Blog - IN THE KEY OF Q

Beyond the Glitter: Queer Folk

The Counter-Narrative When asked whether he fits the stereotypical image of a queer musician, Eric Terino’s response during his In the Key of Q interview speaks volumes. The “glitter balls and six packs” that dominate popular perceptions of queer artistry couldn’t be further from his DIY Folk aesthetic—rooted in what he describes as “earthiness, textures……
The Vital Role of Queer Spaces in Modern Society

When asked why Queer people still need their own bars, music venues, and cultural spaces, Brooklyn-based musician Roderick Woodruff doesn’t hesitate: “I need it specifically because I don’t often feel safe in other spaces.” His response cuts through a common question posed to Queer communities in the post-marriage equality era: haven’t you won? Why do…
Unlocking Confidence: How Queer Artists Transform Through Performance

“I’m a very shy guy,” Brazilian musician Erik Lenfair confesses during his interview. Then, almost immediately, he adds something seemingly contradictory: “But I can do that. [I can] play someone else.” This apparent paradox—the shy person who thrives on stage—runs like a thread through countless queer musicians’ stories. It emerges repeatedly in my interviews with…
The Myth of Universal Appeal in Music

There’s a particular moment in my conversation with Keeana that crystallises everything wrong with how the music industry thinks about audiences. She’s describing the pressure she faced to hide her sexuality for her debut single, the industry professionals telling her to “cover it all up” and become “this straight, beautiful girl” who would “go dance…
Mental Health Crisis Among LGBTQ+ Artists: Eric Terino’s Story

Eric Terino’s candid discussion of his agoraphobia and the impact of America’s hostile political climate on his mental health reflects a broader crisis affecting LGBTQ+ artists globally. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, LGBTQ+ individuals are more than twice as likely to experience mental health conditions compared to heterosexual, cisgender individuals¹. For artists,…
Navigating Chosen Grief and Loss

When I was younger, I made what felt like a necessary but devastating choice. I ended a relationship that wasn’t wrong, exactly, but wasn’t right either. We’d built a life together – shared friends, routines, a flat in London that felt like home. The grief that followed wasn’t clean. There was no villain, no dramatic…
Ska Music: A Voice for Queer Communities

Being a 1973 London baby, I heard a lot of ska growing up. The genre with its distinctive walking bass lines, punchy brass sections, and syncopated guitar patterns seems engineered to bring people together. It’s perhaps this quality that makes it such a powerful vehicle for connection, particularly for those who find themselves outside mainstream…
Why Vinyl Albums Still Matter in the Age of Streaming

When ‘In the Key of Q’ host Dan Hall asks Minute Taker’s Ben McGarvey about his thoughts on the album format, there’s a reverence in McGarvey’s response that feels almost elegiac. “I’m very, very much an album person,” he states. “When I’m making my own albums, I literally make them for vinyl. I’m thinking about…
Creating Mixed Spaces: Dancing Across Differences

An Unexpected Dance Floor “One of my greatest memories is two years ago, I was performing in a small hick bar.” There’s a lilt in Rita de Los Angeles’ voice as she recalls this moment during her In the Key of Q interview. It’s not the setting one might expect to hear described with such…
Hugs Are Not Weak

Introduction In the episode, Ty McKinnie says something that was gorgeous to hear,: “Hugs are not weak.” It’s a deceptively simple statement, tucked into his story about persisting with physical affection towards his father, even when it’s met with resistance. That insistence of hugging anyway might seem small. But it challenges a lifetime of messages…