He also starred as Asaka in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island at the Circle in the Square Theater in 2018. "[25] The song, from the EP So Classic, will be included in The Knocks' debut album 55, scheduled to be released in March 2016. Alex Newell (‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’): It’s ‘refreshing’ to have gender fluid characters be ‘represented’ and ‘seen’ on TV [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW] On June 3, 2016, he released his first single outside of his recent project, entitled "Need Somebody". In 2015, Newell embarked on a series of cover songs and collaborations. Mo (Alex Newell), Zoey’s gender non-conforming neighbor who became her closest confidant, opens the new year in the same role, but with more of a personal storyline. Newell supported fellow Glee alum Adam Lambert on tour from February 23[27] until the April 2 finale at Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre in 2016. The release reached No. Being able to shine a light on these issues through his work means a lot to him. “‘Be a man’—that’s what you hear so much from your uncles and your cousins. [7] He has cited Donna Summer, Sylvester, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Beyoncé as his influences. Watch Now. No one knows what it's like to be a god—except for maybe Beyoncé. "[26], "This Ain't Over" was announced as the first track off his debut extended play called Power, featuring production from the pop artists Diane Warren, Nile Rodgers, MNEK and DJ Cassidy. Watch our exclusive video interview with Newell above. In his new single, "Mama Told Me," Newell's … (Alex Newell is gender-fluid but prefers he/him pronouns.) For the fifth season, Newell was promoted to main cast because of the character's popularity. Years Active: 2010-Present . By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. With traffic-stopping delivery, sweeping range, and wild charisma, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, activist, and performer evokes a physical reaction every time he steps up to a microphone. Gender: Male. Alex Newell is the gender nonconforming voice the world needs Since rising to fame on Glee, Alex Newell has conquered Broadway, received a Grammy nomination and generated over 200 million streams. “‘Aren’t you Black?’ Or, ‘Why is your voice so high? As Mother's Day approaches, singer, actor and Glee alum Alex Newell is reflecting on the importance of maternal love. Watch our exclusive video interview with Newell above. “I remember the shift: It’s all fun and games for me to sing the song until I say I’m gay,” Newell said. Alex Newell released his first EP, "Power," just a month ago. [18][12][19][20], Newell announced in October 2013 that he had been signed by Big Beat Records and that he was going to release Newell's debut album. Also, the earnings from its first week of sales were to be donated to the Trevor Project. “There’s nothing that I could have hidden, honestly. [citation needed], Newell identifies as a gender nonconforming man,[34] and in May 2020 said he relates to his character Mo in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, who is genderfluid. Enter Mo (Alex Newell), Zoey’s (Jane Levy) gender-fluid neighbor and music aficionado who not only helps hapless Zoey figure out what songs people are singing to her, but also figures out the rules and limits of this new power. The song itself was written by Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels and BloodPop and produced by Tranter himself and BloodPop, as well as Mark Ronson. [32] He contributed with music to the HBO TV series Vinyl on a track also featuring DJ Cassidy and Jess Glynne. Alex Newell knows it’s supposed to be more difficult than this. She made her 1 million dollar fortune with Glee, Geography Club, The Glee Project. Mo (Alex Newell), Zoey’s gender non-conforming neighbor who became her closest confidant, opens the new year in the same role, but with more of a personal storyline. [33], He is committed to helping other LGBT youth and regularly performs at benefit concerts, most notably for The Trevor Project,[5] the Human Rights Campaign,[17] Jack Antonoff's Ally Coalition and other fundraisers. By allowing himself both masculine and feminine modes of presentation—to appear before his audience as female, or expressing himself personally with femininity, knowing that his identity is comfortably male—Newell is projecting a life-altering message to boys and men across the nation: It is okay be a boy and to be feminine, and to embody the image of a beautiful woman the way that Newell does. Wade broke ground by being one of the most visible transgender characters on television and one of the first on a network prime time show. “I always had jelly on my hips and a swish in my step,” Newell told me with a knowing glance. Newell identifies as a gender nonconforming man, and in May 2020 said he relates to his character Mo in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, who is genderfluid. Born: August 20, 1992. On 20-8-1992 Alex Newell (nickname: Alex) was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States. “‘Why do you talk that way?’” Newell recalled, listing the questions his peers posed to him when he was young. If you don’t like my representation, that’s on you. The role broke Newell out of suburban anonymity in Massachusetts, where he crafted his voice in his church’s choir and navigated gender and sexual identity in his personal life. He also performed at the Governors Ball Music Festival and BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. As many as 50 percent of Millennials consider gender to exist on a spectrum, not a binary. Alex Newell was born on August 20, 1992 in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. Newell had few models for that. For young people today, this way of life is reflective of their gendered truths. I don't get it.’”. On his nightly show, Bill O'Reilly expressed concern that children watching the show unsupervised might be encouraged to experiment with what he termed "alternative lifestyles," which he said the show glorified. [8], Newell was among 34,000 to submit an audition video in 2011 for the first season of Oxygen's The Glee Project. He’d just come from shooting an interview upstairs; in an hour, he’d need to be back in Manhattan to rehearse for his new role in a Broadway musical. I was always like, ‘Great, I’m in a zoot suit, living my best fashion life,’” he laughed. In the years since, Newell has made a name for himself as a recording artist. “To speak on something that's so racial—especially something that's so interracial—of, like, a divide that's happening in my own culture, where just because you’re a little lighter than me, or you are lighter than me, you think that your life is that much better than mine is,” Newell said, reflecting on his experience as a dark skinned Black man. After playing a trans girl on season 3 of the TV hit series, Glee, Newell has found a place for For More Stories Like This, Sign Up for Our Newsletter, “I'm lucky [that] in my show, my role was traditionally played by a female in the original. Given his crammed schedule, I wondered when he’d find the time to put out new music—I was introduced to his work when I stumbled across his excellent pop single “B.O.Y. ", "Alex Newell of 'Glee' Plays with Androgyny as TV's First Transgender Teen", "The Palm Springs Center Stage Gala Welcomes Alex Newell and Kate Clinton to the Desert", "Andrew Rannells, Kimberley Locke, Alex Newell, Tyne Daly Raise $285k for APLA in the 29th Star Studded S.T.A.G.E Gala", "Bill O'Reilly: 'Glee' Might Encourage Kids To Experiment With 'Alternative Lifestyles, "UPDATED Glee Exclusive: 4 Original Cast Members Not Returning as Series Regulars for Season 5; Plus — Who's Getting Promoted? Alex Newell Partner Zeke Thomas Alex is gay by sexuality and he is dating his long term boyfriend Zeke Thomas. In 2017, Newell made his Broadway debut playing the role of Asaka in the revival of Once on This Island. Alex himself identifies as a gender non-conforming male and continues to shatter stereotypes and gender norms while using his voice to help inspire those still trying to find their own. Manhood fell on him as a great responsibility and a foreign, oppressive inheritance. In July 2016, Newell has provided backing vocals in his biggest collaboration yet in charitable single "Hands". “There’s this expectation of being a Black man, of being stronger than most; having that rigid, hard back, that almost arrogant feel,” Newell told me, his full lips painted and his black eyelashes batting. [24] Over the summer, he worked with the British electro duo Blonde by featuring vocals in their single "All Cried Out". "I always had jelly on my hips and a swish in my step. You might need to catch up first … I grew up fortunate and blessed. The newest pastor plans to take a busload of parishioners out to see Newell perform on Broadway. “We’re always [dealing with that]… We were in our own country, our own continent, where we were all the same, and then we were stripped from that, brought over, and then forced to have intercourse, and then have this child that we didn’t know what it was gonna look like. Alexander Eugene Newell, born August 20, 1992, is a 27-year-old American actor and singer. Hell, all I wanna do is be a stay-at-home mom and just make cookies and drink martinis. [6] Unique returned as a Glee recurring cast member in the fourth season premiere, "The New Rachel". She came in for Mo [Zoey’s neighbor, played by gender-fluid actor Alex Newell], and everybody remembered her when we were casting [Zoey’s sister-in-law] Emily," says Ulrich. Alex Newell doesn’t just demand attention with his boisterous personality, he is innately always at the center of it. Is Alex Newell actually transgender? “But then—I question.”, “When I was teaching kids how to be on Broadway, I’d never been on Broadway a day in my life. [15] Newell commented, "My mother said, 'If Bill O'Reilly said something about you, you are doing something right.' (Basically Over You)” on Spotify—but I’m sure he’ll figure it out. By Curtis M. Wong [7] Newell's self-taped audition earned him over one million MySpace views as well as a spot among the 12 participants who competed for a seven-episode arc on Glee. “It’s something we don’t even notice that we do,” Newell said, pointing out that many Black Americans have descended from the white American slave trade, and how that forced Black people to adhere to white ideals, including “passing” as white. A highlight of the sixth season was Newell singing "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray with the Transpersons Choir of 200 performers. [23] Later in the same month, he produced a disco-house stylization of Robin S.'s single "Show Me Love" together with Russian DJ Matvey Emerson. Without the gimmicks of manufactured radio pop, Newell manages to serve This Ain’t Over with pure talent." Alex Newell Source: MEGA Newell — who played the first openly transgender teenage character on ' Glee ' — knows how to flaunt dresses, skirts and heels for days . In ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,’ Alex Newell Aims To Be The Queer Black Icon He Never Had NBC’s new musical comedy gave the gender-nonconforming actor and singer a chance to reflect on his own experiences as a person of faith. “I never felt comfortable in my own clothes,” Newell told me. He points to problems that exist within (and well beyond) the Black community, where the lightness of your skin can play a role in how you are perceived by one another. '”, Newell’s turn as Asaka reflects his own complex identity, as well: He often looks and sounds “feminine.” “I’ve gone through it so much now that everything is in a hetero mindset, and it's going to be that way until we break down the wall of what everything is,” he said, pointing out the way that society views gender as a binary. “I have to stick to this,” Newell said, grabbing his purse before catching a cab to Manhattan, lest he be late for his rehearsal. The gender-nonconforming actor and singer dropped his first single in four years, “Boy, You Can Keep It,” on Wednesday. I mean.”, There are just some days when he brings “her” out, and others when he doesn’t. Character: Unique Adams. You don’t get to cry,’” Newell recalled softly. Whether recording in the studio, performing on Broadway, or appearing on television, he instantly connects. He currently appears on NBC's musical dramedy Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist in the role of Mo, a genderfluid DJ and the protagonist's next-door neighbor. “You’re telling me that I am, so I guess I am,” Newell said, reflecting on people’s presumptions. Growing up gender non-conforming, his own mother supported him unconditionally, and inspired his artistry as a result. “And so it’s like, when I get married and have kids, I know that I'm going to be the mother figure. “I don’t even know how to live right now,” he recalled thinking. Are you gay?’, There’s so much pressure,” Newell told me. That Newell has remained so with apparent ease—along with a face full of makeup and stiletto pumps—makes him a notable model for gender nonconforming people everywhere. The connection grows stronger on a series Earlier in his life, Newell struggled to understand his place when other people told him he wasn’t the right kind of man or the right kind of Black person. [My show is] a revival of the original— and so it's a mother of the earth [character] and I get the question: 'Well, you don't know what it's like to be a mother, you don't know what sits like to do this,' and I'm like, 'I also don't know what it's like to be a god. Newell was accepted into the Berklee College of Music for fall 2012, but he decided instead to move to Los Angeles t… [31] It was passed on and no other network wanted to make it into a series. He graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School in 2012, where he was involved in his school's choir, improv club, costume club and also a member of his church choir. His original song "This Ain't Over", released in January 2016, was warmly welcomed by the media. It was later confirmed the song is the lead single from Newell's debut album, to be released later in 2016. Contents. “It’s more so because there are so many people of color in jail. “Everything we do, we do with our whole heart, souls and mind,” declares Alex Newell about working on NBC’s musical comedy “Zopey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” “I think it comes from such an authentic place from the actors’ standpoint,” he says. “You didn’t know whether that slave owner was going to the murder your firstborn child or steal your firstborn child and take them. During the arc, he asserted himself as an out gay man. Once that backstory is delivered, Mo shifts from being Zoey’s mentor to being her best friend, and the audience gets the pleasure of seeing a gender-fluid series regular character explore love, life, and loss in ways that we haven’t seen on a broadcast drama before. 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