The importance of the arts - Trans singer-songwriter Lukas Dean shares his experience
EXCLUSIVE His new song, Baby Girl, showcases the internal struggles of being trans while also being optimistic.
ENTERTAINMENT
Flora Irvine-Hall
6/5/20262 min read
'Baby Girl' releases tomorrow [Image: Lukas Dean]
The arts are a great way of expressing your identity and showcasing deep and overwhelming emotions.
No one knows this better than Lukas Dean, a trans artist from Norway.
His new song, Baby Girl, showcases the internal struggles of being trans while also being optimistic.
Dean shared his inspiration for the song:
“I started writing it a long time ago, shortly after I came out,” he explained.
“It was one the first ones that I started writing but it was difficult to finish because I didn’t know where I wanted to go with it. In the beginning it was very focused on how difficult it was to come out as trans and being afraid that I would lose everyone I love. And at that point I don’t think I had anticipated that everything would get better even though people tell you that all the time.
“So, in the beginning it’s very focused on how difficult it is to find yourself and be open about who you actually are. But in the end, it’s more about finding pride and loving who you are and being proud of being trans. It’s kind of a journey to finding self-acceptance and pride.”
"There are so many setbacks in politics when it comes to trans people" [Image: oslopride.no]
Dean’s lyrics are very powerful and striking. He shared the process of his songwriting:
“Sometimes when I start writing it’s about something very fresh and something that I’ve just experienced and that’s how this song started. With just me writing in my notebook, writing down everything going through my head and then later sitting down to try and shape it into something that makes sense”
Dean didn’t share his lyrics for a long time, with his boyfriend being the first person to ever hear them.
“I didn’t play it [his music] live until last summer,” said Dean.
While the lyrics of Baby Girl are very deep, the tempo of the song is very upbeat. Dean explained that this was very intentional:
“I had a first draft of the song and that one was a lot slower and didn’t have the same feel-good or energetic vibe. But I wanted the song to be focused on not just the negative side but the pride that you find. Especially at the end of the song, I’m trying to build up to that because it’s just about pride and accepting yourself for who you are.”
The current political climate can often feel dangerous to trans people. Dean spoke about how the arts are vital in getting trans and queer people through difficult times:
“There are so many setbacks in politics when it comes to trans people right now.
I think it’s very important to create things that we can bond over and to build a community around trans people and everyone queer and to be loud about being trans or queer or both.”
Dean will be playing at several festivals during this year’s Norway Pride, and his music is also available to stream online here.