Queer indie popstar and “Franco”-phile Colette is racking up BNA nominations and slaying the game this spooky season. [Cover photo: Iris Delany]
Thotyssey: Colette, thanks for chatting with us! As autumn comes is now fully upon us, I was wondering if you could tell us about how one of Fire Island’s big summer closing events, the Doll Invasion, went! I know you did a performance there.
Colette March: It was a healing, for sure. I felt so lucky to be a part of it, and meet so many artists and community leaders who’ve inspired me for so long. Amarji King’s set became a core memory; she’s one of the best to ever do it, and you could feel the energy get higher and higher on the floor. It was on another level. Cherry Jaymes and MTHR TRSA always turn it, they are both creative forces I’ve admired for so long. And to have Laurel Charleston do my glam for the set was everything!
The performance itself was magical. My friend Silly Brown, of Blow Pop fame, stepped up to play Franco. My other friends were there dancing along and helping me hype up the crowd. It was the first time Doll Invasion had a live music act on the bill, too, which felt really special. I’m just one of many girls self-funding and grinding to make this popstar career happen, so it was nice to bring that sentiment to such a special event–and hopefully encourage more people in our community to put the dolls on their playlists!
You’ve had fun and success with your single “Franco.” The accompanying music video for the track featuring the dreamy Facundo Rodriguez is certainly a fun watch, too! Can you tell us about the origin of the song, and the joy you’ve felt performing and interpreting it throughout the venues and platforms?
The response has been wild. It was my first step into a clubbier sound, and it brought me deeper into nightlife in a really special way. I can be a bit of a homebody, but seeing people make videos to it and start to recognize me from mine motivated me to get out of my apartment and value the in-person so much more. I’ve been so much more forward about crafting live shows where people can lose it, especially to that one. I’ve brought up someone to be a Franco at every live set, and it’s fun to be this undiscovered indie artist and still have my own concert gimmick that can make people laugh and get their own moment.
The song was inspired by a bunch of toxic New Jersey gym bros that I was hung up on growing up. I visited my hometown just outside of Philly back in 2024, and came up with the intro in my mom’s car after a Wawa run. I teamed up with the brilliant Christian Reccasina, who produced it… and the rest is history.
Were you always a musical and artistic kid growing up in Philly?
I was! I grew up in a classic rock household, so I got a more well-rounded appreciation for music from an early age, but it was always gonna be pop for me. I was making those obnoxious, filtered-up music videos on iMovie when I was in middle school, and I took every karaoke event super seriously. Watching Lady Gaga videos on my iPod under the covers, memorizing Janet and Britney songs instead of doing my homework. Designing fake album covers on Phonto and dreaming about actually having my own.
I always knew I wanted to be an actress and a writer… but the older I got, the more I could see myself being a music artist, too. The creative agency it’s given me coincided with so much self-discovery.
Did become a music artist and living openly as a trans woman happen at the same time and inform each other, or did one aspect fully develop before the other?
I came out a bit before becoming a musical artist, but it definitely inspired me to become more confident in my femininity. I went through a lot of imposter syndrome in those early years, and making music helped me be more sure of my taste and how I want to show up artistically and personally.
Are there certain themes and vibes that one can expect from both a Colette March track and a live performance?
A Colette March performance will always celebrate the girls and all the beautiful things they deserve! There will always be phrases I want you to shout back at me. I want everyone to dance to an embarrassing extent. I want the boys and mascs to flex those biceps for all the dolls and let them run to the front row.
As for my tracks themselves, I always always wanna try new things and work new influences into the sonic end. I can’t wait to have funding for albums and be able to make hard left turns with every record, and show off my versatility.
Right now, I’ve been really inspired by sex… what it means to write a song about centering a woman’s pleasure in a world that feels increasingly conservative and digitally isolating. Most of my unreleased songs are about egging men on to step it up and be more chalant (and just to encourage us all to be more unabashed and raw.)
I’m a big advocate of seeing more live music performances in queer bars… I think The People want it!
I agree! Our community has so much talent, and I think music gets the short end of the stick sometimes. I had the “Franco” release party at The Rosemont (forever in our hearts) and met DJ Tasheff through it. It was the best night. I got that wireless mic and jumped into a crowd of friends and strangers, and everything felt so right.
Pour one out for Rosie! How have your experiences been in general with mixing it up in those venues with drag performers, burlesquers, DJs, bar staffers, etc.?
Drag and burlesque performers inspire me so much, and have taught me more and more how to work a crowd. You can’t get that kind of magic just anywhere.
Congrats on your recent Brooklyn Nightlife Awards nominations for Best Music Artist, Original Song and Music Video (the latter two both for “Franco”)! What a great way to celebrate the reboot of the BNAs!
Thank you! And thank you BNAs! It’s unreal and so, so encouraging. I’m just proud of myself for fighting so hard for that song. Algorithms and music promotion is such an uphill battle. Friday Anderson is a genius, and directed the video on a $0 budget. We had the best time, so I’m grateful people saw something in and enjoyed it as much as we did filming it!
As for the artist nom–I feel like I’ve grown so much as a performer this year, and it feels nice to see that work acknowledged. So many on that nomination list have inspired me for so long: Amygdala, Tasheff, Daniella Darling, DiDi Opulence, Lie-Luh, Ty Evans, Cherry Jaymes, so many more. It’s an honor to be alongside them.
Gigs-wise, you will be with with current Blow Pop hosts Lie-Luh and A.C.I.D at All Night Skate this Thursday night!
I’m so excited to be a part of it! It’s been amazing seeing Lie-Luh and A.C.I.D. continue the Blow Pop legacy, and this month I get to be a part of their birthday celebration–which is so gorgeous. They’re both angels who I’ve loved seeing perform for years, and All Night Skate is just the best. I can’t wait to bring it for them, and debut a new track or two!
Then I see you’re headed to DC on October 8th to open for another great queer indie star on a tear, Cain Culto! How did this come about, and how amazing will this be?
He did an open call, so I submitted! I just headlined in DC, so it felt right. I’ve been a fan of his for so long, it’s such an honor. I think he’s making a good case for the multi-hyphenates, and has such a distinct vision that feels entirely fresh in the music scene. I love his remix collabs with Sudan Archives, Peaches, etc. And the way he leaves no stone unturned, speaking out against ICE, calling for Palestinian liberation, creating space for queer people in music that isn’t just glossy rainbow capitalism. He inspires me to be a better artist. And to open for him alongside the incredible Neila, it’s gonna be the best night.
Looking ahead to November 15, you’re going to be headlining a major show at The Sultan Room!
Yesss! It’s gonna be everything. Tasheff is joining me again to DJ for the night and perform some of our collabs. I have the gorgeous angels Mýles Aubrii and Tina Hand opening for me. It’s gonna be my biggest headliner yet; I’m ringing in a new era with some unreleased tracks. It’ll be a lot more performance artist vibes, with plenty of those clubbier moments we can all dance to. So many surprises in store. I want to show off my versatility and my voice more. The Sultan Room is the perfect place to do it. And I’ll have some new merch by then! I can’t wait.
What else is coming up for you?
New music on the way, baby. I have a song with Tasheff coming out in October, one he wrote and produced on his own that I’m hopping on vocals for–Charli x AG vibes. More solo stuff after that; I’m getting in my Pussycat Dolls bag right now, and feeling sexier and free.
And finally: in light of the Spooky Season, do you have any ghost or UFO or Bigfoot etc. close encounters to share?
I’m ghosting a lot of awful men right now, so I guess I am the ghost in question. And I’m an otherworldly talent, so I’m the UFO, too. Bigfoot can keep his vibe though… I’m too sweet and dainty for all of that.
Thanks, Colette!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Colette March’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkTree (where you can find links to download and stream her music).
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