Talking Sex & Music with Jade Starr
“So many people in this world are just fucking scared of who they are”
Not too many people could lay claim to this truthfully bold statement, though Jade Starr has put in the hard yards on a long journey of self-discovery. Resulting in the rock chick identity she is now known for. Jade’s name and gender may have changed, but she proclaims she is just finally free to be her true self.
Born a boy, it didn’t take her long to realise she was uncomfortable in the skin of a male. “I was about 5 from memory, being caught (in a dress) by my dad, I think it really dawned on me in year 7 I was like ‘shit I’m not actually gonna grow tits I have so many female girl friends, but I’m not gay’” Jade goes on to recount that it wasn’t such a releasing discovery straight away “Everything I was involved in was hateful. I suppose as a protection layer. Then life goes on and eventually you are this ‘hard person’ living in all those circles. Secretly you are going home every night just wanting to be a girl”
The development of identity and sexuality through music is a journey most people would be able to relate to. “By my late twenties I was playing in a death metal band and we were a bunch of drag queen. It was doing really well, because it was so unique for Melbourne at the time. It was a good chance for me to dress up as a girl in death metal theme and have no-one question it. That was pretty much the start of coming out for me and after a while I thought I might as well do this full time”
There is a world of negativity out there and while we may try to detach and not associate with people who are uncomfortable with the way we live our lives, we are always going to run into it somewhere along the line. Jade talks about the negativity she cops “mostly from men actually, now I cop what women cop, it used to be a lot worse, but then I used to retaliate” She confesses with a sheepish giggle “Its bizarre now for me to look back now as a woman and see the way men treat females. I would never do the things I see men do to me and the women around me”
Though difference of opinion, Jade recognises as very different to negativity “its what makes the world unique and beautiful, and life isn’t perfect, but we need to counter balance each other, and black and white will turn to grey. As long as you are happy yourself and not hurting anyone else”
In the 2008, things may have advanced technologically, politically and socially, though I’m not sure about those advancements being for the better, but somewhere we have seen development and allowing the freedom of expression is in music “Rock music is a pioneer, it has done more for gender variance, I mean look at people like Marilyn Manson, Boy George and Mötley Crüe. In music culture, film and art there is a blurring of gender. How long can the world deny the facts? I find it hard to believe there are people out there who still don’t believe it. Then if they watch a doco on someone who is intersex, they go ‘that’s ok they were born that way and it cant be helped’ and then somebody could see a transsexual and go ‘what a freak’. But you could see a picture of me six years ago (looking different) but I’ve had no surgery, just hormones, it just about finally being happy within.”
For Jade the call back to music came with an interstate move from Melbourne to Sydney “I couldn’t shake it out of my system, I knew I should (play again), before long we had a MySpace page, and a year later we were in Adelaide playing all these shows, and before long I was just a chick playing in a band. We are an acoustic rock, jazz and pop, all female band. We are influenced by Jeff Buckley, but very eclectic with a bit of hard-edged guitar. Though some people may class us as metal, we are a huge step away from screaming into a mic. It’s a lot more positive”
The role of sexuality in music or the role of music in sexuality is a complex issue that has been debated for many years, so Jade’s take on it all? “Music is a great way to express sexuality. We are lucky in Australia that it (the freedom of expression) is still available. Also as a male, music was a great place to hide my sexuality. Because nobody really got to know who I was. Now through music I can send out acceptance, peace, love and sexuality. I’m with a guy now and I can write songs about him and it doesn’t get looked at twice. My music is my motto, really, be yourself”.
