Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winning artist and Pittsburgh native, Billy Porter is proud to be from Pittsburgh.
Billy recently joined The Big K Morning Show to talk about his upcoming record, Black Mona Lisa is set to release in late summer along with the Black Mona Lisa: Volume 1 Tour that kicks off in late April.
Porter explained his inspiration for his single Baby Was A Dancer and his upcoming record.
Porter states, “Art heals. My life was saved because of the arts.”
His goal for this tour and album is to give people hope and be able to “give the world a big bear hug”.
Being the first openly gay man to be nominated for and win any leading actor award at the Emmys, Porter is open about how he uses his queerness as a “superpower”, even though it wasn’t always that way.
In his early career, he talked about forcing himself to “sit inside a masculinity construct”. Porter states that he failed at that point but that he “failed as somebody else and will never do that again.”
Porter also talked about being from Pittsburgh and how it helped shape him. He says while the city may not be recognized for its arts programs and talent, those who know about how influential Pittsburgh truly is.
The Black Mona Lisa: Volume 1 Tour makes its way to Pittsburgh on May 28th at Heinz Hall.