Rising star Mike Taveira identifies as pansexual — that means the 25-year-old singer’s attraction to others is not limited by sex, gender or gender identity. Pansexuality is still considered something of a rarity in the LGBTQ community, and is often misinterpreted as bisexual. Few public figures have come out as pansexual, save for a few public stars like rapper Angel Haze (a.k.a. Roes) and Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie. But for Taveira, curiosity, along with visibility, is the key to overcoming barriers.
“I never had a pansexual person to look up to,” Taveria tells Billboard about his life growing up. “So I’m doing this for the people who need someone to look up to.”
In his new video “Curious” (premiering exclusively below), Taveria explores the many facets of his sexuality with a wide array of characters: drag queens, cisgender gay men, cis straight women, non-binary people, trans women. Sometimes the pairs are arm-wrestling with intense eye contact, sometimes playing mostly-naked video games, and sometimes being whipped with a leather crop. The video features notable queer talent like RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner (and Taveria’s real-life friend) Monét X Change, Drag Race OG Sonique, trans model Arisce Wanzer and George Todd McLachlan from Showtime’s Shameless. Taveira is curious for them all, and he plays the field equally well with each partner.
Billboard chatted with Taveira about his experience as a pansexual artist, his queer inpirations and the “Curious” video.
Did you always want to be a singer?
I’ve been singing and acting since I was eight years old. When I moved to New York a couple years ago, I focused my energy on acting, but I wanted to do more. And I’ve always been a songwriter. Then I met Evangelia, this incredible artist who is like my sister. She’s who really pushed me and encouraged me to pursue music more. It’s been tough, though. I feel like society pigeonholes you. You have to be an actor, or a singer, or a dancer. But you can actually do all of them!
Which queer artist most inspires you?
Janelle Monae. She’s incredible. I look up to her a lot. There’s not many pansexual artists out there. The reason why I’m even doing this is because I never had a pansexual person to look up to. Someone who, like me, is attracted to cis women and cis men, trans women, trans men, non-binary people. To me, it doesn’t matter. So I’m doing this for the people who need someone to look up to. Because seeing Janelle live her truth has been so inspiring, and I want to do the same for others.
Speaking of setting a good example for the LGBTQ youth, can you tell us how you came out?
I started identifying as pansexual about two years ago, but I never really had a coming out. Growing up, everyone would say that bisexual men are just confused gay guys. In the beginning when I would talk about being into more types of people than just girls, people would say to me, “You’re straight, you’re confused.” Or they’d say, “You’re gay, you just don’t know it yet.” I would go back and forth in my mind, if I was straight or queer, all the time. But as I got older and became more educated and had more experiences, I realized that I’m actually pansexual. So now I’m out, and proud!
Let’s get to the music — what is “Curious” all about?
So “Curious” is about my first queer experience, and also about celebrating my queerness. In high school there was somebody I was very attracted to, and he to me, but society kept us from doing anything. That is, until we were alone. It’s also a celebration of queerness and how you can be curious and question your sexuality all the time. I think a lot of people could be pansexual, if they opened their minds’ a little more. There’s always a box that people put you in, so I feel like sometimes they won’t believe it when someone says they are pansexual… because it’s hard for them to comprehend!
You show a lot of different types of people in the clip. Can you talk a little bit about the casting?
I think queer representation is incredibly important, so I made sure to cast a wide net for the video. That’s why we have so many different types of people in “Curious.” I also really wanted to show straight norms but in queer settings, like putting Sonique in an apron and in a kitchen baking cookies, or showing me wrestling on a mat with a non-binary person. Queer people are shut out of these spaces all the time, and I wanted to hint at those things in my work, too.
And whose idea was it to transform Monét into BDSM-Barbie?
Actually, it was Monét’s! But I really loved the idea of putting some fetish gear in the video, because that’s a legit part of life for a lot of people, and I like to show real stuff!
What do you wish people understood better about pansexuality?
I just wish that people thought harder about their experiences than about the labels. I wish past generations did that. I think sometimes, just letting go and feeling the energies around you will help you understand sexuality. If you’re with somebody, and you feel an energy, a good one, and it’s really great between you… then why do you have to stop that, just because it’s a dude or a girl or whatever? That’s what I hope my music helps people do — open up to experiences.