“Work Out” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Rainbow Kitten Surprise’ “Work Out” is wordy and reads a lot like a poem. But ultimately, it is based on a pretty common storyline we come across via the music industry. And that is of a vocalist who initially was in love with the addressee. But in the here and now, she has reached a point where the genuine desire to interact with this individual is nonexistent. Indeed as it appears, the vocalist has even left town in the name of “working out the pain” that lingers from her relationship with the addressee.
Presumably, one of the selling points of this song though would be the fact that said vocalist, Ela Melo, is a transgender. That is to say that Rainbow Kitten Surprise may actually be the first rock band we’ve ever come across where the frontman has made such a lifestyle choice. And according to fans of the band, this seems to have happened very recently (i.e. shortly before this track’s release). So that is something to note, that in this case we have a transgender woman singing to a male romantic interest. But that said, from a lyrical perspective, “Work Out” is pretty much your basic permanent-breakup song.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Rainbow is an alternative rock band from North Carolina. The crew consists of co-founders Darrick Keller and Ela Melo (formerly Sam Melo), alongside the following later inductees:
- Charlie Holt
- Jess Haney
- Ethan Goodpaster
They have thus far released two studio albums, 2013’s “Seven + Mary” and 2015’s “RKS”.
“Work Out”
“Work Out”, with its 6 April 2022 release date, marks the lead single from their third album, “How To: Friend, Love, Freefall”.
The aforementioned members of this rock band are this song’s writers.
What do you mean by lifestyle choice? And how is the artists sexuality relevant to the music?
No need to comment on the gender of the singer nor the person being addressed. We are all People loving/ losing other People.
Hello, just here to say:
1. She is not A transgender. She is transgender. No “a” necessary. 🙂
2. Being trans is not a “lifestyle choice”, just as being gay is not a choice, just as being born with blue eyes is not a choice.
Being trans is a lifestyle choice.
He chose to shave his beard and wear a dress and change his name.
Conflating sexuality with gender identity and expression is incorrect.
Laura Jane Grace, the lead singer of Against Me!, is transgender…
Seriously. I don’t think this persons knowledge on rock runs very deep.
Ela is not “a” transgender – which is language intentionally used to “other” her. She is a transgender woman, but you know that.
Additionally, being transgender is not a “lifestyle choice,” or even really something you need note in commentary of Work Out. It is the identity of many people and frankly, if you’re going to intentionally use language to insult an artist’s identity, this is probably not the industry for you, baby. Delete this shit & then quit your job. <3
This!!! Also, super off topic but we have the same name!
How is being transgender (not “a” transgender) a lifestyle choice?? Comments about Ela’s gender identity has no place in a song review
I really gotta question you’re knowledge on rock when you totally snubbed Laura Jane Grace, who was the true first punk rock transgender woman, who also released a book titled “Tranny” nearly a decade ago.
Brigade real strong here. The author of this article doesn’t seem to be intentionally othering someone, and these comments seem to be overtly interpreting the slight differences in choice of language as an opportunity to be offended on behalf of someone who may or may not be offended. To say “I am ‘a’ male” or “I am ‘a’ female” is not inherently different from saying “I am male” or “I am female”. It’s just different grammar. I’m baffled by the offense taken here.
As to the use of whether or not being trans is a lifestyle choice, this is certainly a confusing topic. I think we have devalued the power of choice in our lives overall, and I would contend that there is certainly a choice involved in being trans, in the sense that we choose which gender identity to present externally. There is an inherent devaluing of being trans if we do not factor in the power to choose for ourselves certain things. Whether this person ‘presents’ a trans lifestyle is certainly a choice. In the same way I choose to grow out my body hair or facial hair to change my physical presentation to the world. I am wondering if people simply do not understand what the word “choice” means. Any lifestyle is a choice. To say otherwise is actually quite strange to say, and removes freedom. I am not saying that how we feel about things is not a choice, or what our internal identity stresses we express ourselves as is a choice. I am saying that as someone who deeply respects creative freedom and expression, to say it is not a decision is to devalue a choice which is likely incredibly difficult to make.
It is also perfectly reasonable to discuss the personal life of a musician in relation to their work. As a (far less successful) musician myself, my personal identity permeates my work, and is an incredible way to express things that are difficult to put to words. When people are able to surmise the deeper meaning of my work as it relates to myself and them, that means I have accomplished something that is inherently very difficult: expressing myself in a way that people can both relate to and understand.
Wonderful comment.
Ela isn’t just “a” transgender, Ela is not an object, so the correct way to say that Ela is trans is, “Ela is transgender.” Plus, what importance does it have to this song? Also, it’s not a lifestyle choice..
What is truth? Pontius Pilate asked Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus mysteriously answered him by claming, “I am truth.” Yet, what on earth is the “I” that Jesus claims to be “truth”? And here we are 2000 years later still oppressed and constrained by the notion that truth-telling actually exists independently of lying and deceiving. Free will versus fate: you commenters can say all you want, but at the end of the day, if philosophers are still debating this unanswerable question, why on earth are y’all so conceited to think that you can say, “it wasn’t a choice of Ela’s”? Are you Ela? I don’t think so: and Buddhists would even claim that Ela is not Ela, that Ela does not have an atman / self / manifestation of Brahma. Don’t speak for someone else.
People love to be ignorant. Being gay is not a choice, just as being straight isn’t a choice. Do you wake up every morning and decide to be straight? Do you honestly fight off the urges of homosexual desires every day and make a choice to be straight? Or, do you not even think about it? I honestly don’t think about being straight, just as one doesn’t think about being gay. If you are choosing to be straight, I’m sorry for the life of torment you must be going through.