PERSON OF THE MONTH YOUNG M.A
“I just need to be myself”. Those were the words of Brooklyn native Young M.A when she came out last month in an interview with The Fader. The Grammy-nominated rapper, who hit the big time last year with her track Ooouuu, said: “I used to try to hide it, until it was really overwhelming… Life is too short. I need to just be myself, express myself.” It can’t have been an easy decision to be out, in a genre rife with sexism and misogyny that isn’t often kind to queerness, and when she started out in the music business, managers advised her to keep her sexuality on the downlow. But that wasn’t going to fly for the 24-year-old, who says the M.A stands for “Me, Always”. Props to her for being herself against the advice of others – hopefully she’ll inspire many others to do the same.
Read Young M.A’s full interview at thefader.com.