If there’s one thing quarantine has deprived us from, it’s Billy Porter’s red-carpet moments. Last Monday, Porter would’ve usually been getting ready for the Met Gala (the event always takes place on the first Monday of May), but due to the pandemic he was enjoying the comfort of his home, he told ESSENCE.
“It’s been a steady pace of leaning into gratefulness, mindfulness, and turning lemons into lemonade,” said Porter during ESSENCE’s new Facebook series, Music Monday.
Instead of getting ready for fashion’s biggest night, the entertainer has been sounding the alarm on his new single, “For What It’s Worth,” which he performed for ESSENCE viewers. His soul-infused cover of Canadian rock band Buffalo Springfield’s song was released last month to encourage people to vote in November.
“My art has kept me sane. I started as a singer in church and then moved onto musical theater,” said Porter, who’s starred in award-winning Broadway musicals such as Kinky Boots, Dreamgirls and Grease. “Some people who know me knew I had an R&B album back in ’97. I’m not new to the recording world. People are just paying attention now.”
Check out Porter’s stirring performance below!