Latest news with #LucySpraggan
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'We need to protect our trans siblings and be a community more than ever'
Lucy Spraggan rose to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in 2012, she has since become a successful musician in her own right. She joins Yahoo's Queer Voices to discuss her experience as a queer singer in the music industry, why Pride should be a protest again, and her affinity with the transgender community. Her new album Other Sides of the Moon is out now. I think it's important for us to be a community now more than ever. We all practise authenticity and love and being ourselves, and I genuinely think being there for our trans brothers and sisters now — like they have always been there for us — it's about allyship and it's about protecting each other. And I don't think that fight is finished yet. I think it's very important to still be fighting that fight. I do believe Pride should always be a protest that I feel like there's so much — as a community, we have so much to do for trans rights across the board. Pride should always be in protest. I have had real issues locally recently trying to drive the message through to people that trans people are all individuals. They're all different, we're all different, we're all authentic, so maybe we should just let people be themselves. But it's really hard, it's hard to push a message through to somebody who's ignorant and I just feel all I can do is support my trans friends and trans people I've never met as much as I can. Sometimes that feels like it's about literally, physically standing in front of them at protests. When I was on X Factor, I'd already been out for years. I came out and I was really young, so I remember one of the producers or press teams saying: 'Are you gonna like, come out?' And I was like, 'everybody already knows I'm gay'. And one week on The X Factor, we did the covers, I did a Gold Digger cover and everybody had backing dancers and I said 'Can mine be female backing dancers?' And they were all twerking up against me and it was absolutely amazing, and I remember feeling quite confident in being my queer self then. Things are so much more different about being queer now than when I was on X Factor. There's so many more people to see, there's so many more platforms to see queer people on. I love that about social media, it's one of the few things I love about social media — that you can see so many of your people. All of my music is inspired by my real life experiences. My new album is called Other Sides of the Moon, which is a song about my wife and how we fell in love with each other. So I guess there's intrinsic queerness throughout my entire album, but it's all about things I've felt or observed. I can't wait for it to come out, there's a collection of older songs on there that have been reborn in some ways and it's kind of a message to people: Think about the past or something they can change. And I looked at a lot of songs from the past and actually thought I'd like to give them new life. My favourite thing about being a musician is the culture and the community that there is at my shows. There's just so much diversity and my favourite thing is that music has brought all those people together and just being a part of it, I don't feel like a leader of it or anything like that, I just feel immersed in this community, and I love it. Whenever I think of Pride I think of being a 15-year-old living just outside of Manchester and going to Manchester Pride and just looking around and seeing so many people that just felt like family. And I remember that so vividly, walking around with my mouth open the whole weekend just thinking this is life. And I still feel that at Pride events now. My advice to young queer people is do your thing. Live your best life and protect each other and the whole phrase of 'blood is thicker than water' is actually the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, and that means that the the bond between nuns is actually thicker than the bond of those in in family situations. So if you need to create a new family, if you need to look for other people, go for it because that bond is thicker than it. I always go back to the storyline that I loved most on television, which was Coronation Street with Hayley Cropper, the trans character. It was so long ago, and it was so left field for that that time, and I went into school and they were asking what we wanted to be when we were older and loads of people were saying, 'firefighter', 'I wanna be a policeman' or actor and I said I wanna be a transsexual. I just thought it was such an amazing story, they used transsexual then on television because it was so dated, I think it was 2008. But I spent from age well late toddler to about 10 being called Max, I was a boy until puberty and so I didn't realise that [transitioning] was really possible until I saw it on television and I was like, 'Oh my God'. And now you get to see transgender people so much more, and I wonder if I'd have had access to the world in the same way that we do now if my choices would be different growing up. There's so many shows I wish I had. I remember watching Queer as Folk growing up, my mum was obsessed with Queer as Folk, and there's so much more now on offer. Before being gay was kind of like it was about how being gay meant you had to be part of this scene, and now there's so many things that represent being gay or being queer. You can just be a normal person and be that, and I like any shows that has that in it. In terms of my queer role models, growing up my mum's best friend Kathy is a trans woman and I remember just always feeling so empowered by her. Not just Kathy, but actually my mum was such a pioneer, she always surrounded us with artists and creatives and queer people — she's a real pioneer. I feel like there's room to improve when it comes to the platforms for queer people, I think there's always more to be done. I think within our community the amount of creativity and just fabulousness, it's always pouring out of the community, and I always feel like there could be more places for that art to be distributed. Not even necessarily in terms of more celebrating, but more more areas of industries that hone in on queer people and whatever that means for that. There's more avenues and more funding for people, especially young queer people, to express themselves. I think the future of queer storytelling is gonna be how it always has been. From Oscar Wilde right up until now, everyone's always gonna tell their story and it's going to be remembered because there's been so much adversity in this community for thousands of years.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Lucy Spraggan says she became more 'palatable' as a lesbian on TV after weight loss and a boob job - as she details life after X Factor and close bond with Simon Cowell
Lucy Spraggan has called for more LGBTQ + representation on television, revealing she felt a shift in the public's attitude towards her when she changed her appearance. The singer, 33, found fame on The X Factor in 2012, and to date is the only open lesbian contestant. Honey G, who competed four years later, came out as gay after appearing on the show. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Lucy - who has just realised her new single The Lesson - opened up about being a lesbian in the public eye. She shared: 'I don't feel any pressure to be a representation of the LGBTQIA+ community because it's so vast. But as a lesbian, I do think there's not that much visibility in the UK. 'I feel like if there's a lesbian on TV, they have to be a certain "kind" of lesbian to be palatable.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Lucy explained: 'I noticed a big difference when I had my boobs and teeth done and dyed my hair blonde and I lost 20kg. 'I was much more palatable, I think. I don't know, we've got a way to go, but I think the UK is doing alright at the moment.' While she noticed a shift in attitude towards her after changing her look, she insisted that it had nothing to do with her public perception. Instead, it was Lucy's decision to go sober in 2020 that sparked her transformation. She explained: 'I lost the weight because I stopped drinking, which led to a load of lifestyle changes. 'I started running a lot because I was trying to get high elsewhere, because I didn't have drugs or alcohol anymore, so it kind of happened by accident. 'Then because I lost so much weight, my boobs [sagged]. I mean it was a necessary surgery,' she laughed. 'I don't feel pressured to look a certain way. I think it's cool to be versatile. It's important to just represent doing you doing your thing, which is what I want people to like take from me.' While the showbiz circuit is notoriously hedonistic, Lucy thinks that things have shifted in recent years. 'Maintaining sobriety is individual, it completely independent of everything else that's going on in life, stresses peak and then they go back down again,' she mused. 'But the music industry, I think people within it have become kinder, and I think there's a lot more focus on creativity at the moment and enjoyment and fulfillment and it's nice to be a part of that.' Currently, the music world has been left reeling the shock allegations made against rapper Diddy, who has been accused of drugging and raping women at his parties, known as 'Freak Offs'. Asked about the darker side of the music industry, she said: 'I've had my own sort of experience of that. 'You know in my book I spoke more about all of the things that have happened to me that have been very underground for years... 'But that being said, I've been sober for six years, so I don't really end up in many places I don't want to be in anymore.' In 2023, Lucy revealed that during her time on The X Factor, she was raped by a porter in the hotel room where she was staying after partying with Rylan Clark. At the time, when she quit the show, it was said to be down to illness. Revealing the assault for the first time in her autobiography, Process, she explained the illness was the strong side effects of PEP medication - a drug given to her by doctors which can prevent someone contracting HIV. On why she decided to reveal the truth 11 years on, Lucy confessed: 'It was scary for sure, it was terrifying, but I knew that if I put it out there - everything - there was absolutely nothing I have to hide from. 'People picked up on that and they said "thank you for talking about this thing, or that thing, because it made me feel really full of shame, and I haven't got any shame about anything". 'And I think that's a nice place to be.' While Simon was not a judge on The X Factor when Lucy competed, he later reached out and apologised for how she was treated on the ITV show, with Lucy then admitting: 'His apology healed a part of my being that I didn't know needed healing.' Asked how it felt receiving the apology, she mused: 'I think whether forgiveness is easy or not depends on the person. 'It's a lot easier to forgive somebody when they apologise, and that's something that's really big for me. I do a lot of work on forgiveness in general. 'They say like hating people is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. 'Truly in my life right now, there is nobody that I don't forgive and there's nobody that I don't wish, peace and health for in this world.' Indeed, her friendship with Simon is better than ever, and last year the music mogul walked her down the aisle during her star-studded wedding to girlfriend Emilia Smith. 'It was really strange,' Lucy laughed. 'It's a high stress environment and I looked to the side and saw him, like this is weird! 'But he was here and Lauren [Silverman] was there.' Married life has also inspired her music, with Lucy gearing up to release new album, Other Sides Of The Moon. The title she revealed is inspired by her love story. Discussing her relationship with her wife, she mused: 'We'd been friends for like 10 years. Then at the same time we looked at each other and thought "I'm in love with you." 'Then I wrote the song Other Sides Of The Moon and it's about looking at the same moon. 'We'd been looking at the same moon all the time, but we were just on other sides of it. Now we're on the same side.' Lucy's new single, The Lesson is inspired by losing loved ones. 'They teach you so much while they're alive and the only thing that they don't teach you is how to live without them,' Lucy mused. 'The album is a collection of songs from the past, songs that I wrote years ago, that I wanted to bring into now and make them sound new and more mature. 'I'm at a point now where I feel quite comfortable in myself and my voice has changed a lot and I'm a bit more adventurous. Lucy's single The Lesson, and tickets to her UK tour in November, are out now and her album, Other Sides Of The Moon, is out June 20.
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Much loved' Preston music venue 53 Degrees to reopen after decade
A "much loved" city music venue is set to reopen after being closed for almost a decade.53 Degrees in Preston's University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) campus hosted acts such as Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Kasabian and Calvin Harris but has been mostly dormant since is now preparing to welcome music fans back for a full season of live music music promoters GS Promotions said it was "delighted" to bring the venue back to life in August in partnership with UCLan Students' Union (SU) and has already lined up acts such as singer songwriter Lucy Spraggan, Peat & Diesel, and the Lancashire Hotpots. 53 Degrees originally opened its doors in 2005 and was run by UCLan SU. It said it closed its doors in 2015 as students' preferences changed and the music industry was evolving making it tough to keep the venue going as a full-time gig space, although it still used it for key student events like Freshers' Week. 'Go-to destination' Jon Russ, from UCLan SU, said: "We're thrilled to be bringing this iconic venue back to life in partnership with GS Promotions, adding to the vibrant live music scene in the heart of the city. "Our goal is to make 53 Degrees a go-to destination for students, locals and touring acts alike."GS Promotions director Gav Scott said it was "dead exciting" to bring the "much loved" venue back to said it had always held a "special place in the hearts of music lovers in Preston" and it was "working hard to secure an incredible roster of artists and shows for the venue".The relaunch will start with opening the venue's 400-capacity room with hopes to eventually expand into the venue's larger room, which has a capacity for 1,500 people. Sarah Threlfall, deputy chief executive and director of community and wellbeing at Preston City Council, said 53 Degrees was a "landmark venue for many" and its reopening as a hub for live music was "fantastic news" for the city and would further enhance its cultural offer. Have you got any old photos from 53 Degrees and memories you would like to share? Use the form below to get in touch. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
