Nashville-based and award-winning singer-songwriter and activist, Heather Mae has shared her latest single “Kissing Girls.” The songwriter is finally telling her coming out story. It’s a narrative shared by many queer individuals, especially those from southern, conservative, or religious backgrounds.
Mae remembers her first kiss, her first love, her first heartbreak—each with a girl. She confides, “growing up in church and the evangelical movement, the only representation of LGBTQ+ people that I was familiar with were the kids who got kicked out for being queer. Even though my first crush was on a girl, I hid the truth of what that meant to protect myself from losing my entire community. This is why visibility is profoundly important to me.”
On “Kissing Girls,” Heather Mae fearlessly bares her soul, creating an intimate space of shared vulnerability for her listeners. Her unbridled honesty, both on and off stage, has cultivated a devoted fanbase and garnered recognition, including accolades like the winner of the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Artist-Activist of the Year award.
Positioned on the cusp of unveiling her upcoming post-pandemic double record, Mae embarked on a mission to address the stark gender disparity for music producers—a mere 4% representation by women. In 2023, Heather Mae rallied a dynamic collective of women and non-binary talents in Nashville, assembling luminaries like producer ZDAN and Lollies, alongside guest artists such as Grammy award-winning musician Allison Russell and the extraordinary duo Sistastrings.
What do you think of “Kissing Girls”?
