Xantheartist: Kanye, Military & Self-Defence

<p>Welcome to <a href="https://www.inthekeyofq.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In the Key of Q</a> the weekly podcast where I chat with inspiring Queer musicians from around the world as they share stories, inspirations and of course their music.</p><p>Xantheartist counts an impressive hundred thousand streams on Spotify. He's only three years into his music career, but has already secured a number one record with his cover <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k8YciWlzpc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hapsburg Lippp</a>. Before transitioning to a man, he served in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk6YJiVsxUE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">US military</a> and went on to make a considerable name for himself on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CldnNvIDj6M" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drag king circuit</a>.</p><p>He grew up in a household with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nirvana</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phil Collins</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Edition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Edition</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Vandross" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luther Vandross</a> pumping from the family hifi. The home was of military stock, and during his childhood his father was deployed in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmwYNS97EbE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Iraq war</a>. The strict household and challenges around gender identity dropped <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_n9qegR7C4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PTSD</a> on Xan, which is being worked through today with counseling. </p><p>Accidental encounters showed Xan that he was an excellent performer, both as a rapper and drag king. He increasingly felt the drag king persona was closer to his genuine identity and w