Enamored with the iconic aesthetic of 80s movies, Sean The Star Emperor had an intensely visual connection to music. The pandemic offered him an opportunity to reevaluate his life and shun conventional expectations of progress in order to pursue true happiness. However, like many people after months of lockdown, Sean’s ready to get a little wild. His new single, “Witch Disco,” celebrates releasing one’s inhibitions and surrendering to seduction, a reflection of the human need for touch and shared experience. Sean remains committed to utilizing music as a means to question the status quo and deconstruct the sex and gender binaries that hold us back as a society. Listen to “Witch Disco” below and don’t forget to follow Sean The Star Emperor on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Cliché: How would you describe space pop?
Sean The Star Emperor: Space Pop is the fusion between Sound, Glamour, and Science Fiction.
What was your journey like to become Sean The Star Emperor? It started in NYC, having a theater background, loving practical effects of stage and in the movies of the 80s, and wanting to connect the visual to music. When I hear sound, I SEE what it would become as a visual expression before I have concrete lyrics. That is my process with everything Star Emperor and that is how what you see today was born.
Throughout the pandemic, how did you cope with being separated from the community? How did it affect you? The pandemic and lockdown saved me. I felt I was always catching up to “The Man’s” idea of stability and success. However, because of the break I was able to really sink into what I truly valued. I became so happy with myself and life, and no longer felt I had to do certain things because this is what people do at such junctures in life… I ended up getting really into Deep House music, with a good friend of mine because of no longer feeling I had to be “mature,” or focus on “adult things.” We formed a quarantine pod around Melodic/Deep House. We would just play songs and dance for hours on end. I ended up losing 40 lbs. We would walk and listen to house, go to parks and set up shop and listen to house, hike and listen to Melodic House. Only concern was Melodic House.
Tell us about your new single, “Witch Disco.”
“Witch Disco” is the new Halloween Anthem. It is sexy, ‘dancy,’ sultry, spooky, ethnic, theatrical, and also very real – I used esoteric practices throughout the creation of the song and music video. It was inspired by 80s New Wave, as well as Disco’s penchant for nighttime glam. I wrote the song for people to feel a common bond through revelry.
Why do you think seduction and the idea of embracing our real desires has become even more appealing in a post lockdown world?
Human beings need touch. Psychologists have done many studies on the detriments placed upon individuals lacking certain interactions. So we just came from forced isolation, coupled with many of us understanding our fragility – with death being the ever looming antagonist – hence we all want to live, really LIVE. We can catch a virus and miss out on the chance to “paint the town red,” or try some latent kinks. Most of us are ready to be savages. I feel bad for those of us who just turned 21 right before, during, and right after the pandemic. I can feel there must be an itch that needs to be scratched. I think we’re all like “ Who cares!! I want to touch something!”
What are your hopes for the queer community as everyone starts reuniting and reconnecting?
I hope that love can take precedence over the superficial. The community was hung up on exterior appeal and not the interior. One can miss out on a lot just making decisions on outward appeal. “Witch Disco” is a light example. It is all about seduction. I think people forget sexuality starts with energy and the mind. Seduction/chemistry is not just looks. A lot is wasted when we neglect the unseen… Additionally, I hope the lines between what is queer vs straight become even more blurred. I think humans are limiting themselves, sexually and on how to have fun, by being so binary. Maybe one wants to be straight but enjoys wearing a dress. That’s cool too. Enjoy your life! Me, my music, and esthetic, are all about non-judgment and being uninhibited. Social norms are arcane.
Why is it so vital to continue to dismantle heteronormativity and the status quo through music?
The more we normalize free expression, I think the higher the output from humanity as a whole. Art and science and social relations, I feel will be heighten to the point of our next evolutionary leap. We cannot get to the next step if we have a society in which individuals could have thoughts like: “I really want to do this thing, but if I do this would people think I was gay? A slut? Too shallow? Too prude?” These questions and ideas are impeding progress. Imagine a world in which we could be using so many shades of colors but because one is a boy, he’s stuck with blue…
Read more Music Interviews at ClicheMag.com Sean The Star Emperor Delivers Sultry Halloween Fantasies with New Single, “Witch Disco.” Photo Credit: Owen Kolasinski.
