{"id":53589,"date":"2017-06-02T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T18:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/halsey-and-lauren-jaureguis-strangers-deserves-its-own-love-letter\/"},"modified":"2017-06-02T14:00:31","modified_gmt":"2017-06-02T18:00:31","slug":"halsey-and-lauren-jaureguis-strangers-deserves-its-own-love-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/halsey-and-lauren-jaureguis-strangers-deserves-its-own-love-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"Halsey and Lauren Jauregui’s “Strangers” deserves its own love letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Halsey and Lauren Jauregui’s “Strangers” deserves its own love letter<\/b><\/p>\n

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iTunes<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dear Halsey,<\/h2>\n

I was nervous reading about your new song with Lauren Jauregui on Hopeless Fountain Kingdom<\/strong><\/a>, Strangers<\/em>, being promoted as a “love song for the LGBTQ community.<\/a>” I\u00a0thought this type of\u00a0inclusion would mean what it usually does in the media: one line or verse\u00a0barely addressing\u00a0same-gender attraction.<\/p>\n

Too often, queer girls<\/a> like us are (intentionally) duped into thinking our love and experiences will be represented in mainstream entertainment. Studios and labels will allude to\u00a0possible <\/em>inclusion\u00a0and artists will use vague language and references in order to bring in LGBTQ-identified audiences. (See: queerbaiting<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Still, as your fan (and a GLAAD employee) I knew I had to listen. I thought, at least it is sung by two out & proud bisexual<\/a> women<\/a>\u2026 I\u2019ll know<\/em> they are singing about an experience\u00a0I can relate to. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Immediately, I was hooked, because\u00a0Strangers<\/em> sounds as if it belongs on my favorite, go-to Spotify playlist, \u201cCrying on the Dancefloor.\u201d But Strangers<\/em> isn\u2019t just meant for house remixes, played in clubs for bumbling millennials and their incessant dancefloor jumping. Listeners won\u2019t be able to miss how this hit single, by two of pop\u2019s biggest up-and-comers, is about queer love, queer sex<\/a>, and queer intimacy. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Literally no one<\/em> could miss how queer this song is. After the catchy, synth-fueled intro, you sing your opening verse:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe doesn\u2019t kiss me on the mouth anymore.<\/p>\n

‘Cause it’s more intimate, than she thinks we should get<\/p>\n

She doesn’t look me in the eyes anymore<\/p>\n

Too scared of what she’ll see, somebody holding me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay…so\u00a0I was wrong.\u00a0Not queerbait. Very queer. Honestly, you could have sung the first verse\u00a0on repeat for the whole song and I would have kept listening. I connected with your lyrics right away.<\/p>\n

Better still, Strangers<\/em> continues on to detail your and Lauren’s experiences\u2013conflicting, beautiful, and complicated\u2013with your ex-girlfriends<\/a>. (See: relatable<\/a>.) From the very beginning, you assert your queer prowess and unapologetically share your story of queer love gone lost, gone good, gone sad. (See: very relatable<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The fact that you chose Strangers<\/em> to be a single and promoted it before the release of Hopeless Fountain Kingdom<\/strong>\u00a0further\u00a0signals your allegiance to representing queer love and working to share your story to all people regardless of identity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just pop music<\/em> \u2013 but it is<\/em> pop music, and that\u2019s what makes this album so groundbreaking. Kids across the world are going to dance and sing-scream the words that tell the story of you. And through you\u00a0they will sing the\u00a0story of so many of us whose stories are rarely told.<\/p>\n

Halsey: we\u2019re not lovers, we\u2019re just strangers<\/em> \u2013 but I had to tell you how much this song and album mean to me.<\/p>\n

xo – Clare<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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June 2, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Issues:\u00a0<\/div>\n