Rich Hennessy to perform at Kentuckiana Pride 2022 – Courier Journal
Rich Hennessy is one of the rising stars of this year’s Kentuckiana Pride Parade & Festival, and he wants to “Break the Silence” on what it means to be a gay artist.
Hennessy, originally from New Jersey, said after pretending to be straight for much of his life, music became an outlet for him to tell his own truth. Now, he’s using his voice to speak up about social issues.
Uplifting marginalized voices in the LGBTQ+ community is one of Hennessey’s goals as an artist.
“I don’t know my life without people of color. I don’t know my life without people of different religions. I don’t know my life without trans people,” Hennessey told the Courier Journal.
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Hennessey said he benefits from privilege even as a white, gay man and wants to use his music to lift others up that don’t experience the same treatment as him.
No stranger to the stage, Hennessey started performing in his church’s Christmas pageants and became active in musical theatre in high school, snagging roles in shows like “Into the Woods” and “High School Musical: Onstage.”
After college, Hennessy moved to New York City to pursue a career in music but was eventually drawn to the tight-knit songwriting community in Nashville and moved there to continue performing.
Hennessey’s real love is pop music. Even though influences of musical theatre are a “pillar” in his voice, the singer said pop vibes felt truer to his identity and used that transition to start living as his “authentic self.”
Pop artists like Sam Smith, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and Freddie Mercury have all played a role in the artist’s music. Mercury is the juggernaut for Hennessy’s vocal style while P!nk’s raw lyrics about family cut deep for him.
Recently release singl “Keep Your Love” is Hennessey’s most personal track to date and explores his complicated relationship with religion. On the surface, it plays like a typical other love song.
I want your love, but I don’t need your love/
If it’s too much or it’s not enough/
Then you can keep your love
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Although he said his experience growing up in the church was mostly positive, the message reflects Hennessey’s struggle with the Catholic church’s pushback toward the LGBTQ+ community while existing as a gay man, he said.
“You want me to be a parishioner, you want me to love based on the Bible and be God-fearing and all these things, but this part of me isn’t enough for you,” Hennessy said of the church.
Hennessy wants his songs to sound personal as well as political. Most of his songs reflect something more serious, even though they might seem generalized, he said.
“I don’t want to be so polarizing as an artist, and I don’t ever want to pigeonhole myself into just being the advocate artist,” he said.
The pop artist sings for crowds with diverse beliefs, and that helps open the door to have conversations about queer issues, he said.
In that way, Hennessy is able to continue his advocacy after he’s done singing, he said.
He wrote the song “Enough” in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, but it can also read as a love story. “That’s kind of my love-hate letter, my love-hate song to America,” Hennessy said.
At Kentuckiana Pride Festival on June 18, you’ll hear other original songs like “Counterfeit” and “You’re the Voice,” as well as some of Hennessy’s older, retired songs with EDM and R&B influences, as well as new tracks he hasn’t released. You can also expect to hear a cover of “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes, he said, inspired by childhood sing-alongs with his mom in their Dodge Caravan.
“Literally every set that I’ve ever done or anything that I’ve ever performed at, that song has always been a part of it,” he said.
Hennessy said he’s excited to be part of this year’s festival, which includes headliner Tove Lo and other queer crooners like Miki Ratsula and Versailles duo The Kentucky Gentlemen.
“Getting in front of a new audience is the most exciting part of all of it,” he said.
Catch Hennessy at 3:40 p.m. during the June 18 festival.
Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.
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Kentuckiana Pride Festival & Parade
WHAT: An estimated 20,000-plus people are expected to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community during the annual parade and festival, which is organized by the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation. The festival will features a variety of activities including two stages, a “chill” zone, a kids and family area, a picnic area, a vendor marketplace and a recharge station along with a variety of craft bee and local food and drink vendors.
WHERE: Big Four Lawn at Waterfront Park, at 129 River Road
WHEN: June 18, noon to 10 p.m.
ENTERTAINMENT: The Stonewall Main Stage, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, will feature performances by Tove Lo, Miki Ratsula, Daisha McBride, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Rich Hennessy, Most Wanted and Dominique Morgan, plus the Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus. The Equality stage will features a variety of local drag performers and showcase the Kentucky Pride Festival Court.
COST: Entry is $5 with VIP packages starting at $125. Tickets can be purchased at kypride.com/tickets.
MORE INFORMATION: For more information, visit kypride.com