Music: My first music video "I Can't" with Alyssa Edwards & Gia Gunn

A quarantine-style music video with 20 guests was no easy feat from afar, but having RPDR royalty like Alyssa Edwards and Gia Gunn, YouTuber Arika Sato, B. Hawk from POSE, along with dozen others, has been beyond exciting! TIAAN was of course involved, Victor Jackson’s choreography added extra cool and video producer Rahjiv Staten put it all together with panache. Gay Times premiered the music video on April 23rd and I couldn’t be happier with the results! 

This is the re-release of my music video after a homophobic and transphobic troll reported my previous video and YouTube removed it without warning and without a process for appeal. It had reached 110K views and was at its peak when it was removed. This music video for my original song "I Can't" is a message of joy and celebrates queer people, especially queer and trans people of color. After watching this video please support LGBTQ+ people of color, including some of the cast in this video, and continue to stand stronger together. ---- In his first music video Rigel Gemini features a gag-worthy cast of ​influencers and friends, including Alyssa Edwards & Gia Gunn (from RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race Allstars), beauty blogger Arika Sato, music artist/singer/songwriter TIAAN and others (full cast below), for a quarantine-friendly, #stayhome music video that was filmed like a virtual house party. With some globally-recognized names, and a bumping video, jaws will surely drop. Heavily centered on the queer community and trans people of color, the video showcases locally-, nationally-, and globally-known influential figures. The video also features friends and family, jamming out to the song at home, for a total of 20 participants. The result? An exciting and original video experience that will lift spirits and does not take itself too seriously. Rigel Gemini takes his first foray into music with the “will-stay-stuck-in-your-head”, self-produced anthem "I Can't". Working with music artist/singer/songwriter TIAAN for songwriting and background vocals and trans producer Ford (J.Lo, Michael Jackson) for production and composition, he has created a summer LGBTQ+ anthem that is sure to excite listeners around the world. With a bumping lead, energetic verses, and a sassy ad-lib commentary, the song is sure to command attention. “I Can’t” tells a relatable and humorous story of today’s social scene. Artist: Rigel Gemini Songwriters: Rigel Gemini, TIAAN Producer: FORD (https://www.fordproductions.com/) Production and video editing: Trinity Isle Productions Art Direction: Cameron Lee Registered to BMI Music video by Rigel Gemini performing I Can't. (C) 2020 Rigel Consulting LLC, distributed by TuneCore. All rights reserved. SONG + VIDEO CREDITS RIGEL GEMINI (@RIGELGEMINI) - Artist, Songwriter TIAAN (@TIAANOFFICIAL) - Background Vocals, Songwriter FORD (@FORDSPLAYGROUND) - Producer, Composer CAMERON LEE (@CAMERONLEEART) - Art Director RAHJIV STATEN (@TRINITYISLEPRODUCTIONS) - Video Producer FULL CAST + INSTAGRAM HANDLES Aaron Valenzuela (@aaronvalenzuela) Alyssa Edwards (@alyssaedwards_1) Arika Sato (@arika) B Hawk (@bhawksnipes) Brande Elise (@brande.elise) and Dani Gray (@daniellegraymba) Brigitte Bidet (@brigittebidet) Chloe (@chl0epatra) Dago (@dagoblanco) Feroza Syed (@ferozasyedatl) Geo Neptune (@niskapisuwin) Gia Gunn (@gia_gunn) Kelly (@kellythebarb_her) and Nicole (@nicole_endler) LaRue Calliet (@laruec.jpg) Miss He (@misshethequeen) Mya (@mya.jeannine) TJ MAXXX (@tjthedragthing) Victor Jackson (@mrglamrocksoul)

As my very first single, a collaboration with vocalist/songwriter TIAAN and producer Ford, we originally had other plans for “I Can’t”. Even though our initial idea was cancelled by COVID-19, Cameron thankfully conjured a brilliant set-up involving many individuals and locations:  a virtual house party! 

A music video with 20 guests was no easy feat from afar, but having RPDR royalty like Alyssa Edwards and Gia Gunn, YouTuber Arika Sato, B. Hawk from POSE, along with dozen others, has been beyond exciting! TIAAN was of course involved, Victor Jackson’s choreography added extra cool and video producer Rahjiv Staten put it all together with panache. Gay Times premiered the music video on April 23rd and I couldn’t be happier with the results! 

Cameron’s incredible eye for detail lent to the Art Direction - he created each set in our own home during quarantine! We wanted to depict the best of stay-at-home style while playfully paying homage to ‘90s femme films and early 2000’s club culture:  a dark night lounge (a.k.a. our living room), hot tub time with wine, an afterparty with unicorn aesthetic, and a steamy domestic date night. The workout was ‘80s-inspired:  my mom was an aerobics instructor growing up and I wanted to capture the outfits and enthusiasm of that time. 

The glitter lip took center stage tying together each look. We styled from clothes I already had in my closet. Quarantine has been a great time to explore all the different aspects of ourselves without judgment and I felt this video was a great way to put personas on blast. 

I want to give a huge thanks to all who joined us to party (safely) from home:  Appearances include Aaron Valenzuela, Feroza Syed, Brigitte Bidet, Brande Elise, Dani Gray, Miss He, Geo Neptune and TJ MAXXX.