Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 495 i GAY TIMES

SOUNDS LIKE LUXURY. If you’re looking to treat yourself–and we mean really treat yourself–Luzli’s new Roller MK01 design offers luxury headphones with superior levels of craftsmanship. More akin to their high end timepieces, their engineers have combined technological innovation and a quality finish for a truly spectacular final product. And when the headband is rolled up, they become the smallest form-factor travel headphones in the world. All you’d need then is that private jet. (Luzli’s Roller MK01 range is available in silver and black from luzli.com, priced £2,880) SOUNDS LIKE FREEDOM. Sony’s WF-SP900 True Wireless Sports Headphones are exactly what you’d expect; comfortable fit, clean design, and absolutely no wires. What makes them stand out from their competitors, however, is that they have 4GB of internal memory so you can…

There was a time not so long ago that Marina Lambrini Diamandis–the singer formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds, who has now adopted the mononym MARINA–thought she would never do a glamorous photoshoot again. “I went through a phase where I didn’t want my face to be on anything,” she says. “I didn’t want to wear makeup. I felt like identifying with how I looked was gross.” After the tour for her last album, the singer experienced what can only be described as a bout of ennui. Having released three albums over five years, starting with the theatrical The Family Jewels in 2010 and ending with Froot in 2015, she announced on Twitter that she was “taking a little break to do some different things”. Behind the scenes, though,…

Pabllo Vittar is a wonderful anomaly. Her home country, Brazil, has the highest recorded murder rate of LGBTQ people in the world, and recently elected an openly homophobic president who once said he’d rather his son die in a car accident than come home with a boyfriend. Yet here we have a proud gay drag queen representing Brazil’s vibrant queer community on a global scale, boasting the largest Instagram following of any drag queen in the world (8.3 million) and doing stratospheric numbers on YouTube (her most successful single K.O. is currently sitting pretty at 333 million views). She became the first drag queen to be nominated for a Grammy with her Major Lazer collaboration Sua Cara, and her single Todo Dia, which features the glorious lyrics, “I don’t wait…

Nine years ago, Greyson Chance became a viral sensation after his sixth-grade performance of Lady Gaga’s 2009 pop anthem, Paparazzi, was uploaded to YouTube. After receiving widespread attention, heaps of acclaim (and a phone call from Gaga), the singer-songwriter–who was just 12-years-old at the time–was invited to appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show, and subsequently became a household name in the United States. In the same year, Greyson released his first single Waiting Outside the Lines–produced by Christina Aguilera’s mentor, Ron Fair–which was shortly followed by his pop-rock influenced debut studio album, Hold On ‘til the Night. Imagine doing all of that before you hit your teens? “I had to go through the ringers of the music industry at a very young age,” says Greyson. “I am just so blessed…

We’re sat up at the bar in Puaa, down some back alley in the thick of Jaffa’s ancient market, where all the action is. A lady in a faded T-shirt with a rainbow splashed across it is fetching, maître d’ing, giggling, ushering punters to the very last table. Behind the bar, a man with a dense beard–Israelis do good beard–is decanting and Bloody Mary-ing and flirting and that gap in his teeth could hold an HB pencil. He’s almost tossing the diddy plates of perfect shakshuka and creamy lentils and oh-boy falafels, and the twinkle in his eye could launch ships. A man in a wetsuit carrying a surfboard has just walked past the window, hair looking like he just stepped out of a salon. Whoever made up the word…

Alongside being a creative duo, you’re also a couple. How did this dimensional relationship begin to blossom? We’ve been together for over ten years now and were both involved in different fields of fashion; design and journalism. We decided to collaborate for the first time on the occasion of Josef’s graduation thesis that was designed as a DIY book, telling the history of his origins that inspired the collection. The book came with a pair of scissors and each page had to be cut open to discover its content. This made us realise that we enjoyed the conceptual design process, merging our educational backgrounds and skill sets. Andreas was writing about fashion at this time and looked at design from a pop-cultural, art-historic and social perspective. Being inspired by a…

Music has always played a huge role in queer culture. From pioneering artists like David Bowie and Sylvester challenging gender norms while banging out iconic anthems, to the likes of Bronski Beat, Culture Club and Frankie Goes To Hollywood joining the ranks of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and Elton John as world-conquering queer superstars captivating the mainstream with their music through the 1980s. When you add George Michael, K.D.Lang and Pet Shop Boys who, following their public coming out journeys in the 1990s, became even more open and vulnerable in their songwriting, there was finally some highly visible queer magnificence inspiring a generation of young LGBTQ people. In a slow but steady stride forward, these artists changed the narrative, showing that LGBTQ people are creative trailblazers who can thrive and…

Aaron Porter made his music industry debut last November with the sultry R&B, dance-pop anthem, BOY, the video of which depicted the British singer-songwriter celebrating his queerness while serving fierce choreographed numbers. As an LGBTQ artist of colour, Aaron wants to inspire a whole generation of queer youth, because as a child, he didn’t have someone like him that he could relate to in mainstream media. “It’s not necessarily that I want to be a role model, I just feel that I have to be,” he tells us. “There are a lot of stereotypes on what a gay guy is, and there are a lot of stereotypes on what a black guy is–there are stereotypes around everyone and everything. I kind of offer a lot of different ones mixed into…

We’re only four months into the year, yet Miss Benny has already claimed 2019 as his own. The 20-year-old actor, singer-songwriter, YouTuber and self-described “eyebrow activist” debuted in the entertainment industry nine years ago, but it feels like he’s - as cliché as it is to say, but we’re gonna do it anyway - officially arrived, and honey, he’s taking no prisoners (especially those with bad brows). Earlier this year, the star - real name Ben J. Pierce - launched a full assault on the charts with glittery dance-pop anthem Rendezvous, the video of which provided a massive ‘FUCK YOU’ to gender norms and heteronormative culture. The critically-acclaimed bop was succeeded earlier this month by Every Boy, a mid-tempo synthpop number that sees Ben express his desire to kiss every…

There are three things people always say about Tel Aviv. First, that the people are fit. Second, that the food is amazing. And third, that there aren’t enough decent hotels. The first is definitely true, and you can thank two years of compulsory military service for that. It gives a body definition. The second is undoubtedly true: breakfasts here are so legendary that you sometimes need a golf buggy to run the full length of the buffet. And the third used to be true until a new rash of very lovely hotels started opening. Mind you, for Eurovision, the scarcity of accommodation was thought to be so serious–what with it being the city’s peak period for tourism anyway–that they are bringing in a massive cruise ship to moor off the…

Where is it? In the ancient port city of Jaffa that turns up in the Bible and everything (apparently it was built by one of Noah’s sons after The Flood) but which is just a stone’s throw–well, a 10-minute Gett car–from the bustling modern city of Tel Aviv. Why so lovely? Currently one of the most famous new hotels in the whole wide world, this is a passion project for New York squillionaire XX and you can tell from the love and attention that’s been put into every last detail thanks to superstar minimalist designer John Pawson. Basically, it’s a 19th century French hospital the basement of which has been completely excavated (or dug out) to make the current ground floor. Oh and they found some 13th-century walls while excavating,…

Model Wing at NEXT MANAGMENT //Fashion Assistant Jack O’Neill…

AVENGERS: ENDGAME (in cinemas from 25 April) Has there ever been this much anticipation for a film? Ever? Avengers: Endgame sees the return of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) as they team up with several other heroes-including Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) to reverse the catastrophic events caused by Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Infinity War. With the last film becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time, with a worldwide total of over 2 billion dollars, all eyes are on Endgame to potentially become the most financially successful film in history. Will it beat Avatar’s 2.7 billion dollar total? If there’s any film that can do it, it’s Endgame. SD…

A photo essay by Jacob Bixenman. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Allie X belongs to the LGBTQ community. With her alternative pop anthems and avant-garde sensibilities, the Canadian singer-songwriter has quietly made a name for herself as an icon for queer music fans. Which is why her pairing with RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Violet Chachki for the editorial that adorns these pages makes so much sense. “It’s important to me to lift up and protect the people that have always lifted up and protected me,” she says of her status as an LGBTQ ally. “I know better than to appropriate the very real struggles of the queer community, but as a lifelong ally I do feel a part of the community. It’s just where I have always fit in.”…

Having never been one to succumb to heteronormative limitations on their queerness, wives Queenie and Ruby of Sateen have remained the definition of authentic since they first entered our playlists back in 2017 with their Greatest Hits album. Since then, they’ve released breakout pop bops including fan favourites Finer Things and Blacklisted, alongside sharing their love and life online as they transition into their truest selves. But who and what does Sateen represent for them in 2019? “People often think we are Instagram models, drag queens, club kids or some other kind of queer entertainers so we’re constantly reminding them that we’re just musicians,” they laugh when highlighting a hurdle of being a little ‘too much’ for some. “It’s ironic because usually musicians struggle to expand their message out of…

“I could be what?” I’m telling Lauren Jauregui–or trying to–that she has the makings of a great agony aunt. But this very British term for newspaper advice columnist isn’t one that Jauregui, born and raised in Miami, has ever heard before. “I could be a nun, is that what you’re saying? I literally have no idea what you’re saying; this term is not in my vocabulary!” So I explain, fumblingly, that she seems to have a gift for dating advice, and reassure her that I’m not suggesting she join a convent any time soon. And then the former Fifth Harmony singer, who’s chatting on the phone from her LA base, catches my drift. “Oh, I could probably do that,” she says. “But could I give myself an alias so people…

Where is it? Montefiore, the money-soaked, restaurant-soaked, fancy boutique-soaked heartland of Tel Aviv, ten minutes from hip-‘hoods Florentin and Neve Tzedek - which are all art studios and foodie pop-ups and clever graffiti - and fifteen from Alma Beach, where everyone gathers for the best sunsets over the Mediterranean. Why so lovely? You know when people throw about that ‘redefined luxury’ cliché and you’re like, ‘I’ll be the judge of that?’ Well, we judged, and it’s all true; The Norman has given Tel Aviv’s luxury hotel market a kick up its perky proverbial. They’ve taken two listed 1920s buildings, painted one powder blue, the other one yellow, drenched them in the chicest of interiors, put a lush pool up on the roof, and finished it off with not one but…

Let’s face it, the sun is an unpredictable mess. She dips in, dips out, and sometimes she doesn’t even show up to the function–rude! So we’re not taking any chances. Whether rain or shine, we’re getting our summer glow and if that means we have to cheat our way with some glitter makeup magic, then that’s exactly what we’re going to do. The Queen of Glow, Charlotte Tilbury, is sure to light and electrify your world with the new release of GLOWGASM. With two sparkling new palettes, Lovegasm and Lightgasm, prepare to say ‘goodbye’ to dire dehydration and bathe in the luscious sunbeams of summer. The palette’s packed with pearl pigments and silky mica, glide over the skin to deliver a smooth and naturally lit finish. The Beauty Light Wands…