David Hernandez: A Champion for Representation and Visibility in Music

Singer-songwriter David Hernandez first came on our radar when he competed on the seventh season of the singing competition series American Idol. 

Performing was in his blood from the start, as he started singing at the precious age of 6. After making his stage debut in a production of Annie, Hernandez went on to star in musicals and perform with various theatre companies. At 15, he started writing original music and recording his arrangements. After appearing on American Idol, Hernandez was named among TV Guide’s “Sexiest Stars” and opened for John Legend at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration.

In honor of this year’s Pride season, Hernandez released a new single called “ILY.” Its powerful message is one of inclusion and how it is vital that we love one another for who and what we are. Hernandez has always been passionate about normalizing the LGBTQ experience and instilling in everyone that love is love, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. 

The accompanying music video stars Benji Schwimmer from So You Think You Can Dance, a former Mormon who is openly gay, as Hernandez’s embattled love interest, and trans actress Alexa Abraxas as a therapist helping the couple work through their relationship issues.

Hernandez took some time to chat more about “ILY” with OFM, as well as the lack of representation and visibility in the music industry. 

Can you begin by telling us more about your latest single, “ILY,” and what inspired you to write it?
“ILY (I Love You),” is an inclusive love letter to the LGBTQ community. I feel like there is not a whole lot of visibility in terms of queer relationships in the mainstream media, as well as therapy in queer relationships. I think therapy still very much has a stigma attached to it, and just to see that in the mainstream would be nice. To see the same things that heterosexual couples go through, because queer people are also human beings, and a lot of places do not consider that. 

Initially, I wrote the song on my bedroom floor, and it was inspired by my partner. I pretty much sang the whole song in my voice notes; I had most of the lyrics completed, and then I sent it to my producer. I was like, ‘Can you make something happen with this song?’ What he sent me back was just incredible, in my opinion. Then I invited my good friend, Stewart Taylor, over for some red wine, which is my favorite thing to drink, and he was like, ‘I think we should kind of change this here or add that here.’ It just became this beautiful, collaborative thing that I am super proud of, and I always try to be intentional with the messages in my art. This was no exception. 

How has the song been received?
In the first seven days, we approached 60,000 views, so that is really cool for me. I know other people out there are in the millions, but I am an independent artist. I finance all my own stuff, so it is cool that it’s being received so well, which means, I think, it was needed. I am super stoked it has been able to touch people, and I have gotten so many messages from queer couples, and heterosexual couples, more importantly, that are like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t even see two guys. I just saw a rollercoaster of a relationship, which is exactly what me and my husband or wife go through. 

A lot of people nowadays are like, ‘Oh, I have an appointment to go to.’ It’s never, ‘I go to therapy,’ unless you are super progressive, because therapy is still considered, at least how I grew up, weak. ‘Why do you need therapy; are you crazy?’ The truth is, yes, we are all crazy. We all need some kind of help. 

What was it like working with Benji Schwimmer for the video?
Benji is an incredible and patient teacher. I am not a dancer. I have two left feet [laughs]. So, when me and my best friend, James, sat down at The Abbey, we had this conversation about wanting to incorporate contemporary dancing or lifestyle movement. We did not know who would portray that, and initially, it was like, maybe we will hire two dancers/actors to do it. Then I was like, I kind of want to get out of my comfort zone and see if I can really move. I did it a little bit for “Boomerang,” my single last summer, but it was basically one eight-count. I wanted to see if I could make this happen. Is it going to look cute or like a hot ass mess?

I reached out to my good friend Brady Kerr, who does my website and all my branding, and he is best friends with Benji. They have known each other since they were kids, and they both grew up Mormon. It was really dope to meet him for the first time. I was on tour with his sister ages ago in a Dancing with the Stars tour. During the first rehearsal, we were pouring sweat, and he took it to the next level. He was able to convey my lyrics through movement, so that was pretty dope. I cried a couple times.

What are some of the top messages you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope they take away that therapy is normal, that queer relationships are legit and should be validated and treated as such, and that inclusivity is key. I think we can all use a little bit more grace and acceptance for one another. Within the gay community, because we gave been oppressed for so long, we have this default for being super bitchy or catty, tearing someone else down because it’s, like, the cool thing to do, or it’s trendy. 

I do not think we should be in those places all the time. It’s fun to be funny, but you also need to support your fellow, LGBTQ community members. Alexa Abraxas is trans, and it was nice to normalize a professional, working trans woman in that space in this video. A lot of times, trans people are looked at as freaks or a fetish. Alexa was like, ’Thank you so much for putting me in a position where I can be taken seriously.’ I think that, for me, was very important, and I hope people take away that from the video as well.

In addition to LGBTQ inclusivity, do you think the music industry is also lacking people of different backgrounds, different looks, body images, etc.?
One hundred percent. It’s a shame because we want so much acceptance, but in a lot of spaces, we are still casting the blond-haired, blue-eyed guy with an eight pack. Where are the plus-size models in the queer community? My good friend, Dexter, he is a huge advocate for that. There needs to be more. He is few and far between, but there needs to be more Lizzos on the LGBTQ side that are blowing up the way mainstream media blows up heterosexual artists. 

I am super outspoken about that because I did not really see that growing up. When I was growing up, Ricky Martin and those people were still in the closet. I understand why, but I think it is very important for the little kid who is in Paducah, KY or some small, little city in the Midwest to be able to look at the screen and be like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have to be stuck in this space forever. There is somebody that’s doing what I want to do.’ That is super important to me.

Do you think the industry has created this image of what entertainers and artists should look like, or does it come from self-pressure?
No, I think the industry has a lot to do with it. There is always some form of self-pressure, but it is ironic that a lot of the gay executives, managers, and booking agents have encouraged me and my fellow artists to stay closeted or not to be overtly sexual. It’s just ironic to me, and hypocritical, to be a gay whatever it is that you are, but then telling your artist, ‘Hey, don’t be yourself. Let’s water it down a little bit so that you can sell to the mainstream.’ That bothers me a lot, and I am not here for it anymore. I used to listen to a lot of people’s opinions, and it literally got me nowhere. I think this is the most creative and expressive that I have been in my whole life, and that’s because I can be unapologetically authentic. I encourage everybody to be that way.

Why do you think people create these images of what we should look like rather than loving who we are?
Fear. I think we are afraid. I think people are afraid of what’s different. They’re afraid of sex; they’re afraid of sexual exploration; they’re afraid of self-love. Like, to love yourself is considered narcissistic, but why? If you work so hard on yourself, why not celebrate yourself? I think it’s created in these images and because we are all just terrified of something different. 

You have talked openly about your struggle with self-acceptance and self-esteem issues. How did you gain the confidence to put yourself out there?
Honestly, it is still a struggle to put myself out there. Whenever I post something that shows me half-naked, I still think, ‘Oh my God, do I look OK? Who is going to see that and think I look trashy? I think you just get to a certain point in your life with the right people behind you, where you just don’t give a shit anymore, and you have to live for yourself. No matter what you do, you can be the most perfect human on the block, and someone is going to think that you are awful. 

I see the comments on YouTube; I see them on Facebook; I see how nasty people are, so you just have to live for yourself. I don’t think there’s any room for that kind of second guessing or comparisons anymore. I did that in my 20s, and now that I am approaching the latter part of my 30s, there is so much life to live, and I would hate to look back and see that I didn’t do something because of what someone else thought.

What would you say is your sexiest feature?
Oh, that is a good question. I don’t think it would be physical. I think my wit is my sexiest feature. I would say that. We can all work on the aesthetics of it all, but at the end of the day, I am attracted to a person because of their intellect, their wit, their intelligence. If a conversation cannot be carried, then it does not matter how hot your body is.

What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with their body image or looks?
Well, therapy [laughs]. Just like “ILY” suggests, therapy is a great tool. Anyone struggling with their body image, ask yourself, why? Is it because you truly are not happy with it, or are you comparing it to somebody else’s that you desire and want to look like? If that is the case, then yes, therapy. We have got to unpack all that. You are beautiful in your own skin just the way you are. There is a reason why humans are not all made identical. It’s because we are all so beautiful in our own right. Learn to love every part of yourself. 

I know it’s hard. I say that now, but then tomorrow, I could be like, ‘My nose is still crooked after all these years.’ I look at those things, but my nose is never going to change; I am never getting surgery. The things that I need to work on, more importantly, are my self-esteem, educating myself on a daily basis, and my art. Not the visceral things that are not as important. It’s great to have fitness in my life, but that was not the reason why I started working out. I wanted to be mentally stable because the pandemic flipped me upside down. I was drinking a lot and fell out of my rhythm. Fitness helped me get back into that, but the most important thing is mental health.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
I would really like to get into acting again. Hopefully, be in a role playing a LGBTQ artist as a LGBTQ person. I think there are so many roles, and I am so glad that they are casting actual, queer people in queer roles. That is the right thing to do. So, I hope to branch out and do that. Also, keep making music. I don’t think I will ever stop making music. So, those are the goals for myself, and to just touch hearts and lives.

Are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I will be performing at Omaha Pride on July 10, and I am excited about that. It’s going to be with CeCe Peniston, Dev, OneUp Duo Ada Vox—it’s going to be a big one, and I think we are all just happy to kind of be out of the woods for the most part with this pandemic. We are going to turn up safely. 

Stay connected with Hernandez by following him on Facebook and Instagram, or visit his official website. “ILY” and all of his other music is available on all music streaming platforms.