Grace Semler Baldridge: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
imported>TXJ mNo edit summary |
imported>TXJ No edit summary |
||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
Semler's 2021 EP ''Preacher's Kid'', which was recorded entirely in their home, hit the number one spot on the iTunes Christian Music charts.<ref name="Frazer">{{Cite web |title=Exclusive Interview With Christian Music Artist, Grace Semler Baldridge |last=Frazer |first=Neill |work=OutLoud! Culture |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=April 3, 2021 |url= https://outloudculture.com/2021/03/09/exclusive-interview-with-christian-music-artist-grace-semler-baldrige/}}</ref> | Semler's 2021 EP ''Preacher's Kid'', which was recorded entirely in their home, hit the number one spot on the iTunes Christian Music charts.<ref name="Frazer">{{Cite web |title=Exclusive Interview With Christian Music Artist, Grace Semler Baldridge |last=Frazer |first=Neill |work=OutLoud! Culture |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=April 3, 2021 |url= https://outloudculture.com/2021/03/09/exclusive-interview-with-christian-music-artist-grace-semler-baldrige/}}</ref> | ||
==Biography== | |||
Baldridge is the child of an Episcopal Church priest.<ref name=advocate /> She spent her early life in Delaware, but when she was in third grade her family moved to Waterloo, Belgium.<ref name=abc /> She returned to the US to attend Elon University, where she met her future wife.<ref name=huffpost>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grace-baldridge-elizabeth-capel-proposal_n_59d543ebe4b0cde45872b600|title=Beautiful Surprise Road Trip Proposal Has Extra Special Meaning For This Couple|website=Huffington Post|first=Curtis M.|last=Wong|date=8 October 2017}}</ref> | |||
Baldridge married her girlfriend Elizabeth Capel in August 2018, in an Episcopalian ceremony which was featured in an episode of the Refinery29 series ''World Wide Wed''.<ref name=huffpost /><ref name=abc /><ref name=worldwidewed>{{cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/episcopalian-religious-lesbian-wedding|title=This Lesbian Couple's Wedding Revolved Around Religion|first=Sabrina|last=Rojas Weiss|date=20 December 2018|website=Refinery29}}</ref> Her Twitter post giving [[coming out]] advice to her teenaged self attracted national attention.<ref name=abc>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/womans-coming-advice-younger-tears/story?id=57329165|title=This woman's coming-out advice to her younger self will have you in tears|website=ABC News|first=Nicole|last=Pelletiere|date=22 August 2018}}</ref> | |||
As of 2021, Grace and Lizzie Baldridge live in Los Angeles, California.<ref name=abc /><ref name=washpost>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/an-openly-queer-christian-artist-just-had-a-no-1-album-on-christian-itunes/2021/02/12/f347aa0c-6bdd-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html|title=An openly queer artist just had the No. 1 Christian album on iTunes|first=Emily|last=McFarlan Miller|website=Washington Post|date=12 February 2021}}</ref> She describes herself as "a faithfully skeptical Christian".<ref name=washpost /> | |||
== Music == | |||
Baldridge writes and records music as ''Semler'', chosen both because of the name's links to her maternal family history and because she prefers her music to be experienced from a [[gender-neutral]] viewpoint.<ref name=relevant>{{cite web|url=https://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/music/semlers-preachers-kid-hits-the-top-spot-on-the-itunes-sales-charts-marking-all-sorts-of-firsts/|title=Semler's 'Preacher's Kid' Has Hit The Top Spot On The ITunes Christian And Gospel Charts|website=Relevant|first=Tyler|last=Huckabee|date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref name='sojo' /> | |||
In February 2021 she released an EP, ''Preacher's Kid'', about being a queer Christian, which she recorded at home and promoted herself.<ref name=huffpost2>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/semler-queer-christian-music-industry_n_60243370c5b61e9c458dffbc|title=This Queer Christian's Album Challenges The Contemporary Christian Music Industry|first=Carol|last=Kuruvilla|work=HuffPost|date=11 February 2021}}</ref> She chose to categorise it as a Christian album, and shortly after release it reached the top of the iTunes Christian chart, supplanting Lauren Daigle's ''Look Up Child''.<ref name=relevant /><ref name=brock>{{cite web|url=https://www.brockpress.com/semler-gives-queer-christianity-a-voice-with-preachers-kid/|title=Semler gives Queer Christianity a voice with Preacher's Kid|website=The Brock Press|date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=huffpost2 /><ref name=washpost /> | |||
Michel Martin interviewed Baldridge about ''Preacher's Kid'' for NPR in March 2021, discussing her faith and music and playing single 'Jesus from Texas'.<ref name=npr>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/08/974197028/semler-with-preachers-kid-writes-music-of-faith-for-a-real-world|title=Semler, With 'Preacher's Kid,' Writes Music Of Faith For A Real World|first1=Michel|last1=Martin|first2=Gemma|last2=Watters}}</ref> | |||
The album earned support from some figures in the Christian music industry including Kevin Max, Trey Pearson, Derek Webb, Josh Lovelace and Lecrae.<ref name='sojo'>{{cite web|url=https://sojo.net/articles/grace-semler-baldridge-bringing-queer-stories-christian-music|title=Grace Semler Baldridge is bringing queer stories to Christian music|first=Mitchell|last=Atencio|work=Sojourners|date=22 February 2021}}</ref> | |||
== Media presenting == | |||
Baldridge has been a regular guest host of ''The Young Turks'', and co-hosted the former TYT Network show Pop Trigger.<ref name=tyt>{{cite web|website=TYT Network|title=Grace Baldridge|url=https://tyt.com/about/talent/4Mv0up3GxqKwSKqaamuGgY}}</ref> She created and hosts the TYT-associated YouTube series ''Murder with Friends'',<ref name=mwfimdb>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6244104/|title=Murder With Friends|website=IMDB}}</ref> which was nominated for Best Non-Fiction Series in the 7th Streamy Awards in 2017.<ref name=streamy>{{cite web|url=https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/7th-annual-nominees/|title=7th Annual Nominees & Winners|website=Streamys}}</ref> | |||
In 2020, Baldridge hosted a documentary series entitled 'State of Grace' on being LGBTQ and Christian, produced by Refinery29. The first episode, "The Life Threatening Dangers Of Gay Conversion Therapy", was nominated at the 31st GLAAD Media Awards for the Outstanding Digital Journalism - Multimedia award.<ref name=advocate>{{cite news|url=https://www.advocate.com/religion/2020/2/20/new-docuseries-explores-what-it-means-be-queer-and-christian|title=A New Docuseries Explores What It Means to Be Queer and Christian|website=Advocate|first=Jeffrey|last=Masters|date=20 February 2020}}</ref> | |||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||