New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Andrea Gibson, one of the most celebrated poets in their field, has announced their new studio album, 'HEY GALAXY' (Tender Loving Empire) out January 12, 2018. 'HEY GALAXY' finds Gibson overcoming a multitude of adversities, and trying to remain hopeful in the face of chaos. Lead single "Your Life," presents recitations on queer identity coupled with a video that is arresting, confident and optimistic. On their sixth studio album Gibson (they/them/their) and 'HEY GALAXY' encourage listeners to face adversity head-on, and to trust their own self-worth through love, heartbreak, trauma, mental illness, and healing.
Gibson proclaims, "They're going to keep telling you your heartbeat is a preexisting condition. They're going to keep telling you you are a crime of nature. You're going to look at all of your options and choose conviction." 'HEY GALAXY' is a vivid spoken word meditation on social justice, love, heartbreak, trauma, mental illness and healing, and tells the story of our modern times both beautiful and often painfully visceral.
Watch the video for "Your Life" which BuzzFeed said "will change the way you think about gender" and read an interview with Andrea: https://shorefi.re/AndreaGibsonYL
Pre-order 'HEY GALAXY' here: https://www.andreagibson.com/
Gibson originally worked on an album entirely about love accompanied with an orchestra, but after the 2016 presidential election, they were moved to put forth a social justice-oriented project. When asked more about the project, Gibson says that they were inspired by 'Moonlight', Standing Rock,
Roxane Gay, the novel 'A
Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara and the musical 'Fun Home' (Alison Bechdel). A number of musical collaborators and friends of Gibson back the poems on 'HEY GALAXY' including
Jesse Thomas, Andrew Joslyn, Chris Pureka and Bryan Wagstaff (who also has a producer credit on the record).
"There's a quote that says, 'Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.' I wanted to do that," says Gibson. "I wanted to make something political and human and gutsy in its revolt."
The album does not shy away from the rawness of humankind's emotional spectrum, and is rich in both love and hope as it is with rage and sadness. "Orlando" brutally relives the massacre at the Pulse nightclub paired with Gibson's own struggles with coming out, while "Letter To White Queers" details the dichotomy between white privilege and the
Black Lives Matter Movement. 'HEY GALAXY' is a body of work that seeks to de-stigmatize mental illness, encourage people to stay alive, bring visibility to queer relationships, and inspire activism that dismantles patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy.
Propelled to the forefront of the national poetry scene in 2008 after winning the first-ever Woman of the World Poetry Slam, Gibson is the author to three collections of poetry, five previous albums, and is currently working on an illustrated collection of their most memorable quotes for Penguin/Plume due in 2018. Andrea will also publish a book in early 2018, more information to be announced.
Gibson is currently on tour with Ani DiFranco (full dates below) and is expected to announce a full US headline tour to support 'HEY GALAXY'.
Hey Galaxy - Andrea Gibson
Your Life
Radio (feat.
Jessie Thomas)
Orlando
Angels Of The Get-Through
Boomerang Valentine
Letter To White Queers
Orbit
Elbows
Photoshopping My Sister's Mugshot
About The Weather
Give Her
Ode To The Public Panic Attack
The Day You Died Because You
Wanted To
Good Light
To The Men Cat
Calling My Girlfriend While I'm Walking Beside Her (LIVE)
Fight For Live (LIVE)
Andrea Gibson Live:
Sep 29 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theater (w/ Ani DiFranco)
Sep 30 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa (w/ Ani DiFranco)
Oct 1 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre (w/ Ani DiFranco)
Oct 3 - New York, NY - Le Poisson
Rouge (SOLD OUT)
Oct 5 - Somerville, MA - Sommerville Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Oct 6 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Bardavon 1869 Opera House (w/ Ani DiFranco)
Oct 8 - Provincetown, MA - Babefest @ Provincetown Town Hall (w/ Ani DiFranco, Gracie & Rachel and Rae Sanni)
Oct 28 - Washington, DC - Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival (curated by BrightestYoungThings & Tig Notaro)
Jan 26 - Lawrence, KS - Lied Center of Kansas
Mar 12 - Waverly, IA - Wartburg College Neumann Auditorium
