Double Feature: Queer artist Lord Troy chats about his two latest singles

17th September 2021 Bryce Quartz

Bryce Quartz interviews queer artist Lord Troy about his two latest singles, “Self-made Outlaw”, which dropped August 3, and “Patrick Swayze, which drops today!

With his intimate lyrics, comforting voice, and dedication to self-love, it’s no surprise Lord Troy is one of music’s promising up and comers. His songs have been described as “deliciously catchy” and “beautifully empowering” (c/o “Very Good Light”) and his style has been described as “bold” and “in your face” (c/o “Elite Daily”).

The queer artist has been featured on some iconic LGBTQIA+ playlists such as morgxn’s “Alt+Pride” and Grindr’s “New Music Frigay”. From body positivity to toxic masculinity, Lord Troy pushes the conversation forward bringing representation to spaces where people like him are rarely seen.

Through interviews in articles by Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Mic.com, Paper, Out Magazine, Allure, Nylon Magazine, etc. Troy has had the privilege of engaging in these impactful conversations on a global scale. With a secret sauce of powerful music, real perspective, and true artistry, there’s no end in sight for this rising star.

“Self-Made Outlaw” was released on August 3rd of this year, and features Troy singing a somber and emotional tale of how he’s a self-made outlaw. Troy delivers a strong vocal delivery over a steady paced acoustic guitar that takes us straight to the Wild West!

The chorus in this song is quite addictive, with easy to sing along with lyrics that get stuck in your head like an ear worm. This song has been on repeat for me over the last few weeks, and empowers me to keep pushing forward and stay strong so I, too, can be a “Self-Made Outlaw.”

“Patrick Swayze” brings us more acoustic guitar accompanied by Troy’s beautiful and deep voice. Troy described it as “a bittersweet reflection of summer love.” Here, Troy tells a story about love and loss. It feels like a reminiscent piece of past love that fell through; a somber dedication to the good memories.

The chorus in this song is so catchy, and I really adore the harmonies here. It also kinda makes me wanna dance. This song will be so fun to sing along with as Troy performs it live, and I can’t wait for that day to come!

“Patrick Swayze” tells the story of an abandoned relationship – the kind that burns bright and comes and goes as fast as a firework show on the Fourth of July. It’s a song for everyone who’s ever come out of a summer love heart broken and wondering why it had to end. -Lord Troy

I recently interviewed Troy about these latest singles, check it out below!

Bryce Quartz: Before we get started, I want you to tell us about what it was like having your face on campaign ads across LA?!

Lord Troy: It was literally an out of body unreal experience. I had no idea those posters were even going to be going up so when I accidentally stumbled upon the first one while driving I literally lost my mind and I feel like from there it just snowballed into posters of me all over the city.

I honestly cried every single time I saw one of them because truly that was something I dreamed of happening when I first moved to LA 10 years ago and like now here we are. So surreal. So cool. And then to see that they were also in NYC was just too much for my brain and my heart to handle! It was a true highlight of my life.

BQ: I love that your brand is very body positive. What is it like navigating the queer community AND music community as a body positive ambassador?

LT: Navigating the queer community as a fat, body positive, person has been really interesting. I’ve absolutely found a beautiful community of fat queer people online (and even in LA to some degree), but I think the queer community as a whole still has a lot of work to do when it comes to body acceptance and the inclusion of larger bodies.

Whenever I go to events like DragCon or when I watch queer TV shows I feel like its still lacking in the body positivity/acceptance department. Like, why isn’t there someone that looks like me on the Pit Crew? Or why isn’t someone bigger than me the central love interest on a TV show where their weight has nothing to do with who they are as a character?

And a lot of the same frustration, if not more, comes into play with the music industry. I feel like the industry doesn’t allow much room (no pun intended) for fat artists, which is why we’ve seen such a shift from label artists to independent artists, but that comes with it’s own sets of struggles. Personally, I do my best to just lead by example and create opportunities for myself that place me into the roles I wish the younger version of myself could’ve seen when growing up.

BQ: Now, let’s get into the single! What inspired you to make “Self-Made Outlaw?”

LT: “Self-Made Outlaw” has been one of the most interesting songs I’ve written so far. I wrote it and Zach Paradis produced it and when we first started working on it together I sent him the lyrics and said I want to sound like a queer Johnny Cash and he was like, “done”.

The inspiration for it came from me thinking back on a time when I was still in the closet and had my first sexual experience with a man. In the moment I really enjoyed it, but then the next day all the shame and anxiety kicked in, which lead me to pushing him away. Ultimately, I became the bad guy, a self-made outlaw, if you will, and I was running from the person I so desperately wanted to be and my lover was the hostage in the trunk.

The lyrics are a little cryptic and leave plenty of room for interpretation, but definitely help guide the overall story – my favorite lyric from the song is “little did you know, even the devil likes to make angels in the snow”. I think its the perfect line and imagery to sum up the meaning of the song.

BQ: What was your favorite part about making “Self-Made Outlaw?”

LT: I really love all the hooting and whistling and yeehaw-ing in the background. I recorded those ad lib vocals in my bedroom last minute to add texture to the song so it was just so funny thinking about me alone in my bedroom on a Tuesday afternoon screaming and whistling by myself. I truly don’t think the song would be what it is without those sounds though!

BQ: Was creating “Self-Made Outlaw” release cathartic for you?

LT: In some ways, yes, it’s cathartic getting to share a personal experience, even if it’s one I wish I could’ve handled better. I think it’s also just a beautiful thing that in writing the song I got to visit a time where everything was so different and confusing and possible.

Typically nostalgia paints this shiny happy watercolor picture of the past, but I got to look at a different side of nostalgia – one that feels more real and authentic to the actual experience.

BQ: What keeps you motivated?

LT: Honestly, my desire to connect with people keeps me motivated. I’ve always been an entertainer and I just want to do whatever I can to make people feel something.

BQ: Who inspires you musically?

LT: My producer, Elias Abid, and I have this little ritual when we start working on a new song to help us get in the right mindset both emotionally and sonically – we each pick a song or two that we think touches on or is a good example of the tone we feel like the song needs.

Sometimes it’s Johnny Cash, sometimes it’s Taylor Swift. It could be The National, Aly & Aj, Kacey Musgraves, Troye Sivan, Miley Cyrus…The list goes on and on – I find a LOT of artists really inspiring.

All the while, I really try not to rely TOO heavily on what I’m inspired by, but more on the story the song wants to tell. I’ve come to learn that just because I’m a big fan of something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for the song at hand.

BQ: Can you tell us what inspired you to make your new single “Patrick Swayze?”

LT: I’ve been really living in this place of nostalgia lately and thinking about all the things that have gone unsaid – like in “Self-Made Outlaw” I really wanted to revisit a really confusing time in my life and sort of open the box to unpack those feelings. With “Patrick Swayze” I wanted to revisit those feelings of abandoned love.

I hopped on a Zoom call with my co-writers, Roseanna Brown and Alanna Brown, and we had an instrumental Elias sent us that we all just like fell in love with. It was bittersweet and nostalgic and cinematic. I expressed the basic story I wanted to tell of this three month long relationship over one summer that left me totally heartbroken so we started playing with some ideas.

I also shared that I’ve always had this dream of writing a song about Dirty Dancing and summer love because I’ve always fantasized being a teenager spending a summer in the Catskills and having a secret summer romance (I’m crazy, I know) . And that’s when everything clicked into place – what I thought was just a fantasy was actually a reality I didn’t even realize I experienced.

Roseanna sang the first line of the chorus, “You’re my Patrick Swayze” and I was like “keep calling me baby” and it just sort of poured out from there. Alanna was like a faucet just pouring out all these melodies and the words just kept flowing – we probably wrote the entire song in like 3 hours.

BQ: Where did you record “Patrick Swayze,” and what are the vibes like in the studio with you?

LT: I recorded the song in this cozy little pool house in LA with my producer, Elias Abid. It was just him and I and a bottle of tequila. The vibes in the studio are sort of different each time — “Patrick Swayze” was the first time I’ve ever allowed myself as an artist to fully submerge myself in the song and the story.

I wore a specific outfit and glasses and sort of got into my feels a bit. Sometimes I’m up and moving around full of energy and sometimes we make the whole studio cozy and turn the lights out and I just sing while cozied up on the couch — it all just depends on the song.

Elias and I work so well together — there’s this synergy between us creatively that I have very rarely felt with anyone else. Making music is a super vulnerable experience and I feel like we both really trust each other. We always have a lot of fun though no matter what – like we recently worked on what could be the saddest song I’ve ever written like I was literally sobbing in the studio but we still always manage to have a great time. I feel like creating should be fun and emotional – if it’s not fun or emotional what’s the point?

What was your favorite part in making “Patrick Swayze,” and what are your favorite lines?

I think my favorite part in making this particular track was the recording process. I really really loved writing it, but something about singing it really brought it to life and took me to a place as an artist that I feel like I hadn’t been before. It’s so hard to pick a favorite line, but the one I wrote that I’m most proud of in this song is, “strike a match in the rain, won’t catch”.

Was creating “Patrick Swayze” cathartic for you?

While I feel like every song I’ve released is cathartic in some way, this one is probably the most cathartic. While it tells this heartbreaking story of a singular failed relationship, it sort of represents all of the failed relationships of my past. This song helped me reflect and realize some things about all those past relationships I didn’t realize were true, which in turn makes me a better partner today I think.

What can we expect next from you?

I have one more song coming out before the year is over (the super sad one) and a VERY exciting project I’ve been working on will finally be out in the world very soon – I can’t say much more about that, other than it’s a life long dream coming true and it’s taken the last 4 months to get everything just right, but I think my team and I nailed it so stay tuned for that!

What other artists are you listening to?

Kacey Musgraves’ new album, “Star-Crossed”, is on an endless repeat in my house right now. I’m always listening to Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Twenty One Pilots, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Orville Peck, Elvis, Lizzo, Troye Sivan, Lil Nas X, ABBA, David Bowie, Johnny Cash. The list goes on and on I literally love music.