
This is a feel good song with a great heart and a cool vibe
BY SAMANTHA GRIERSON, IMAGE BY OLIVIA HEMARATANATORN
Having seen the video of Polartropica’s new song, Give them Hell *Serial Killer Slayer*, in pre-release, I knew I had to talk to them. The song is a mash up of 80s electric pop, Blondie, Darling Buds, maybe a bit of Bangles, throw in some punk and som high energy. It’s addictive.
The video is epic, depicting a queer band of Superheroes discovering their own super powers, including pole dancing, building and boxing, as we see their childhood back stories develop. Ultimately, they defeat the villains, and The Astronaut who struggles the most lays out their opponent in the final scene with a cartoonesque āGame Overā. This is a feel good song with a great heart and a cool vibe.
Cherise, the Taiwanese American songwriter, singer and performer joins me from LA to discuss this new song. Having has a classical music background and a rigorous upbringing, this is Cheriseās departure from conformity. āI want to push what the industry expects from me. Iām not on a record label because I want to do music on my own terms. Integrity of art is everything to meā. We discuss THE video: āItās showing that everything we do is a superpower, whether its sewing or pole dancing, thatās your superpower and its important. The video was put together with friends who are all queer actors, directors, set designersā. This sense of fun and friendship really comes across when you watch it.
Cherise makes every music single a story. I ask about the possibility of an album, to which they reply: āIf I have in my mind a compelling way to present a set of stories then maybe but peopleās attention spans seem to be shorter now, they want fast content and my stories work like thatā.
Cherise tells me that they donāt sleep very much and they are ātoo excited and always ready to goā. I ask about a possible love interest: receiving a quick reply of āa bit messy and completely insaneā. They further explain that āduring quarantine I explored queer and non-conventional relationships, including being polyamorous. This gave me some drama, Iām an artist anyway so the hours I keep and how I work doesnāt help. I was seeing someone who was into boxing, it imploded with her but I kept boxing and that led me to a potential wrestling show that Iām now working on. I never know where my queer relationships will take me. They are layered and rewardingā.
Watch Polartopica’s video now, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
DIVA magazine celebrates 28 years in print in 2022. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQI media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.