TORRAINE FUTURUM
The model and musician on the power of queerness within their art.
The model and musician on the power of queerness within their art..
In just a few years, Torraine Futurum has walked for the likes of Vaquera and Gogo Graham at New York Fashion Week, graced the pages of Vogue Russia and Candy Magazine, and fulfilled a queer fantasy by appearing in a Carly Rae Jepsen music video (it was Boy Problems, FYI). She’s even released her own debut album. But she’s not content yet.
“I envision more success actually,” she states with confidence. “I feel very blessed for the fact that I’ve been in four beauty campaigns, seven fashion campaigns, a bunch of magazines – including two covers – and my music is starting to take off. I feel good. But I know I have a lot more to do in this life so I gotta get this work done.”
As she prepares to release a follow-up to her debut album Miles From Heaven, we spoke to Torraine about her career highlights, the power the internet has in giving a platform to queer artists, and why buzzwords like ‘woke’ and ‘inclusive’ have lost their meaning.
Your music has a lot of dierent styles. You go from mellow chilled out songs to clubland classic vibes to techno-ish sounds. But overall, how would you describe your music?
I think my musical style is something that is still evolving. I really feel like from a writing standpoint, I have pop sensibilities. I feel most at home writing in pop structure. I just think I like to expand the concept of what a woman making pop music sounds like. Because my inspirations come from all over the place from Janet Jackson to Pink Floyd, Chemical Brothers, Aaliyah, Panda Bear, Jack Antonoff, Frank Ocean – I could go on forever. I think I’m sort of just exploring all that I can be, and we can be anything! But I’m working on a new project that has quite a different sound and feel to it than a lot of the current work I have out, so my sonic story is still unfolding.
Is there a message you want to share with your art?
My art is just a medium for me to feel like I can fully express myself. I’ve tried so many other artistic expressions to get to this place where I feel like I belong. Making music is my highest form of artistic expression. I do enjoy when something I do stands out as unique and touches someone in that way. I’ve had several people reach out to me about songs like 3peat or Key Party and say things like, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard any songs that positively talk about non-monogamous relationships or polyamory. That’s so cool. I appreciate it.’ Things like that make me feel good. I make music because I want to hear it. And I try not to make songs that have been done before unless I’m writing about them in a unique, personalised way. You can take whatever you want from my work, whatever message you need to get out of it. Just know that I lived – and I lived loudly.
One of the great things about the internet, social media and streaming services is that people who may typically struggle to get mainstream support from a major label – especially queer people – have the power and the ability to share their art with the world. What’s your relationship with the internet and everything it brings?
I love the internet and social media, I really do. The democratisation of art is unprecedented. I would be nowhere without the internet. It has allowed people in small homogenous towns where they don’t fit in to know that like-minded people exist and they can find their place. It also allows for companies and investors to see value in artistic perspectives outside of their current blue chip concepts of commerciality. The internet in the last decade has allowed people to find their tribes and more purposefully curate who they are and what they want to do in their lives. It’s incredible.
Do you think there are any negatives of social media and the internet?
I guess people can be kind of nasty online because they feel they won’t get punched in the face, but there’s far more positive.
What kind of obstacles have you faced in your modelling and music career?
My biest obstacle? I’d say that I’m not a multimillionaire. It’s really hard to not be a millionaire.
What do you think is the best way cisgender people can be allies to the trans community?
Bad bitches don’t need allies, they need cash.
Janet Mock is obviously a big inspiration for you. What is it about her you love?
I love Janet Mock as a writer, public speaker, and businesswoman. She has her shit together. She reminds me of 90s Madonna in that way. Always on message and about her business.
Do you hope that a show like Pose receiving such acclaim is a sign that things are going to become even more inclusive in the future?
Pose gets acclaim because it’s an excellent show with incredible talent in front of and behind the camera. That’s all. I won’t pretend to know what the FX executives were thinking when they greenlit it, but if the show was trash it would not have the acclaim that it does. ‘Inclusive’ and ‘diverse’ are just hashtags now. Like the word ‘woke’. I have such an aversion to those words now. They’re words used in the liberal media circle jerk of people patting themselves on the back for their little one-off stunt-casted projects.
You’ve walked the runways and appeared in magazines. Have you always envisioned that you’d have this kind of success?
Absolutely. I envision more success actually. I feel very blessed for the fact that I’ve been in four beauty campaigns, seven fashion campaigns, a bunch of magazines – including two covers – and my music is starting to take off. I feel good but I know I have a lot more to do in this life so I gotta get this work done.
What would you say are your favourite moments from your career so far?
I think my favourite things are gonna have to be my Candy Magazine cover, Proenza Schouler Collection shoot with my fashion brother Ethan James Green, Vogue Russia, the Shiseido campaign in the Canary Islands, having Pat McGrath and Guido Palau do my hair and face for a fashion week event. Oh... the Carly Rae Jepsen and Lolawolf videos! Too many to name. Those are some I just pulled out of thin air. I feel like a lot of memorable experiences are just friends I’ve made along the way.