Victor Jackson Reimagines the Classic Love Song for LGBTQ Couples

Atlanta-based R&B and soul artist Victor Jackson has used his gift of music, dance, and drama to breathe creative life into artists like Kandi Burruss, Iggy Azalea, and Jennifer Hudson. However, his artistry truly takes center-stage with the release of his new single, “He Belongs to the City.”

On the heels of an intoxicating performance during the inaugural Global Black Gay Pride, Jackson’s latest track reminds queer and hetero listeners alike that they deserve to live long and dance. He considers “He Belongs to the City” to be a queer romantic comedy wrapped in an R&B groove. The song serves as the lead single from his upcoming EP Man. Muse. Magic.

As a Black, gay man, Jackson has committed his life to using art as a tool to shift the perception of people who look and love like him. A choreographer, vocalist, and actor, he has dazzled national audiences.

OUT FRONT caught up with Jackson to talk more about “He Belongs to the City,” performing at the Global Black Gay Pride, how Jennifer Hudson encouraged him to get behind the mic, and what more he hopes to accomplish with his platform.

Hi, Victor! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your latest single, “He Belongs to the City.” Can you tell us more about the concept and inspiration?
“He Belongs to the City” is what I like to call a Black, queer love story wrapped up in a R&B groove. For me, in dating, I have been in situations where you feel like you like a guy more than the guy likes you, and you want to spend time with them and want to be around them, but because of schedules and you are both busy or both have things to do, they may not always align.

So, I wanted to put a concept of somebody like canceling plans but then surprising you later in the night. We always see these romantic comedies when two people realize, oh, you and me! However, we don’t really see that in queer situations, and definitely not in Black, queer situations. So, I wanted to create that storyline and put it in my music.

How has the song been received by audiences?
It has been received very, very well. It’s crazy. There is a DJ crew here in Atlanta, and I know the only female DJ of the crew, her name is Hourglass, and we have done a lot of things together, but one of the six hetero members from her crew basically grabbed her phone while she was doing a DJ set and called me.

It was, like, midnight and I’m like, ‘Hello? Who is this?’ He’s like, ‘This is Xavier Blk, and I just want to let you know I f*cking love your record; it’s so fucking dope. It’s incredible, we’re going to support you; we’re going to do everything.’ That’s really important for me because they do, like, this big R&B party, and having like a co-sign from them is important.

Jarrett Hill, who is a CNN and MSNBC pop culture and political journalist, FaceTimed me after he saw me do a performance, and he was like Victor, this is incredible. He gave me a shout-out on his podcast Fanti that he does with Tre’vell Anderson, just like other artists have been reaching out.

I worked with Kandi Burruss, and she called me after I celebrated Shea Couleé winning Drag Race, and she said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that I am really digging your music. I’ve been bumping it in my car all week.’ Kandi is somebody I have worked with, but we also went to the same high school in Atlanta. We went years apart from each other, but she was one of the major inspirations. Being able to work with her as a choreographer and director, but also her appreciating my work as a singer-songwriter, is unbelievable. So, yes, I have been having lots of those little moments.

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What do you hope people take away from your music?
Where we are in the world right now with a global pandemic and just a fever pitch of social issues at the forefront, I just want people to be reminded that they deserve to live; they deserve to love, and they deserve to dance. As a person that is both Black and queer and sitting at the intersection of marginalization for so long in my life for one reason or another, the freedom to live, love, and dance has been stifled and taken away from me. So, I wanted this song to be a reminder to people that no matter where they sit on the spectrum of marginalization, they deserve to live, love, and dance.

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?
Yes! I wrote my first song in third grade. It was a song about Martin Luther King for our MLK Day program. Also, my parents met in choir in college, so I grew up singing. My siblings and I, we all sing together, and I used to do talent shows with my brother Vaughn. He passed away in 2008. My sisters are both performers, so yes, I come from a musical family.

Is it true that Jennifer Hudson was the one who encouraged you to get behind the mic and pursue singing?
Yes. When my brother passed in 2008, I stopped singing. I was like, I am no longer pursuing music. I just want to take some time, and I threw all my energy into choreography and creative direction. In less than a year, I ended up on the Real Housewives of Atlanta with Kandi and ended up doing, like, five seasons. I was also working with Iggy Azalea, and I choreographed the “Fancy,” “Black Widow,” and “Change Your Life” videos. So, when Iggy did a song with Jennifer Hudson, “Trouble,” we were rehearsing for the Kid’s Choice Awards, and it was just Jennifer Hudson and I in rehearsal. I was singing the chorus while she was singing the lead, just because we were going through it a cappella, and after we went through it, she was like, ‘Hey, you can really sing.’ I was like, ‘No’ [laughs]. A lot of times, we have the tendency to deflect something if we’re not in a head and heart space to receive, but she stopped me and said I really can sing, and I will never find true fulfillment until I lean into that gift. So, it was the marker for me that it was time for me to start back up and doing it. That was five years ago.

And I hear you are taking the music industry by storm. I mean, you are looked up to by big name artists like Jennifer and Alex Newell.
I have some very special friends who happen to be famous and accomplished, and it’s really satisfying for me to be friends with these people who are all incredible in their own right, but they also not only accept and acknowledge, but they uplift and encourage my art. It is a constant reminder that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.

You performed at the inaugural Global Black Gay Pride. How was it, and what did you take away from that experience?
At first, when I got the invitation, DaShawn Usher, who works at GLAAD, extended the invitation, and it’s funny because we were just talking on the phone, and I was kind of lamenting about not being able to perform and missing it so much. He was like, ‘Actually, this opportunity came across my desk, and I thought about you because I know that it will line up with your single.’

I enjoyed it because I feel like right now, in the age of the pandemic, everybody is forced to pivot in one way or another. For me as a performer, it gave me an opportunity to bring this performance vision to life, to sit down with the director and really go through storyboarding and casting the dancers and costuming and choreographing, doing all of that for a piece that isn’t like a performance that will happen in one night and then be over, but for a piece that can live as long as we need it to. What started out as a bit of a challenge really became an opportunity for me to pivot and grow in a way that I would have never done if it weren’t for the current state of the world.

Do you believe Black queerness is not represented enough in the music space?
I believe that Black queerness is represented, but I don’t believe that it is spotlighted and highlighted in the same way that you see Troye Sivan. We have artists like MNEK, and if you look at their careers and other platforms, the support they are getting is completely different. There are countless Black, queer artists; they are doing great work. Even Alex Newell. You can look at Alex’s career, his music career specifically, versus some of his white, queer counterparts. It’s not the same.

Engagement is not the same spotlight. I feel like Black, queer artists exist, and they are starting to get major label deals and partnerships, but it’s time for us to be on those lists and playlists and performing at those award shows and getting then same visibility that our white counterparts get.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as a Black, queer entertainer?
I really hope for the perspective of people who look and love like me. The intersection of Blackness and queerness is a very special intersection that is weighed down with church tradition, systematic racism, and a history of not receiving the resources that we deserve because of our Blackness and queerness.

So, it is my hope that my existence in this space will start opening up more opportunities for Black, queer artists and Black, queer people without the same struggles and fights that I have had to push through. That they will experience freedom to be, freedom to exist, and freedom to thrive. That is what I am hoping I can accomplish as a Black, queer artist in the space.

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Before we wrap up, do you have any other upcoming projects you would like to mention?
I am working on an acoustic EP. I don’t want to say the title yet, but I am working on that, and it will be comprised of acoustic versions of my singles up until this point. I will also be including a new song on there, so it will be an audio project, and also a visual project. I get to give my supporters not only an audio offering, but an opportunity to experience performance in a new and fresh way. I am also toying around with a holiday record.

Follow Jackson on social media to stay up-to-date, or visit mrglamrocksoul.com. “He Belongs to the City” is available on all digital streaming platforms.

Photos Courtesy of Aaron Hamilton