The First Single From His Epic New Album, “The Anonymous Icon”
Raph Solo’s debut release from his third full-length album, THE ANONYMOUS ICON, is “Star”, a song of gratitude to his ‘Mum’, the woman who inspired him to be the man he is today. “Star is a tribute to the unsung heroes who do amazing things for other people,” explains Solo. “They do it, not for acclaim or acknowledgement, but simply out of love.” The song is an early-eighties inspired up-tempo pop track with a slight Motown feel that showcases Solo’s wide harmonic range. It echoes the overall sentiment of THE ANONYMOUS ICON, his new album that celebrates authenticity at any cost. “Star” is available on iTunes now. Its steamy music video is available on YouTube. THE ANONYMOUS ICON releases to iTunes and all major online retailers today.
“As a child, my dad fell ill with cancer and was unable to work,” remembers Raph Solo from his home in the UK. “Mum nursed him for thirteen years while working to earn an income in order to hold our family together.
“Even as I became a man, Mum has been incredibly supportive,” he continues. “She gave me money to help cover studio costs. She allowed me to stay in her home for years, never once asking me to pay rent. I’ve always appreciated her, but now more than ever. She epitomizes the word ‘star’.”
“Star” follows “Glass of Wine”, Raph Solo’s hit dance record from last spring that celebrated spiritual growth.
“It’s interesting to hear how my music has evolved through the years,” he says. “My songs reflect the experiences I am having at the time of recording. Over the years, as I’ve found more and more happiness in my self, my sound has gone from Latin/eastern flavoured ballads to up-tempo pop.
“I also get to the point more quickly in my songs these days,” he adds. “Probably because life seems more fast paced than ever before.”
Like many young people today, Solo juggles multiple plates in the air in order to get by. “I’m an indie artist with a forty hour per week day job.”
“But nobody knows that!” he laughs. At least they didn’t until now. “That’s why I felt like THE ANONYMOUS ICON was an appropriate title for the album.”
THE ANONYMOUS ICON includes many of Solo’s previous releases, all re-digitalized and re-mastered for the album.
Along with the album release, Solo is unveiling a brand new music video that is as steamy and passionate as fans have come to expect from the young singer’s videos, but slightly different. “I usually take centre stage in my music videos. This is the first one I take a back seat in.”
Solo is seen as a photographer, marvelling at the beauty of a female model, capturing her essence through images. The video ends with the female model hitting on him, and Solo revealing he is gay.
“It’s happened to me a couple of times in real life,” he explains. “Just goes to prove that you can never judge by appearances and there is no one stereotype for gay men in 2016.”
Today, Raph Solo is a proud gay man with nothing to hide, but it wasn’t always that way. Just a few years ago, he fought his feelings for men and even underwent reparative therapy in an attempt to cure himself of his homosexuality. In the end, it was even more damaging to Solo and his self-esteem. “It made me feel like a failure because no matter how hard I tried, I could not change my feelings.
“I strive to be 100% real. That’s the whole point of the video and my coming out at the end. It would be very different if I was playing a character in a movie but I’m not … Star is a Raph Solo video.”
Solo takes it a step further, proudly wearing his birthday suit in the video. Yes, in the scene where he is holding the bright star, Solo has nothing on underneath.
“The filmmaker was straight so I’m not sure how comfortable he felt with me being naked under my star,” he laughs. But there was a deeper meaning to the scene. “A star is symbolic of the soul and the light is symbolic of the love we hold in our soul. There can be no darkness in the presence of light,” Solo says, adding:
“That’s why it’s important that we let all stars shine.”
