U.K. rap maven Lady Leshurr came out as pansexual today (Sept. 21).
In a profile with the British publication The Gay Times, she says that she discovered that she was pansexual after Kehlani discussed her own sexuality on Twitter this past April.
“Kehlani introduced [me] to the term pansexual. I had never heard of it and after reading her tweets, I felt like everything she was saying applied to me,” Leshurr told the publication. “I would see drag queens and be attracted to them and I would see trans people and be attracted to them. I’m still attracted to guys and girls so it was at that point I realized gender has nothing to do with it. It’s more about the connection, the energy and the vibe that people bring around me — that’s what really draws me in. I’ve never been a person to look at somebody’s appearance and judge them on that. It’s always been about connection and that’s definitely why I identify as pansexual.”
Leshurr, who went viral for her Queen’s Speech saga of rap freestyles, was forcibly outed by an ex earlier this year as queer. This is her first official statement addressing her sexuality, adding that she was reluctant to come out earlier in her career because a former manager held her back. “My ex manager told me coming out wasn’t a good look or the right move for me or my career,” she said. “I remember it made me feel so depressed because I wasn’t being allowed to be my authentic self and honestly, speaking from experience, I understand how it can make someone feel trapped, give you low self-esteem and anxiety, because you can’t fully be yourself.”
Leshurr also shouts-out MNEK, another queer Brit making waves in music. “Representation is really really important because there’s only a minority of us,” she said. “I don’t know anybody else that’s Black British and gay that really came out in the music industry and is wearing it proud except me and MNEK.”
Watch the video for Leshurr’s latest single “Black Madonna” below.