Switched On Pop

View Original

I Am America (with Shea Diamond and Justin Tranter)

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

I Am America (w Shea Diamond and Justin Tranter) Shea turns her experiences as a black trans woman into a bop about belonging

EPISODE 171

Shea Diamond has experienced so many facets of America as a black trans woman, and with songwriter Justin Tranter, she's woven those experiences into "I Am America," a blistering, funky anthem about community and belonging. Her track is also the theme song for the new HBO show "We're Here," which follows a team of a drag queens bringing drag shows to small towns across the country, challenging our assumptions about who makes up the "real America."

We sit down with Diamond and Tranter to discuss singing as preaching, what it means to release this track during Pride month, why the flat seventh hits so good, and how the horns on the song feature producer Eren Cannata's dad Richie on sax, making this bop a true family affair.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Shea Diamond - I Am America, I Am Her