(Above: Sir Babygirl and their band. (Left to right: Miles, Kelsie, Lars, Rose) Photo courtesy of Shanice Rhule/WHUS.)
WHUS’ Communications Director, Shanice Rhule, sat down with the band, Sir Babygirl, last month after their first performance after a year at the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday. Sir Babygirl is Kelsie Hogue (she/he/they), Miles Toth (they/them), Lars Brogan (they/them), and Rose O’Malley (they/he).
How long have you guys been performing together?
Kelsie: So, I started this project solo. And I was touring solo, and then the pandemic hit, and then we were in the, in between of like, who knows where we are? Then I was like, damn, it’s fucking boring as hell being alone on stage! I want a band. I kind of just put my feelers out online and I was like, I just want some fucking dykes and fags to play with me. And that’s what I got.
How did you guys [the band] hear about Sir Babygirl?
Lars: Kelsie and I knew each other like eight years ago in Boston DIY, she was in a different band and I was in different bands. My old housemate was like, “You ever heard of Sir Babygirl?” And I was like, “Fuck that bitch.” I feel like in the DIY to Label Industry Pipeline, so many people can only get anything if they are rich kids. So I was like, “Oh, she’s probably some rich kid”. And then my housemate played the music and I was like, “Okay, this is sick.”
Kelsie: And then you found out, I’m broke!
Lars: Yeah, I got on the phone and I was like, oh, you’re like nothing like what I thought. Oh, you don’t have rich parents. You have supportive parents.
Miles: I had heard of Crush on Me. And then like two years later, Lars hit me up and was like, “Do you wanna play bass for this like one show?”
Kelsie: Then Miles played one show with us and we were like, “We love you, please play with us again.”
Rose: Once I heard your (Kelsie’s) music I was like, “Oh love this shit so much.” I got asked to play one show, like the same with Miles. I remember telling my friend, And she was like, “Oh, I fucking love Sir Babygirl.”
Miles: A friend of mine said she was in a “Haunted House” for months.
Lars: It was the same thing for me too. My housemate, that same one, was like a huge fan, and then some of their friends were as well. So I feel like we all have the same thing of us being like “Who?” But people around us were like, “I fucking love that shit!”
“I do feel like I have always operated on being myself as much as possible for better and for worse. Every time I try to do something else, it never works. When I’m just on stage burping, it always feels right.”
Kelsie Hogue, Sir Babygirl
I also heard that you’re independent now, how is that for you?
Kelsie: It’s a really cool learning curve. We’re all from the DIY scene. We’re all DIY people that are trying to fucking break in and make a living and make a career off of being in the music industry.
Is there new music coming out soon?
Kelsie: Soon is always a relative term, but yes, there is a second album in the works and it will be dropping in the future for sure. We’re hoping sometime in 2024. You will be on Spotify and be like, “Oh shit, Sir Babygirl just put out a new record!” That’s the hope.
You’re very outgoing on stage. Flashing your skirt, dancing, coughing into the mic. Was there ever a hesitation to truly be yourself on stage?
You know, it’s funny, I feel like the biggest hesitation will always come up, like right before I’m about to perform. I’m like, “Are you really about to like to be yourself?” And then once I’m on stage, it’s like the most obvious thing. And it makes complete sense.
I’ve been a really weird guy all my life and my weirdness has been unfortunately enabled by pretty much everyone around me. So I do feel like I have always operated on being myself as much as possible for better and for worse. Every time I try to do something else, it never works. When I’m just on stage burping, it always feels right.
Who is a dream artist or producer who you’d like to work with?
Kelsie: I would say the top five grab bag: Karen O, Gerard Way, Christina Aguilera, Darkchild. Honestly scratch it all. Darkchild. I would die if I could work with him. Oh my God. That would be my dream.
Rose: What were you gonna say?
Lars: I thought Rick Rubin.
Kelsie: I would love to work with Rick Rubin too, but who wouldn’t? But, I would love to work with Rick Ruben. And Kesha! I really wanna write with Kesha.
As the realm of queer artists enter the mainstream, what do you hope to see more of?
Kelsie: I just hope to see more paychecks coming in. Actual money for queer artists. Not rep. I am sick of queer artists being used for simply a pride month campaign. I mean, listen, honey, most people are queer. There are a lot of hidden and visible queer artists, whether they’re out or not. A lot of artists are queer, so I just want queer artists to get paid in full.