Chris Garneau is one of the rising stars in music we’re excited about, and Just Jared wants to give readers an opportunity to get to know him!
The New York singer-songwriter is releasing his EP, Out Of Love, featuring the heart-breaking title track, “Millions” and “First Man”, an alt-country track that tells the tale of a first crush from start to finish.
The openly gay singer shares that the song captures a spark of homoerotic desire from the perspective of a man looking back on the macho action stars who marked his adolescence.
“’First Man’ isn’t just about a first crush but more importantly an initial recognition of a person’s queerness. My boyfriend wrote the lyrics, basing it on his memories of falling in love with the macho action movie characters from his youth. The concept led to a laid back, folk rock country vibe, and that informed the other songs on the EP,” Chris says.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I wanted the production to be mostly acoustic, back porch summer nights with a smoky saloon atmosphere. Arthur Russell’s ‘Love is Overtaking Me’ came to mind: earnest sensitivity, a bit of lightness, and humor too. Kirk Schoenherr’s guitars on this track really transformed the song, giving it the drama I was looking for. Catherine Popper‘s bass and Dan Marcellus‘ drums further amped up that energy, I love what everyone did on this track.”
“With the photos we made for this project, we wanted to capture these classic male archetypes. And thanks to JOFF art direction and styling, and photographer Michael George, the shots look like movie stills. Throughout the shoot, it felt like I was acting and inhabiting these characters’ spaces — that was the point of this whole EP, that’s exactly what we set out to do.”
Get to know more about Chris Garneau with these 10 Fun Facts!
1. I lived on a farm for five years and had goats and pigs who I took care of like my first borns.
2. In 2002 I dropped out of Berklee College of Music after one semester and moved to Brooklyn to pursue actual music.
3. My first boyfriend was Perfume Genius, we met on the internet when we were 18.
4. I dream about becoming a flower farmer.
5. I was in the original Off-Broadway cast of Spring Awakening but I quit cuz I got a record deal.
6. I’ve toured in China 13 times since 2009.
7. I played a teen-aged dad on an episode of All My Children when I was in high school.
8. My favorite kind of room is a eucalyptus steam room.
9. I am a double scorpio + moon in cancer which is a crazzzy intense water world.
10. I grew up for several years outside of Paris and competed in classical piano competitions there as a child.
See which stars came out as LGTBQ+ in 2023.
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