A muscled construction worker named Abraham by day and a nightlifer / recording artist when the sun goes down! Let’s get on top of all that is TopVerse.
Thotyssey: Hello TopVerse, thanks for chatting today! I understand you were performing at 3 Dollar Bill the other night for Frankie Sharp‘s sexy “Unload” party, how did it go?
TopVerse: I definitely feel like I took a load off… on? Haha. It was a great night, I loved the crowd. Frankie threw me into a room full of bears, and I was feelin’ juuuust right.
Do you have a “type” as far as potential partners go?
I love someone that has BALLS.
That’s a good standard!
I understand that by day, you work in construction here in NYC. Have you had a long background with that, going back to your Minnesota roots?
I had been building and doing construction with my father my whole life. When I moved to New York I got thrown into the world of the “hustler,” which is a chapter within its own.
I’ve always been a go-getter and I’ve always been even better with my hands. When I began working on my TOPV3RSE project I decided to go back into it because the scheduling worked better for my writing and recording. Construction in the city is like 10-12 days in a row 5am to midnight, 5am to midnight. By day 9, you’re almost a zombie, But then I get about an entire weeks time off to then pour my soul into the writing and music. It’s a better balance for me. I’m a Libra, so I’m all about that.
There is of course no shortage of gay men who fantasize about a hot fit construction worker! Is it sometimes weird to be fetishized that way… and do you ever try to live up to that fantasy, or do you immediately bring folks into reality (whatever that may be)?
I definitely love playing with ideas on what fantasy is. Fantasy to me Is always about “what could be.” I think the tongue in cheek part about TopVerse even as a name is being able to play with the idea of what we think a top or a top vers is, you know? Any top vers or bottom vers adjacent has this sort of tail attached to the end of their comet that alludes to the idea of wanting something more than being one or the other. Who knows if I’m even a TopVerse?
Now’s a good time to explain to the children what exactly the “TopVerse” project is!
TopVerse is the part of me that tells truths of myself that I’ve always wanted to say, but done a brighter and more brilliant way. I like to call it being “delightfully dangerous.” There’s literal things I’d love to tell everyone that’s ever taken advantage of me or gotten the best of me, or even just misunderstood me.
Then there’s the figurative TopVerse within me that is all about being unapologetically queer. You know I feel like it used to be cool to be gay… it was almost like a “fuck you.” Now what’s cool is straight guys doing gay shit. Again, it’s that fantasy… sort of the tail end of the comet that goes away once it actually lands. Of course we need and love our allies, but I’m seeing sort of a departure from the message of the rainbow flag… which is now being manipulated in every sense of the way. I feel like we need to take the rainbow back. It’s really supposed to be one of the greatest symbols of unity in the world, because we are everyone and everywhere.
As TopVerse, you’re recording music and putting out accompanying visuals. What can you tell us about your sound, its inspiration, and what you ultimately hope to put out there as a recording artist?
Well my next big project I’m currently working on is a new single titled “Where’s My Daddy?!” which I performed at my very first show opening up for Miami legend Khia. Since then it’s been a crowd favorite, and I really wanna go balls to the walls with the visual on this one. It’s rock-rap and super electric in energy. Genre-blending is definitely something I love doing.
My biggest inspirations musically are Gary Numan and Ras Kass… however, the happiest I feel sonically is when I listen to the Spice Girls. I know, how bottom vers of me. Ultimately, I plan to release a mixtape by this summer: Dixtape Vol. 1 – “Just the Tip” featuring a whole team of other queer artists. My engineer is straight, so everyone’s included.
You filmed a hot video for your song “Blu Smoovie!” I’ve seen clips, but will the full version be available for all to view?
Oh yeah! we are releasing a directors cut next on the 24th for the debut of Frankie’s party.
Let’s talk about that April 24th party which will be at, appropriately, VERS: “I ❤️D🗽CK,” aka I Love Dick! What can folks expect from the night?
I ❤️D🗽CK is going to be an ode to the Delightfully Dangerous Circus that is HELL’S KITCHEN. We are bringing all the local HK boys to host and pullin’ all stunts, and yankin’ all Dicks.
Sounds like a night! What else is coming up co you?
Just the mixtape and the “Blu Smoovie” director’s cut, and VERS 4/24!
Finally, what might your best advice be for someone who wants to make it big in indie music today?
Before you decide what you want to do, first you have to explore who you ought to be. I had to learn who “Abe” (me) was. Why is Abe? What is Abe? Who is Abe? Identity, now more than ever, has become so far away from what your heart tells you to do… and instead is now — what do my eyes tell me I should see (be). If the entire world was blind but we still had music, there would be no Coachella. We would all be blindly dancing together in a park somewhere – the world would be one giant dance floor. It would just be us, together, with the music.
The Biggest Picture: if you can define for yourself what your success is and learn how to achieve it, then you can be free. Success is a state and you are the one that perceives it. Feeling successful is an achievement of how you perceive yourself. Being told you are great and actually believing that you are great are two very different things. It’s a tale as old as time: you gotta believe in yourself!
Thanks, TV!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for TopVerse’ upcoming appearances, and follow him on Instagram and YouTube. Stream and download his music across multiple platforms.
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