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Musicians Who Transcended Beyond the ‘Gay’ Label

Musicians Who Transcended Beyond the ‘Gay’ Label

In India, if a celebrity were to come out of the closet and embrace his orientation publically, chances are his popularity would drop faster than the Indian rupee. But fortunately, in the more liberal land of the West, your personal preferences do not snatch away your talent and an opportunity to being a successful public figure. The list below tells you of five musicians who went beyond being discriminated against for the wrong reasons, and therefore went on to become the stars and more importantly icons that they are.

Elton John: “I was comfortable being gay”

Sir Elton John   

Possibly one of the first ones to openly embrace his orientation, music legend Sir Elton John was an influential man beyond compare. Elton John has sold over 300 million records of the 30 albums he has created till date. He was even known to dabble in painting and acting on other occasions. He is best known for his songs “Can you feel the love tonight”, “Circle of life” and “Hakuna Matata” which featured in the 1995 animated film Lion King.

George Michael: “I never had a moral problem being gay”

George Michael

A multi-instrumentalist and pop singer, George Michael, had to keep his homosexuality a secret so that his mother wouldn’t worry about him contracting aids. Combatting the psychological pressure that built up, he finally revealed his fondness for men, following which the world around seemed to appear much lighter. Songs like “Jitterbug” “Wake me up before you go-go” and “Young Guns” were instrumental in ramping him up to the highest storey of fame.

Adam Lambert: “Being in a relationship, no less a gay relationship, is hard in the public eye.”

Adam Lambert

Known best for his cover of the Gary Jules’s original “Mad World”, Adam Lambert was first spotted on the eighth season of American Idol as a runner-up in 2009. Since then and now, he’s earned Grammy nominations for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and created two albums, one of which has sold nearly two millions copies around the world. That was about the music sphere. Among philanthropic collections, he was awarded the “Equality Idol Award” for his presence as a role mode and activist in the LGBT community.

Mika: “Being gay is a lifestyle choice, not an identity”

Mika

Lebanese-British singer-songwriter Mika was almost a child prodigy. He wrote his first instrumental song on the piano at the age of seven.  In 2007, his single “Grace Kelly” from the album Life in a Cartoon Motion won the Record of the Year Award. Facing dyslexia and being bullied as a child changed him as he was growing up, especially with matters concerning his sexuality. He felt he was label-less and didn’t belong to any category of sex.

Ricky Martin: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I’m very blessed to be who I am.”

Ricky Martin

Un Dos Tres, Un Pasito Pa’delante Maria was the little bit of Spanish everyone knew thanks to Ricky Martin. The Puerto Rican pop star began his career at the age of twelve and has since then played roles as a musician, author and an actor. The man behind “Livin da Vida Loca” had faced a time when he would bully people who he knew were gay. But then he eventually realized his sexual orientation and disclosed it to the world in 2010.

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