Serenade for Two Its Over Isnt It Su Fan Art
Artist Mel Rottman talks about their new single featured in the Beloved Ascend "Serenade" album. Video screengrab. Video by Rob Cooley
(RNS) — When xix-yr-sometime Mel Rottman came out equally gay, they thought they would lose their community. Instead, Rottman was met with love from their parents, pastor and church building.
"A lot of my organized religion journey ended up being influenced by that considering I became more in love with Jesus when I came out and was fully myself," Rottman said in a video on the website Beloved Arise.
RELATED: New app, believr, aims to create a 'home for LGBTQ+ Christians'
Rottman has since written a song virtually that feel, and it's featured on "Serenade: Songs for the Beloved," which describes itself every bit the "first-ever album dedicated to LGBTQIA+ youth of religion."
Heaven Carter Williams, member of Beloved Ascend's Youth Advisory Council, holding a Dear Arise "Serenade" album vinyl. Courtesy photo
"Serenade," released terminal calendar week, is a genre-spanning compilation of original songs by LGBTQ artists and allies from Love Arise, a national arrangement dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQ youth of religion.
The album aims to explore the "hope and heartbreak of living as a queer person of faith," according to its website.
The collection of anthems celebrates the upcoming Queer Youth of Faith Twenty-four hours (June xxx), sponsored by Beloved Arise in partnership with a number of faith-based and nonreligious organizations, including The Trevor Projection, GLAAD, Interfaith Alliance, Jewish Queer Youth, Buddhist Churches of America, Q Christian Fellowship and others.
Beloved Arise founder Jun Love Young told Religion News Service he hopes LGBTQ youth of religion will hear the album and know "they are worthy of a dearest song."
"That'south really what we're trying to do, is to accomplish young people and let them know these songs are for them. These are their songs, and they are songs they tin play whenever they experience unseen, unwelcome or rejected," Young said.
"This is our hug."
Beloved Arise founder Jun Love Immature. Photo past Zoe Ha Vong
The thought for "Serenade" came virtually when Young connected with Kyle and Gretta Miller of the ring Tow'rs, who had expressed support for Dear Arise. The duo produced the album and contributed the song "Love Who You Love."
Ane in 4 LGBTQ youth place every bit religious, Young said. And, in many ways, they "always become the brusque end of the stick."
They can exist ignored, rejected or told they can no longer serve in leadership roles in communities of religion, Young observed. Then, inside the wider LGBTQ community, he added, they tin can be marginalized for their religion.
"So in a globe like that, we just thought these unsung heroes deserve their own songs," Young said.
Lyrics on "Serenade" tell stories nearly spending long nights "begging forgiveness for being who I am" (the haunting rails "The Songbird" by Alex Blueish) and well-nigh answering God'south telephone call to beloved by starting with oneself ("Learning to Love Myself" by iiwaa). Other songs encourage listeners to love one another (the toe-tapping "Friends" by Corey Kilgannon) and clinch them of God'south presence ("Watching Over You" by Tim Exist Told).
The song "40x" by Courier was inspired by the story of one young person named Alex whose mother reached out to Love Arise when Alex, feeling excluded from his church and doubting God'south dearest, most lost his life to suicide, Young said. The Love Ascend customs responded past sending 40 letters of affirmation — a "breakthrough" for Alex, who has since joined the community, according to Young.
Dear Arise presents "Serenade: Songs for the Beloved," Book one. Creative person credit: Zoe Ha Vong
Rottman'southward vocal "Tethered," the winner of a songwriting contest for LGBTQ youth of faith to earn a spot on the album, closes out "Serenade" with the lyrics: "Welcome abode my child / I love who you are."
"This is the kind of story nosotros hear on a regular basis in our work with Beloved Arise," Immature said, "and information technology merely warms our middle that these young people are now continuing up for themselves and proverb, 'I have my organized religion. I take my identity. It's 'and,' not 'either/or.'"
Rottman said in the video they wrote "Tethered" to share that message with other LGBTQ youth who didn't have the same supportive feel after coming out to their communities of faith — who take had their hearts broken. Rottman wanted others to know "God is meeting you dorsum with dear, and it'southward not an 'I dearest you, but.' Information technology's an 'I love you.' Stop of statement. Catamenia."
"What the vocal is about is God's response is to the community and who you are as a person and who he's created you to be, because that's non a sin. It's not something that is gross," Rottman said. "It's something that is beautiful."
RELATED: 17 psychological groups phone call for greater protections of LGBTQ students at religious schools
"Serenade" is available on Spotify and Apple Music and will be released on vinyl.
Source: https://religionnews.com/2021/06/08/serenade-album-celebrates-lgbtq-youth-ahead-of-queer-youth-of-faith-day/