Rewind: Antony and the Johnsons - S/T

There's not a lot of love for Antony Hegarty's debut album . Sure, it's overshadowed by the Mercury Prize-winning I Am a Bird Now, but the haunting beauty of his first record can't be overstated. (Note: Antony is transgender, but according to this article, prefers male pronouns. If someone knows anything different, let me know and I'll be happy to change it. I generally don't use "zie" or "sie" unless someone specially asks that I do.)

Antony's quivering tenor is otherworldly, to say the least, and downright disquieting on first listen. Nina Simone is a big influence, as well as Boy George (who later guested on I Am a Bird Now), and if you described his voice to me this way, I'd probably say "No thanks," but it's a stunning combination of force and vulnerability. He's toned down the overly dramatic vocals on subsequent albums, but the power in those early recordings is undeniable.



If it seems like I'm side-stepping something, I am. In press and online, Antony's status as a transgender person often overpowers his art. This comment from Garland Grey sums it up:

Most of the people who write about Antony focus on his transgender identity, while treating his music almost as a curious footnote. Once again, you have an artist who is engaging listeners in a discussion about intensely personal experiences – pain, masochism, desperation, and transformation – and reviewers dawdle at the edges of his music, refusing to engage.

It's difficult to write about Antony and not mention his transgender identity, especially since it does inform his songwriting. This is a good thing. Trans people are still largely invisible to society, and having someone who is trans, singing about being trans, is huge.