You aren't a fool to fall for Brad Gibson, the rising New York-based artist with vocals like silk who just dropped stunning visuals for his latest track, "FOOL."
Gibson has made a name for himself as Simba in The Lion King on Broadway and currently plays Everett Neal on Starz's Power spinoff Book 2: Ghost. This track is just the beginning of his recording career but you can already tell Gibson is a seasoned performer with a striking point of view. "FOOLS" describes that feeling of falling for someone you aren't meant to be with while the visuals offer a tender expression of Black masculinity and queer love.
Gibson is premiering his stunning new music video for "FOOL" exclusively with PRIDE. We talked to the musician about the song's gorgeous visuals, transitioning from Broadway star to recording artist, and uplifting queer Black boys.
PRIDE: How are you holding up in this pandemic?
Gibson: I’m doing ok. There have been some pretty heavy days, but I’ve tried my best to do the self-work to stay open, honest, and activated. Like the rest of the world, I’ve been mourning what was, while trying to figure out how to move forward.
What is it like transitioning from Broadway star to recording artist?
It feels like freedom! I’ve dreamed of being a performer my entire life, and Broadway was always one of those dreams. Nothing can compare to the joy I feel on a Broadway stage, honestly, it’s home, but releasing my own music is a feeling that I can’t even compare. It’s a new space of vulnerability, so it’s exciting and a little terrifying at the same time.
The music video for your new song "FOOL" is so gorgeous. Can you walk me through the ideas behind the imagery?
Thank you so much! I’m definitely a visual artist. When I write music I always see a visual picture in my head. Being an actor with roots in the theater, storytelling is very important to me. "FOOL" is a song is about accepting your heartbreak and letting go of a relationship or fixation that didn’t serve you in the end. My fiancé and I came up with the concept and art direction for the video. We wanted it to feel like visual art or a short film. Everyone understands and connects to matters of the heart. I wanted the video to show how beautifully seductive pain can sometimes be, and also how natural and organic human connection is. The imagery flows primarily between two spaces. Both are kind of representations of a metaphysical or emotional environment. One is an internal and subconscious space where I am narrating and reflecting back on the relationship. The other is an ethereal make-believe space all about community, solidarity & healing.
Only Black men are shown in the video. Can you talk about that as well as alk the closing dedication to “little black boys left in the margins.”
Growing up I never saw myself fully represented in the art that I either saw on screen or in the recording artists that I admired. I know that it’s my responsibility to create art that I wished I had seen growing up. We must constantly be amplifying the beauty and complexities of both the Black and LGBTQ experience. Being a Black Queer man I feel the weight of oppression on my shoulders every day. I want Black Queer people to feel seen because I want to feel seen. I remember how lonely I sometimes felt as a young gay Black boy growing up in the south. I’ll do anything I can to take that burden of loneliness away from our LGTBQ youth, and center the experience of Black folk in their complexity. There is so much reconciliation to be done and everything we do should amplify the simple truth that Black lives matter. Blackness is beautiful, and masculinity can not be defined. I wanted the video to be active in illustrating that you are not alone and you are worthy as you are.
Watch the premiere of "FOOL" below:
