Interview by Erika Riviera – Pop Music Critic
Reporting from Los Angeles – It’s a Saturday night at a packed venue in down-town Los Angeles at an up and coming Underground Event called ATG ( Against the Grain Magazine) hosted by a collective of Punks, Queers, E-girls, and Soundcloud rappers turning cutting edge looks and displaying hard core artistry.
Mac Glitzy a 24 year old, non-binary LA recording artist is enjoying giving a show to a hot & sweaty crowed in a packed warehouse; and when I mean packed it’s standing room only stage to back of house, full lobby, and an accumulating crowed hovering in the door out side just to get a peek at the 6’1, platinum blonde an blue haired popstress, donning red vinyl joggers with a matching bustier. Opening with the Soundcloud hit “E-Girl Anthem” complete with a cracking whip, and high heels clacking sound effects the show unfolds as Glitzy accompanied by E-girl backup dancers (The Damned Devillez), as the trio perfectly in-sync commands the dance floor!
The full 15 minute set was so high energy, complete with props, and wardrobe changes, and the sound of the crowed chanting back all the lyrics to Glitzy’s songs “Butterflies featuring BabyPunk”, “Bottom of the Ocean”, and “M.O.N.E.Y. featuring Emo Flytrap & Foreign Hype” was really something quite surreal to experience, like this kid is really one to watch!
I caught up with Glitzy after their set at the “Against the Grain” punk show to be met with a well mannered, well spoken individual. Was difficult to steal them away for just a few minutes as friends and fans kept surging over to take selfies and congratulate on the spectacle of a performance we all just witnessed. When Glitzy caught their breath and swigged down a bottle of water I wanted to ask them how did this all come about as far as music and image? Their response was “I have been trying to do music ever since I was 16, it has been a big trial an error process of what works and doesn’t work, finding my sound which is emo-trap meets pop, but most importantly not giving up. Iv’e had a lot of big NO’s all my life about what my goal an vision is, heck I still get No’s at auditions, castings, pitch meetings to this day, but you kinda just accept it, try to better yourself and work twice as hard so eventually nobody can tell you No anymore. Theres so many times I want to give up, but I have been chasing this dream for many years and am still not quite where I want to be yet, so I will keep pushing and climbing till non-binary, queer, an trans individuals have more visibility in mainstream media is my overall goal I believe. As far as my image an style I am Glitzy 24/7 I put the makeup on every day and dress each day as if I am in a music video, even if its just going to pump my gas or pick up groceries.”
Mac Glitzy, born Mackenzie Roberts from the rural rolling hills of West Virginia to a working class Italian American family just outside Pittsburgh says that “growing up in a small country town and being gay and androgynous was very difficult, my parents attended church three times a week, and I was not allowed to go to school dances, pick my own clothes, listen to secular music, or go many places growing up, and constantly told that who I am was wrong/dirty/sinful by my own family an bullied by the kids at school. I really had a lot of self worth issues that I still struggle with today as far as mentally dealing with panic and anxiety. I had to learn to use my imagination a lot to give my self something to do and found solace in music an being creative. But this is my time to shine now, because never fitting in has never felt so Good!”
Follow Mac Glitzy: @Mac_Glitzy
Spotify: Mac Glitzy
Soundcloud: Mac Glitzy
YouTube: Mac Glitzy
