Catching Up with Brandon Stansell

By Ernesto Higuera

As you probably know from GED’s interview with Brandon in the April 2018 issue, Brandon is one of the few openly gay country artists. We thought we’d sit down for a quick catch-up on all things Brandon, and found out that Brandon just released his new single “For You” on July 12th. The corresponding music video features RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Eureka!  Along with Eureka, Brandon is working to change the conversation surrounding LGBTQ people, especially in the south, and in a format (country music) where it’s not as widely accepted.

“For You” is so upbeat and feels like a fresh new take on country music today.  What was your inspiration for the track?

asically, we wanted people to feel good! I co-wrote “For You” with MYLEN who also co-wrote Slow Down & Hometown (among others) and we both just wanted to make something that captures all the goodness our partners bring into our lives. I always tell people that my boyfriend is the most kind-hearted loving person, so when it came time write something that was reflective of the person he is, it had to be bubbly and bright! 

What’s your go-to song that always puts you in a good mood? 

Can I say the Golden Girls theme song? 

Your latest music video “For You” features Eureka O’Hara!  In the video you both play the nerd type character, and it’s actually quite adorable.  How was it working with the latest RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist? 

I mean, it’s not often someone you admire is as amazing as you hope they will be! Working with Eureka was everything and more – she’s tough as nails and funny as hell. She is also a fellow Tennessean, so having her on set felt a lot like being home except she had more hairspray and heels than my momma ever had! Being from the South, she also understands and shares my passion for LGBTQ visibility in the country music space – we both grew up loving country music but never seeing ourselves reflected in the music we were singing along to. Bringing Drag into the country music space feels like a first and that’s exciting. I think for a lot of people this might be their first exposure to what is such a big part of gay culture – I’m just glad it’s Eureka they’re seeing first. She’s the real deal. 

Your latest video depicts two characters (Brandon & Eureka O’Hara) as being outcast and unwelcome.  As an out country star, what advice could you offer to your fans, the LGBTQ community, and music lovers that may feel the same way the characters felt in the video? 

The best advice I could give is – if you feel like you’re not wanted in the room, maybe you need to find a better room! No one in this world is ever going to be loved  by everyone (I mean hell, even Dolly Parton has haters. DOLLY PARTON, y’all!)  So don’t take it in, do you, and be the kind of person you want to interact with. If you like yourself, you’ll never be outnumbered.

What’s in the works on the horizon? Because we’re ready for more!

We’re working on a few remixes of For You which will be coming out in the next few weeks. We’ll also be releasing a lyric video for the song featuring Eureka – stay tuned for that gem! And then later this fall, we’ll be making a bit of right turn and releasing a new video for my new single “Hometown”, which I think is going to knock people’s socks off in a totally different way. It’s an exciting year!

You can follow Brandon on Facebook at /brandonstansellofficial and on twitter @BrandonStansell. You can download “For You” at https://fanlink.to/TQK.