Bronze Avery gets sweaty and sexy and leaves behind a hottie after a hookup in his new video for “Heatwave.” On Thursday, the rising pop star celebrated the release of his debut album Heatwave with the visual for its title track with Rolling Stone.
“The ‘Heatwave’ music video is rooted in the experiences of a queer summer,” Avery tells Rolling Stone. “I specifically chose to show different vignettes of what our my community could be getting up to this — from casting, locations, activities — everything. What are all those other gays up to when we want to escape?”
The video—which Avery self-directed and edited—opens with the singer and Fire Island actor Zane Phillips lying on a towel in a scorching hot room before the two hook up. “I thought you were fun,” says Avery. Prove it!” He then ditches his love interest for the streets as he runs into several of his LGBTQ friends (and another love interest) as they’re out and about on a summer day.
“I filmed it dripping in nostalgic colors to tie back into the Florida warmth that raised me,” Avery says. “I want people to feel the urge to dance until they’re drenched in sweat. I want them to gather the courage to kiss their crush, raise a glass with their friends, and laugh if it spills. I want them to forget their inhibitions, dance like everyone is watching, and put on an epic performance.”
The video features cameos from some of Avery’s queer L.A.-based friends, among them model Ren Nusandhu, Queer as Folk actor Fin Argus, dancer Christopher Aguirre, and entertainment host Ryan Mitchell. As for his failed love interest, Phillips, Avery says he was the “natural choice” as a scene partner after the two met at Stud Country, a queer country line-dancing event in Los Angeles.
“Ever since I’ve known him he’s always been extremely kind. He absolutely shreds on the dancefloor, though he can be a bit shy when it comes to karaoke,” Avery says. “You could catch us both at Stud, sometimes twice a week perfecting our steps. I always feel at ease around him and already knew that he’d charm anyone who watches.”
“Heatwave” serves as the opening track of Avery’s debut album of the same name, which is filled with bright and upbeat electro-pop tracks with lyrics about his experience as a queer person. Avery, who won Billboard’s first-ever NXT competition last year, produced and wrote the entirety project “alone after long pool days and before steamy nights.”
“It’s an ode to the summers I had growing up, and a nod to the future summers I want to have forever,” Avery says. “While making this record was so much fun, being a Black, queer, multi-faceted artist in pop music isn’t a walk in the park… It feels like I have to do four times the amount of work as my peers.”
“It’s hard to stay motivated, but I made his record to cement in history and to myself, that what I’m doing is more than enough, celebrated, and unique to me,” he adds.
