With secure footing in the queer music and dance scenes of northern Europe, singer-songwriter, producer and true-blue Amsterdammer, Fabian Raad has made the leap from singles to a debut album with his release, The Audacity.
The 10-track album bears a fitting title for as fierce a personality as Fabian, recognised equally for his hard-hitting dance tracks as well as his striking personal style. But naturally for someone who’s descended from pop royalty (his aunty, Joy Fleming, represented Germany at Eurovision in 1976 Eurovision), it was all but destined that Fabian would also carve out his own pathway to on-stage glory.
Being in a variety of bands and his background as a producer, forever creating other people’s music, that led Fabian to finally make his own mark as a solo artist.
“I do a lot of performances for Pride,” he tells me, down the line from Amsterdam. “In doing those, I will have sung some of my old songs that are not part of my current portfolio. I’ve always had the question, ‘Are they available anywhere?’ and they are dear to people’s hearts, based on different scenarios, so I took the leap to then package them in The Audacity.”
A force of nature both in style and in performance, nothing about Fabian’s artistic persona is done by halves. He has been, from the get-go, an authentically outgoing and outspoken voice of the European music scene, as present in the new album’s creation between three distinct locations: Mannheim (in his birth country of Germany), Amsterdam and London.
As such, the mission statement of Fabian’s debut album stands as a rally call to all on the cusps of society with a bold voice inside of them with no outlet. Each of the tracks, oscillating between foot-stomping dance hits to reflective ballads, is an invitation to anyone who wants to speak their truth and live out their life, loud and proud.
“I love house music and I’m a big club kid,” he says. “I love sharing great, up-tempo songs that I would dance to. I always listen to anything that I produce, thinking, ‘Would I get a drink now or would I stay on the dancefloor?’ If I would stay on the dancefloor, then I think it’s a good start!”
One of the driving ambitions behind Fabian’s creative process is to collaborate with other queer artists, a practice that is well-served on the new album. Teaming up with London-born producing powerhouse Aubrey Whitfield on the track, HIS, Fabian continues to seek inspiration from other LGBTQ+ artists who are living proudly within their identity and only want to radiate that self-love outward.
“It was very crazy and interesting for me that we created such a bold song together and that has such an energetic sound as well,” he reflects. “I love collaborating in that sense.”
The fruits of these creative labours are loud, proud, and oh so sweet.
Fabian Raad’s debut album The Audacity is now available on all major streaming platforms. Follow Fabian at https://www.instagram.com/fabianraadmusic/ and https://www.youtube.com/@fabianraad to keep up-to-date with his performances and music releases.
