The singer celebrated coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in June.
In June, Josh Kiszka celebrated coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He has been “in a loving, same-sex relationship” for eight years. In a recent interview, the Greta van Fleet singer commented on the support he had received from the public in recent months.
Compared to the “Rolling Stonethe musician shares that he thought he was “carrying a target on his back.” His coming out came amid several proposed legislation in his home state of Tennessee that could severely limit the rights of queer people. But his experience was very positive.
“Everything was taken with love and acceptance, humility and respect, and it was a big wave of confirmation that things are going in the right direction,” says Kiszka. “As a performer and entertainer, a great burden has been lifted from me. After all, we all want to be understood as artists or simply as people.”
The singer received a lot of support from the band’s fans in particular. At a concert in Nashville, Tennessee in July, during “Light My Love,” the audience created a rainbow in the concert hall by holding colored papers in front of their cellphone flashlights.
The action made Josh Kiszka emotional: “It was extraordinary that so many people could communicate and coordinate with each other to do something like this. It was really hard for me to pull myself together. That sounds very profound, but in that moment the song took on a new meaning. I explained to the audience that I hope one day singing “hate bound by fear will unwind” will be irrelevant. When you say those words, you realize you are in the midst of a social movement.”
Greta van Fleet’s new album STARCATCHER was released on July 21st. The band is currently on tour in America. In November they will also come to Germany.