This Pride Month, Billboard asked artists to write a series of love letters to their LGBTQ fans, highlighting what the community means to them as people and as artists. Below, R&B sensation UMI shares her story and thanks the community for “being my family.”
My first interactions with the LGBTQ+ community were with friends I made in high school. It was not a conscious recognition of our identity. they were just my friends. Through them I learned a lot about freedom of expression.
Since then I have become more associated with being a role model. My greatest intention is to create art that people of all identities can relate to and feel seen. I make art for the soul, for our universal feelings. We all love, we all have desire, we all have heartaches.
I have always had a strong desire to offer a safe space through my music and concerts for people to be whoever they want to be. I attract a multitude of people who love each other with such deep openness – even with strangers. I love that my shows are full of representation… I think it's a reflection of the love in me.
In the face of increasing political attacks, approaching life through a panoramic view reminds me of our continued evolution. Just a few years ago, the legalization of gay marriage marked a major milestone — I was in high school when it happened, and I wrote my friend a letter about it. We are still at the beginning of our story. It's easy to get sad or anxious about the world when you approach things in a finite way. I try to see every problem we face not through fear, but as an area of growth and expansion happening in front of me. The problem is proof that the solution must exist and will come. This is the creative process, this is evolution.
To my queer and trans family, friends and fans, I LOVE YOU! You are loved and accepted always. Your unique presence in this world is valued — and my music is always a place for you to come as you are. Please do not dim your light. You are here for a reason and expand people's minds and hearts to their true size. So keep being you — your presence makes the world a better, more beautiful place. I feel it 🙂
Love,
UMI
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/umi-pride-month-love-letter-1235696681/