Out Artist Victor Jackson Electrifies Audience In ‘Man. Muse. Magic. neat’ Residency
Victor Jackson deserves your attention. Throughout much of the pandemic, the quadruple threat (singer, actor, choreographer, creative director) never stopped creating. Over the last year, Jackson has longed for the moment supporters of his latest EP, “Man. Muse. Magic.” could convene in the same space for a live performance absent the threat of COVID-19. On July 28, at Parlor, a Black-owned bar and performance space in downtown Atlanta, he partially got his wish. Jackson kicked off “Man. Muse. Magic. neat,” an intimate live performance residency scheduled to run once a month through November.
Backed by seven incredibly talented Black women musicians representing the inspiration behind his latest musical effort, including the three-piece Venus The Band, and four backup singers, aptly called The Muses. Jackson describes the EP and residency as a love letter to the Black women who have pushed his personal and professional journey forward. While celebrating the femininity, grace, and strength of Black women, Jackson, himself, is unafraid to exist as both masculine and feminine during a musical experience that has undoubtedly been in the making for over a year and was ferociously unleashed.
It’s almost impossible to believe after witnessing Jackson perform live that he feared the music he was creating wouldn’t resonate with listeners during the recording process of “Man. Muse. Magic.”
“I exist more in the R&B space with my friends Mykal Kilgore and Cakes da Killa and the space they take up. The space that Kaytranada takes up and the space that Lil Nas X and Todrick Hall take up creates that landscape.”
“I remember sitting in the studio and just being like, nobody is going to listen to this,” says Jackson. “It is years of trauma. It is years of not trusting yourself—not trusting your truest self. It was a lot of negative self-talk.”
Jackson says he quickly learned how wrong his initial assessment was after the EP release in December 2020.
“I went to sleep that night. I woke up the next morning and it was just messages and [social media] tags and text messages and phone calls and it hasn't stopped,” he says.
The music resonated, but so did Jackson’s audacity to stand in the truth of his intersecting identities as a Black gay man free from the restrictions historically placed on Black male R&B artists, and more in alignment with the current musical landscape that is embracing Black queer artists like Lil Nas X.
“I see myself as a part of that musical landscape,” says Jackson. “And I think the beautiful thing about landscapes is that it's not just all grass—it's grass, it's trees, it's mountains. I exist more in the R&B space with my friends Mykal Kilgore and Cakes da Killa and the space they take up. The space that Kaytranada takes up and the space that Lil Nas X and Todrick Hall takes up creates that landscape.”
Divine Queerness
As a Black queer artist with influence, Jackson tells The Reckoning that he is intentional about creating music and visuals that represent the love and desire shared between Black gay men as he did in the music video for the single “Lights, Camera, Action.”
“I was very intentional about who the person was, their complexion, how they were lit, and what he wore,” Jackson says, referring to his music video co-star. “I style all my videos. So I was very intentional about him looking like this gorgeous, dark-skinned Black man,” he says.
It’s also a reflection of Jackson’s year-long relationship with MOBI founder DaShawn Usher, who along with Jackson’s parents will appear in his upcoming music video for the single “Groovin.” Usher along with Jackson’s parents were seated at the same table, front and center during Jackson’s performance, which also included a moving duet between father and son. It’s an example of art reflecting life as Jackson has created a world inclusive and celebratory of Black gay men in a culture that encourages secrecy, injects shame, and wields scripture as a weapon against people who identify as LGBTQ+.
“My father’s a pastor. My mom’s a teacher. And so I grew up in a very strict household,” he says. “Anything that was outside of the purview of traditional masculinity was looked at as a sin, an abomination, a disgrace—not just to my parents, but to God. As God and I got to know each other better, I realized that my uniqueness was divine. My Blackness was divine. My queerness was divine. And my ancestors stand in solidarity with me.”
From Jackson’s entrance into Parlor in a black fitted suit with only one full sleeve, a silver necklace, partially exposed back, leopard boots, and a red Brandon Blackwood purse—he’s frequently seen wearing bags by Black designers Telfar and Blackwood—one could only imagine that one ancestor in particular; the late disco queen Sylvester was in heaven smiling down on his musical heir.
“As God and I got to know each other better, I realized that my uniqueness was divine. My Blackness was divine. My queerness was divine. And my ancestors stand in solidarity with me.”
“I’m happy to be able to create an intimate space, a safe space, where everybody can come in and they can enjoy this music together,” says Jackson. “We can share in some kind of way how these things resonate with us, how these songs resonate with us, how those experiences resonate with us,” he says.
Jackson also tells The Reckoning that his new residency allows him to live out his “greatest and gayest dream of becoming a fab lounge singer.”
“There’s a level of storytelling that comes with that, that you don't always get during an arena show,” he says.
If only for one night, Jackson has intentionally created a space where freedom and liberation are accessible for all in attendance, but specifically for many Black LGBTQ+ individuals who for decades have been subjected to conditional love and acceptance.
He has created a space where those within earshot of his public declarations of love on stage for his partner are met with deafening applause instead of insults.
He has created a space where his minister father and teacher mother show up and show out to support their Black queer son when those that look like them would’ve convinced them to do otherwise.
He has created a space where being a Black queer artist is viewed as an asset and not a liability.
And every step of the way, Jackson is getting his entire life. “Man. Muse. Magic. neat'' is not just a show; it’s a spiritual experience—a rapture worth getting caught up in.
Editor’s Note: CNP is an official sponsor of “Man. Muse. Magic. neat.” For more information on tickets for upcoming performances, please visit mrglamrocksoul.com.
