Interview: Award-winning singer/songwriter Justin Utley

Today I’m chatting with OUTMusic Award winning singer/songwriter Justin Utley who just released his new music video and single, “American Nightmare,” where he plays a Jason Bourne-like action hero takes aim at conversion therapy, and the current state of our union’s blind allegiance with political parties and religion. https://youtu.be/xmGzOok82u4 The single, which features an edgy rock-centric sound, is a different genre for the handsome singer who first rose to prominence in the country/pop/Americana realm. Justin explains, “This whole album has been about exploring edgier, darker themes that I’ve always wanted to take on but hadn’t because I was told to stay in my safe zone." I first interviewed Justin back in 2012 when he had just won two OUTMusic Awards after being nominated for four that year. The honors were for his debut single, “Stand For Something." He’s a highly sought-after performer who’s appeared on stages across North America and Europe. Along the way, he has shared the stage with top international acts including Dan Reynolds, Icona Pop, Tegan & Sara, Margaret Cho and Billy Porter. In addition to taking stages by storm, Justin has also been an outspoken activist for the LGBTQ community working to outlaw so-called conversion therapy which seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through debunked pseudoscience. Thanks in great part to Justin’s efforts, his state of Utah became the 19th state to prohibit the harmful practice. Justin has appeared as a guest contributor on CNN, NPR, SiriusXM’s OutQ and MSNBC. He is a two-time recipient of the FBI’s “Inspiring Citizen of the Year” award, and “Artist of the Year” by SiriusXM’s OutQ Radio. This past fall, Justin Utley released his third studio album, "Scars," a brutally honest, thought provoking collection of songs. https://music.apple.com/us/album/scars/1479782203