in the DIY scene in Brooklyn so that I don’t have to worry as much about icky cis men dominating anything. When I started doing shows in Brooklyn, the way that I was treated by cis men and white cis people ended up influencing my music and how I performed because I would just get SO MAD. I hated being booked and then misgendered or playing shows with white cis boy punk bands, or men questioning if I knew what I was doing: why I play on the floor, why I use the instruments I use, why I do dadadadadadadada.
I recently moved to Atlanta and already encountered the same thing, or people assuming that my art wasn’t good because they were cis and usually men and usually white. I hate the assumptions. Because of COVID-19, I never got a chance to find a queer freak scene in Atlanta, or to create one, but I’m interested in how that will play out in the future.
How important is it for queer, trans & GNC artists to create and be apart of art & music?
I think that it’s important that queer, trans, and GNC people have the opportunity to go for and feel encouraged to do whatever they want to try and do. It would be cool if instead of thinking about queer, trans and GNC people joining something that already exists and is dominated by cis-het people, to instead strive for spaces and scenes that we start and run, and where we are the ones booking things.
Because pretty much always…Queer art is way more nuanced and beautiful and thoughtful and creative anyways, because we experience the world in so many different ways that cis-het people sometimes have trouble comprehending. I want young queers, especially other queer BIPOC homies, to know that you can be the one that starts something. You can support one another and encourage one another to make things the way that you want them to be, because we are full of resiliency and love and creativity- by nature.
