R&B star Steve Lacy explains why he thinks the concept of coming out is ‘silly’
Grammy Award-winning alternative R&B artist Steve Lacy has reflected on his experience of coming out – or not coming out – as bisexual.
The singer-songwriter shot to new heights of fame last summer when his single “Bad Habits” went viral on TikTok and swiftly became a number one hit.
Following the song’s success, the release of his critically acclaimed second studio album, Gemini Rights, and winning a Grammy win at this year’s ceremony, Lacy found a whole new audience who got to know and love him as an openly bisexual chart sensation.
Certain fans, however, have had his music on their playlists for more than five years.
In 2015, he joined R&B and progressive soul band The Internet, whose Ego Death album was nominated at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Then, in 2017, his sexuality came to the fore.
After being pressed by a fan on Tumblr about whether he would ever date a man, he casually responded with: “Sure, why not?”
Fans and the media ran with the story, declaring that the star had officially come out.
Now, in an interview with Variety, Lacy has explained why he thinks the whole concept of coming out is “silly”.
“I didn’t really come out,” he said about that online interaction six years ago. “I didn’t try to, it just kinda happened.
“I don’t care to announce who I’m into sexually. I think it’s silly. I never felt I needed to come out.”
While Lacy isn’t too fond of the whole “coming out” concept, he is certainly unafraid to lean into his sexuality when it comes to making music: Gemini Rights is heavily influenced by his break-up with a boyfriend.
On “Cody Freestyle”, he makes a somewhat explicit reference to his partner’s abilities in the bedroom.
Steve Lacy celebrated Grammy success earlier this year. (Getty/Alberto E. Rodriguez)
Speaking to The Guardian last year, Lacy revealed how he struggled to understand his bisexuality while growing up.
“As a kid, I just thought it would be a fantasy. I kiss a boy? That’s like… sweetest taboo! It was just so out of the way of anything I could obtain. It sound[ed] crazy, electrifying, that that could ever happen to me,” he said.
“The examples of boys who kiss boys who I had around me didn’t carry themselves like me. For instance, you see flamboyance – I was like, OK, that’s really beautiful, but I don’t feel like that’s me, and I also might like girls. It was confusing.”
These days, Lacy is proud of his sexuality, but he’s not here to represent the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
“I never care to speak for anyone else because all of our experiences are so different from each other,” he told Variety.
“I guess I have a selfish perspective of myself in the world, and I’m just expressing myself. I’m not necessarily doing things for other people to feel good about themselves.”