FLAVIA Releases 'Them' Video for Transgender Day of Visibility

Electronic singer-songwriter and producer FLAVIA grew up in Ireland and Italy and has lived in just about every corner of the U.S. before landing in Los Angeles. In 2019, her colorful "Til I Die" video reached nearly a million views in its first month, and she was one of the Grand Prize winners in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition with her song "Expectations."

This Tuesday (March 31), she's releasing her latest single "Them" in support of Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), a day dedicated to celebrating the transgender community and raising awareness of the discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide.

FLAVIA tells Billboard the single "was inspired by a specific romance I had with a trans-masculine person, but the video's intentions were to visually illustrate an inclusive picture of the entire trans/gender non-conforming/non-binary community. As a cisgender female, it was important that I was sensitive not speak for a community that I myself am not a part of, but rather my goal was to elevate the voices of the trans community to let them shine and represent themselves."

"The T in LGBTQ+ is so often wildly under and misrepresented in media, therefore I wanted to use my platform as an artist to shed light and help raise awareness for the trans rights that keep so many lives in flux still to this day. It is so important that cis allies support and help lift up the gender-nonconforming communities that haven't been allowed the same opportunities as binary folks. It's with strength in numbers, and using our own resources to help others, that we can truly make a change," she says.

The "Them" video was directed by Basil Mironer, owner of Mirage Studio. He has been FLAVIA's creative collaborator on several other music videos and on the visual projections of her live performances. Kai Wes, co-producer on the music video, is trans/non-binary and was on the first-ever all sexually fluid cast in the history of U.S. television with MTV's Are You The One?

"Shooting this music video was an incredibly profound experience for me. Bringing almost 50 of the most diverse, beautiful humans together into a room and creating a safe space and sense of community was a magical feeling. I am truly grateful for all the people that came together to make this video possible."

The cast came together when FLAVIA reached out to every trans person she knew, an LBGTQ center and several other transgender organizations.

"My hope is that even one person connects with this song and video and feels seen, understood, loved, or less alone because of it. We all deserve to feel seen and celebrated." At the end of the video, FLAVIA shared the following message: "Be unapologetically yourself. The world will follow."

FLAVIA taught herself how to produce music and play instruments in order to be independent and make things happen when she felt her career was not happening fast enough and in the way she envisioned. She also tells us she shot a behind-the-scenes documentary titled Them. Additionally, photographer Nina Hawkins shot portraits of the cast which they will showcase online.

FLAVIA is working on a Pride Month EP which she plans to release in June with all the music centered around queer songs; an album will be released in the fall.