The Juliettes, Seattle’s favorite fierce, foxy and fabulous all-woman rock band, will release its first national single on March 14. The boisterous, unabashedly pro-gay anthem, “Hooray, You’re Gay", will be available for download on most major music download portals and at Hoorayyourgay.com; net proceeds will go to several organizations that support and counsel gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers.
"I want people to hear it, and then buy it, and then tell ten friends,” said Julie Mains, lead singer of The Juliettes. She co-wrote the song with guitarist/vocalist Liz Aday, and finished the song in the studio with band-mates drummer Eva Dizon and bassist Lissa Ramaglia. “We want the song to inspire celebration and improve the discourse – it’s not just okay to be gay. It's freaking fabulous!"
The net proceeds from “Hooray, You’re Gay” will benefit community advocacy programs in support of gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens, as well as a 24-hour crisis-intervention hotline. Proceeds will also benefit It Gets Better, a nationwide project launched following the suicide of several gay teens.
Mains penned the song after responding to the media’s coverage of political pundit Stephanie Miller coming out. "In a word, I was pissed,” Mains said. “I was just trying to tune into the Stephanie Miller Show to hear my friend John [comedian/actor John Fugelsang], and the news links were only about her coming out. It’s no wonder that our youth feel so stigmatized and isolated the way media treats the LGBT community. We want to be part of changing that.”
The Juliettes recorded the song with Seattle-area music impresario, Bubba Jones. Jones has worked with such notables as The Digable Planets, The Turn-Ons, Furniture Girls, Darrius Willrich, and The Brand New Heavies. Don Gunn is responsible for the song mixing. Gunn’s work is highly sought after and his resume includes Peter Frampton, Death Cab for Cutie, and BRAD.
Their plan is a simple one, to use social marketing as a tool to drive home the message - "1, 2, 3, GO!" - 1 Download, 2 Status Updates, 3 Tweets. “After the song makes you jump up and down, makes you laugh, go sing it to everyone you know,” says Mains. “SO, 1, 2, 3, GO!”
