The iconic drag star Courtney Act opens up about her move away from audience expectation and having fun by incorporating a more personal style into her Fluid Tour.
On April 16 2021, the Olympia, Dublin, will be diving into Fluid as Courtney debuts her latest album on stage. Brimming with emotionally driven queer narratives, the hit singer has created a cabaret-pop performance which highlights her immense growth as an artist.
Speaking about the process of performing her own original music, Courtney shared, “Having all the songs be original has meant that the stories are so much more meaningful. Because the bones, the meat, and the whole show are all written for a purpose. So the inspiration is really just sharing stories, fun stories, and deep, sort of personal, stories, but all related to the topics of identity, sexuality, and gender.”
When announcing her upcoming tour, Courtney proudly declared, “The future is fluid!” She further dives into the meaning behind this message by expressing, “Every element of our identity is fluid, we change our hair everyday, we change the food that we eat, our jobs, the people who we love. Every part of our identity is constantly in flux and constantly flowing.”
Courtney further stated, “I think we have an idea that who we are is a lot more rigid than that, we don’t realise our identities actually are really fluid and it’s just about embracing that truth of who you are.”
Over the years, Courtney has paved the way for representations around gender fluidity in mainstream media through her appearance on reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing With The Stars. Regarding her ever evolving art style in relation to queer themes, the singer said, “People are interested in these conversations now and so I feel like the shows that I am making get to examine topics that, after a show like Drag Race, maybe I didn’t get to because it was kind of like people only wanted costumes and a pretty look.”
While speaking about Fluid, Courtney demonstrates a new found confidence in bringing a more authentic side to her art. Following in the footsteps of her favourite performers, such as Justin Vivian Bond, Joey Arias, and Meow Meow, the singer showcases an excitement to dive into niche content onstage. She said, “Those performers I just always loved going to watch the quirkiness, the wonder of their performance and I feel like now I am able to deliver a show like that myself.”
Regarding her love for cabaret, Courtney shared, “They are a way for solo performers to be able to do what we love, being on stage, getting to sing, getting to perform. You can do it to a room full of 40 people with backing tracks or just a single piano or you can do it in big thousand seat venues with a live band. It’s just all about being on stage and breaking the fourth wall and having that honest connection and honest relationship with the audience and having fun.”
On June 27, Courtney Act dazzled Global Pride with her performance of ‘One Tonight’, a new song on her album Drop of Fluid. Speaking about being a part of the online event, she said, “It was so beautiful feeling like I was part of this global queer community while I was watching it.”
A global queer community lends itself to Courtney’s excitement for performing in Dublin as she fondly recalls looking to Ireland’s marriage equality referendum during Australia’s similar campaign. She said, “I do remember Panti Bliss telling me that whilst going through a public vote for marriage equality was painful because it brought up all different sides of the argument, there was going to be a real sense of ownership when Australia voted yes for marriage equality.”
If you would like to dive into the Fluid Tour performed by Courtney Act, you can pick up your tickets over at this link or over on TicketMaster.ie. Her latest album can be found over on Spotify and Amazon Music.
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