Written by:
Catherine Plato
» Order
this Issue of Curve:
Vol. 17#1
With her sexy shaved head and velvety vocals, gender-bending diva Androgyny will surely become a dyke favorite in no time. The Nigerian-born singer-songwriter blends gospel, jazz and soulful pop into a sound so smooth we’d fall for her even if she were a straight chick — which, thankfully, she’s not. She’s currently working on her second album, to be released some time before summer 2007. You can hear her music and get updates on her upcoming album online at www.androgynymusic.com.
How long have you been known as Androgyny?
I have been known as Androgyny for the past five years or so. It came about as a result of my very androgynous look. When we would go out, many people could not figure out if I was male or female .... Eventually my friends started calling me Androgyny, and when I began recording my first album, Androgene, I had a choice to go with my legal name which is Rizi Timane’ or go with a stage name. I chose to go with a stage name and Androgyny seemed the logical choice.
Do you play any of the instruments on your recording?
Only on one song ... "And I Love You," where I play the native African conga drum. I have one that was custom made and given to me by my mother on my birthday a few years ago. It hangs on my walls at home to remind me of my heritage, and it is my pride and joy.
What’s your songwriting process like?
Oh honey, I have the most haphazard songwriting process, if you can even call it a process. I simply write when I am inspired to. So if I am inspired by something at 6 pm in the heart of traffic on Los Angeles’ 405 freeway, I start to write there and then — yes, I know I shouldn’t do it while driving, but if I don’t jot something down, it disappears as soon as it came.
If I am inspired while having a heated argument with a bitter ex, I grab some paper and pen right there in the heat of the argument and start writing! Or if I’m in the shower and realize that I’m hopelessly in love with the girl I just made love to, I burst out butt-naked and write down my feelings. That’s what its all about, I write about how I feel.
How did your family in Nigeria feel when you came out?
I knew I was different at age 8, and by 13, I absolutely knew that I was a lesbian and I came out to my family and friends right there in Africa at that time. They actually laughed about it and said it was just a phase I would get over really soon. Well, we never spoke about it again until I was 19, and my family inquired about my "problem phase," and if I had "fixed it," at which time I expressed the fact that it actually wasn’t a phase and I knew for sure I was a lesbian, and would remain that way for life.
All hell broke lose. I became an outcast, treated like I had a disease and constantly persecuted. It even made the national newspapers and local tabloids. My family constantly told me how much of a shame and disgrace I was. I was taken ... to the church congregation to help "cast out the demons of homosexuality from inside me."
I ended up alone, away from my family on my own in London and then here in the USA with no communication from any family members. But in early 1999, my mom and dad came here to make their peace. I accepted, and I do love them dearly. I forgive them and I hope the relationship can grow and last.
My heart goes out to all those whose family are not supportive of their sexuality, but I do encourage them to bravely come out. Be yourself, be honest about it and if they don’t love you, there’s nothing wrong with you. Its them that have the problem. Hang in there, maybe like mine, they will eventually come around.
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