Premiere: “Naked Heart (Missy)” by Seán Barna
An exciting new glimpse at the queer storyteller’s forthcoming EP
A dab of Hedwig and the Angry Inch with a dollop of Americana, all wrapped up in a ribbon of David Bowie, Seán Barna‘s latest single, “Naked Heart (Missy),” celebrates a queer performer that the singer/songwriter observed by chance. It’s bold and beautiful—and hails from Barna’s forthcoming EP, Margaret Thatcher of the Lower East Side (out 29 May). The track features Counting Crows’ Dave Immergluck on electric guitar, a welcome addition, but it’s Barna’s vocals that do the most compelling work here.
“I was at Syntax Songwriters Open Mic in Denver, hosted by my friend and amazing musician, Anthony Ruptak. One of the performers was this mystical human, Missy. Missy—as far as I could tell—was fearlessly, unapologetically queer, and over the course of a few songs I deified them in my brain,” Barna explains.
It’s also a call to arms for other queers out there to live fearlessly against any oppression from society or one’s family
“This song is basically an answer to Rufus Wainwright’s song, ‘Gay Messiah,’ because I think maybe I figured out who the gay messiah is. It’s also a call to arms for other queers out there to live fearlessly against any oppression from society or one’s family, and to continue to be fucking weird whenever possible,” he concludes.
Image courtesy of Blair LeBlanc
