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Arlo Parks is the recipient of this year’s GAY TIMES Honour for Elevate Rising Artist in Music.
The British singer-songwriter has had a stellar year releasing new music, winning over legions of fans and emerging as one of music’s most exciting new talents.
Arlo featured as part of our Elevate campaign back in April. Elevate is a collaboration between GAY TIMES and Apple Music to support emerging LGBTQ+ talent as they breakthrough into the mainstream.
Arlo will release her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams in January, and speaks about the collection in an exclusive interview in the new issue of GAY TIMES Magazine.
“The best songs that I’ve written are ones that I’ve lived,” she says during the interview. “I struggle to invent things or write about ideas, although my imagination is quite wild. I’m just not that good at writing about metaphors and stuff, I can only write about solid things.
“I write in order to process things that have happened to me and it’s the world through my lens; a process which hasn’t really changed since I started writing in the beginning. It’s always how I see something and it’s my way of dissecting, processing and understanding by making a song.”
Reacting to her win, Arlo said: “I want to say a massive thank you to GAY TIMES for this Elevate Rising Artist in Music award. To me, the idea of providing representation and of getting this level of validation at this stage of my career feels absolutely incredible. I think my little 16-year-old self would be very proud.”
GAY TIMES Honours 2020 is taking place between 25-26 November across our digital and social channels.
We are celebrating the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the past 12 months.
Interviews with GAY TIMES Honours winners feature in the new issue of GAY TIMES Magazine, which is in stores, available online and on Apple News+ from 27 November.
GAYTIMES+ members get the new issue of GAY TIMES Magazine first, along with exclusive digital content and membership benefits. GAYTIMES+ membership is available globally, and starts at just £3.50/€4/$5 per month. Find out more here.