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Logan Lynn Interview and Photo Spread in February Issue of Bear World Magazine

Logan Lynn by Andrew Carreon (2015)

I’m featured in the February 2015 issue of Bear World Magazine. We chat about my new record, TV work, mental health advocacy, overcoming trauma, escaping oppressive church systems and more.

Read my interview on the BWM site by clicking on the image below, or keep reading for the full transcript.

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From Bear World Magazine: (Feb 2015 Issue)

“DOMINIQUE ROBBINS MEETS WITH AMERICAN POP ARTIST LOGAN LYNN”

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Logan Lynn is an American singer songwriter and pop artist whose music is filled with electrifying synths, upbeat tempos and catchy lyrics, but this is the least of Logan. Growing up as a PK (meaning preacher’s kid), life was not as easy or as fulfilling as it is now. Being part of an on the road Christian cult as he describes under his father’s teachings to being molested as a child by a close family friend, he rose from the ashes and became the man we know today. I now present to some and introduce to others LOGAN LYNN!

DOM: Hello Logan it is a pleasure to interview you once again.

LOGAN: Hi! Always a pleasure to chat with you, as well.

DOM: Let’s start by talking a bit about your life and how it has influenced your music?

LOGAN: I mean…there are no ways in which my life has not influenced my music.  My feeling experience is what guides my writing, and my songs have always been confessional.  I’m only any good when I’m being truthful — in life and in music — so that is the piece I continue to be married to.  A wise person once told me “It doesn’t have to be pretty to be true, but if it’s true, it’s beautiful.”  I try to keep that as my guiding principle as I write and play out my days.

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DOM: In a previous interview with you we talked a bit about you growing up as a preacher’s kid and how your dad had a mobile ministry and all of the hurt that came with it. What was it like living that life and being among a group of people that publicly despise the gay community?

LOGAN: Well, not all Christians hate the LGBTQ community.  The whole “Gays vs. God” narrative is incredibly polarizing and damaging. That being said, I was raised in a non-affirming Christian cult, and it totally messed me up for years. I suffered a great deal of abuse in the church I grew up in, and that experience sent me down a really destructive path for years after I escaped. It has taken me nearly 20 years to put myself back together again, but I feel really happy to be where I’m at these days with my family and the whole religious damage thing. I have experienced a great deal of healing, and it’s no longer an issue, other than my being an advocate for others dealing with the same sort of abuse.  These days, my experience empowers me and informs that work.

DOM: Would you encourage others to follow Christianity after what you have experienced?

LOGAN: I would encourage others to do what is right for them. There is no right or wrong way to find yourself. The thing to do is to find people who love and celebrate you for who you are, Christian or otherwise.  If you find yourself with people who are trying to change you, or telling you that you are going to hell for who you love, then fuck those people. That’s not Christianity. That’s oppression using religion as a tool for hate.

DOM:  Let’s dive into the music a bit.  You released two new songs in 2014, but neither one has that true electronic sound as your previous songs. Why the separation from that world and what can we expect on the new album?

LOGAN: Yeah, my first album came out 15 years ago this year, and I have stayed fairly centered in the electropop world during that time. There were years when I was signed to Caroline/EMI and had tons of major label pressure to be a certain way, followed by years of struggling to own the rights to my name, likeness and music again after we parted ways.  In February of last year they finally released me and I obtained all of my songs again.  After that, I felt that I wanted to make a record exactly how I wanted to make it, and to explore new sonic territory.

In 2012 I released a 5 song EP of acoustic songs called “Everything You Touch Turns To Gold” which was received well, and we ended my last album in a way which set the stage for this new sound.  I would say this new record we have been working on still has elements of electronics, but for the most part it is organic instrumentation. So far we have 13 songs, all of which began as A cappella melodies that we have used as a blueprint for where the music should go.  This is the opposite of how my albums usually come about, so the process feels new and exciting.  I’m super inspired, as is my band.  I think that really comes through in the new songs. I have experienced a great deal of loss the past couple of years, so these songs are about letting go, saying goodbye, and finding yourself in the midst of grief and change.

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DOM: In September 2014 you performed at one of the country’s largest gay music fest’s Stargayzer in Austin, Texas. How was that experience?

LOGAN: Oh, God. It was so fun.  My friend Paul Soileau (aka CHRISTEENE) saw us perform in Seattle at Mo-Wave Festival earlier in the year, which led to our being booked as headliners for Stargayzer Fest.  I loved sharing the stage with Big Freedia, Austra, Trust, Mykki Blanco, SSION, CHRISTEENE, and so many other talented queers. Austin is a fun city.  It was a beautiful weekend.

DOM: What did it feel like performing in front of some of the most known lgbt music artists in the world?

LOGAN: That was part of what was so special about Stargayzer.  It had a genuine community feeling throughout the festival, which was also how Mo-Wave in Seattle felt.  Having people like MX Justin Bond and CHRISTEENE out in the audience while we performed completely blew my mind, and getting to hang out by the pool at the hotel with Yo! Majesty, Cazwell and Big Freedia was surreal. We were all there to make something magical happen, and it worked.

DOM:  Some people might remember or recognize you from the show NewNowNext on Logo. How did you land that job and how do you think it affected your career?

LOGAN: Yes, Logo has been a huge supporter of me and my music from the time that channel was launched, and in the early days (2006-2012) it was a really special time.  The head of MTV artist development came to our show at NYC pride after seeing us perform at Folsom Street Fair and ended up being a champion for my work.  He booked me as the host of NewNowNext in 2007 and my videos were picked as one of the “Top 10 Videos” that year and in 2008. Being on TV so much definitely had a lot to do with people discovering me. I am forever grateful to people like Arielle Baer and Perry Turcotte at Logo for giving me that exposure and believing in me way before I had my shit together.

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DOM: Just as a fun question. Would you consider yourself a bear or an otter?

LOGAN: I’m not sure. I’m super tall and hairy, so…maybe otter?

DOM: Do these labels bear, cub, otter etc…mean anything to you in the grand scheme of things and why do you think we continue to place ourselves in these categories?

LOGAN: Not really, aside from people woofing at me or whatever. I think it’s fine for people to want to be a part of a subset of community, and folks should be allowed to identify however they want…but I don’t think of myself in those ways. I’m just a dude who likes dudes. I’m pretty old-fashioned about the whole thing, honestly.

DOM: If you had the chance to encourage someone that is just down on life regardless of age, race etc… what would you tell them?

LOGAN: I would hope that everyone could get to a point where they realize that they are more than the things they have done or have had happen to them. We are all creatures who matter, who deserve to be loved.  There is so much stigma around mental health, around struggle.  I just want people to know that they are not alone.  We are all struggling with the same shit.  I am right there with you…and, in the end, even though our truth may not be pretty, because it’s true, it’s beautiful.

DOM: How can people reach you and follow your progress?

LOGAN: I’m easy to find — My website is LoganLynnMusic.com, I’m on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram…everywhere, basically.  I also write for Huffington Post and a few other media outlets, in addition to my music being available wherever songs are streamed and sold.

Category: Arts & Culture, Community Work, Interviews, LGBT, life, Logan Lynn, Music, News, Oregon, Portland, Press, Queer, Release Info, Reviews, Sexual Abuse & Recovery, Shows, Stargayzer Festival, Uncategorized

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