ALBUM
Fior | The Gates of Paititi
℗ 2015 Fior
iTunes | Spotify | Tidal
Contact: Andy Reynolds, Popular Publicity, andy@popularpublicity.com
PRESS RELEASES / NEWS
11.29.16 We Need Queer Voices in Art Now More Than Ever: Feminist Queer Refugee Artist FIOR Speaks Out Against Trump, Trolls and Hate
09/27/16: WATCH: RuPaul’s Drag Race Queen Nina Flowers, Sissy Spastik, Battle in Fior’s Stunning “Backstabber” Video
09/23/16: Fior Gives Good Face in Anticipation of New Video
“BACKSTABBER” (SINGLE/VIDEO)
Out now is “Backstabber” is the dazzling new grit-n-glitter music video from Los Angeles recording artist Fior. Directed by David Berget, the video features drag legend and international DJ Nina Flowers, who appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 1)”, fellow drag superstar Sissy Spastik, and celebrity dancer and choreographer, Michael Silas (Lady Gaga’s “Monster Ball” Tour, Mariah Carey).
At first glance this post-apocalyptic drag Thunderdome may appear to be a showdown between warring queens, but it’s also a commentary on today’s coliseum culture.
“Personal conflicts and negativity have taken center stage as entertainment,“ observes Fior. “The audience is so quick to dehumanize those they don’t like. Online bullying. Virtual stoning. It’s feeding this emerging troll culture that’s infected the way people view art. In ‘Backstabber’, the queens kill each other, and the crowd just throws money on top of their dead bodies, cheering because they want to see it again! They forget about the queen’s humanity, the pain that caused them to lash out. They forget about the sacrifice.”
“THE GATES OF PAITITI” (ALBUM)
“Backstabber” is the first single from “The Gates of Paititi,” an intricately woven tapestry of thirteen pop songs (“In My Head,” “Something That Ain’t Mine,” “Believe”) and soaring club anthems (“Love’s Hero,” “Show Me,” “Snow White” ) punctuated by atmospheric interludes.
Introduced by one of these interludes, which is visually echoed later in the song, the “Backstabber” video opens to the dancer reflecting the subconscious, the inner pain of betrayal,” Fior explains. “Then as the song begins, one is abruptly awakened to the cold, cruel world of anger and vengeance.”
Claiming influences from Tchaikowski to the Tarot, astral stones, Inca mythology, Eighties pop and Madonna, Fior’s “The Gates of Paititi” is an album in the classic sense. “In a singles driven market, I like to give the listener a reason to listen to the album as a whole,” he says.
“That said, I feel each song stands on it’s own, and can survive without its context. My aim was to create something that was commercial, but artistic. Something that can be enjoyed by the casual listener, but can also form more intimate bonds with someone who is looking for something more intellectual: Something for the WeHo boys and the Silverlake guys.”
“The Gates to Paititi” is deeply personal, introspective journey; the tale of Fior’s search for artistic success and self in Los Angeles, allegorically mirrored as a quest to find the shimmering lost Incan kingdom of Paititi (also known as El Dorado).
“I became the explorer” Fior explains. “After three and a half years of working on ‘Paititi,’ what I found was myself as an artist. I had finished something that I was truly proud of. The reason it’s called the ‘Gates’ is because being at the gates implies that one has found the city. I dove further into the metaphor by writing journal entries to correspond with the songs from the perspective of the explorer. Those can be found on my website.”
The drama-whipping “Backstabber” single and epic supporting album, “The Gates of Paititi,” are available now on iTunes, Spotify and Tidal. •
www.tomekfior.com
PRESS
Gay Star News | 9/23/16
Pink News | 9/25/16
Popular Publicity 