Andy reports today about the coming out of Bloc Party singer Kele Okoreke. In a candid interview with the Guardian, Okoreke explains that he is ready to publicly discuss his sexuality now that it directly relates to the music on Bloc Party's upcoming new album "A Weekend In The City."
"I think I'm going to have to [talk about it]. With the first album I didn't think it was essential to the experience. I didn't want to have to talk about it in a tabloid way," Okoreke says. "It wasn't there in the songs, so why did people need to know? But yeah, there are songs on this record that do feel like they're about desire, longing. So yeah, I am gonna talk about that."
I have interviewed plenty of artists who prefer not to talk about their sexuality and like to have their music speak for themselves. In a world that still lacks alternative gay role models, I have nothing but respect for Okoreke to share something so personal with the rest of the world.
"To speak to young people in their impressionable formative years - and say something that could help them make sense of their lives. Lessen the sense of alienation and isolation that they might have. I think that's something that definitely ... I'd be proud of," Okoreke concludes.
