What if Margaret Thatcher was a queer icon? Now, there’s a concept. New York singer-songwriter Seán Barna taps into the legacy of the “Iron Lady” with a twist as he confronts discrimination and hatred, the state of America’s forgotten, life as an artist, and how fearlessness is the only way to survive in the present-day on upcoming EP Margaret Thatcher of the Lower East Side, out May 29.
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Inspired by the wake of the 2016 election results, Barna’s message is not a subtle one. Exploring how government can fail certain communities, it’s his call to action on how queers and other marginalized people have the daunting task of pushing through all the injustice, and hatred, to triumph.
First single, “Eastern Junk Dancing” delves into the daily hustle—the side jobs that artists take on to make their dreams come true—and depicts a steely, unwavering Thatcher navigating the struggles of the modern artistic world.
“For me, the phrase ‘Eastern Junk Dancing’ came to loosely refer to the crazy existence of scraping together whatever money you can, by bartending or whatever, to galavant up and down the east coast in a tour van and play for sometimes non-existent crowds,” says Barna. “Then I look at my life—defined almost entirely by the anxiety of trying to make a life in music—navigating the constant challenges to my ego and my already fragile mental health.”
It’s a story of survival of a underserved people, whether the queer, the poor, or the artist. It’s for those who continue to survive despite it all. “Eastern Junk Dancing” is mesmerizing in its emotionally raw pull as Barna lilts through Boys will be boys / With their glamour and poise / We came for the party / We stayed for the noises … The mist of the morning / This town is a warning / You’re shaking your tits / While the world is burning.
Barna knows the artist’s hustle well. As a queer artist, his own personal struggles have poured out as viscerally as possible from debut EP 2014’s Cutter Street, follow up Cissy, and Pictures of an Exhibitionist (2017). Now, Margaret Thatcher of the Lower East Side offers a deeper glimpse into Barna’s real life and something universally jarring.
“As a songwriter [and] an observer, this feeling is compounded by the social anxiety of my peer group of weirdos, queers, and artists living in an increasingly hostile, hateful America,” says Barna. “Through art, music, performance, and substance abuse, they stand their ground.”
Mar 1 | Back Porch Festival @ The Parlor Room | Northampton, MA*
Mar 27 | Spring Concert Series @ Brentwood Arts Exchange | Washington, DC
May 5 | The Public Option | Washington, DC
May 31 | DC9 | Washington, DC (EP Release Show)
*w/ Hawktail
