Arts & Entertainment
Peppermint and Cazwell release transgender anthem ‘Blend’
this is the first single from their joint EP
Peppermint and Cazwell in ‘Blend’ (Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Peppermint and out rapper Cazwell have teamed up for their transgender anthem “Blend.”
Peppermint, who was the first openly transgender contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ told Billboard that she and Cazwell have been performing together since 2000. Now, they have joined forces for their first full project together “Blend,” their joint EP which will be released on March 9.
“We wanted all of the songs to be very trans-positive and tell a story of what it is like being a trans woman in 2018,” Cazwell told Billboard.
He says the first single “was written from the state of mind of making a positive trans anthem. When you are a woman and especially a trans woman you are under a lot of pressure to blend in society so that no one calls you out for being trans. I wanted to write a song that proved the importance of not needing to blend into society to be happy with yourself.”
Watch the music video for “Blend” below.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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