Globally acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, and former Glee star Kevin McHale has shared the music video for his new single, “James Dean” today. The track will be featured on his debut EP Boy, due out on June 21st via innovative content platform Vydia. The video features a guest appearance from actor, producer, & advocate Johnny Sibilly from FX’s Pose, who is also part of Abercrombie’s Pride campaign that launched last week. In honor of Pride Month, Vydia and Kevin McHale will donate all June proceeds from single to The Trevor Project.
“‘James Dean’ is the first song we did for the EP and it really was the key to making it all happen,” Kevin explains. “It was such a fun and spontaneous session. It felt like most of it was free-styled. It’s still my favorite song on the EP.”
After over a decade of assuming key roles on everything from FOX’s EMMY® Award-winning Glee to the acclaimed ABC mini-series When We Rise, with his debut EP Kevin McHale is formally introducing himself as an artist with an infectious and idiosyncratic take on pop. As a child in Texas, he took the first step towards a life in music. In 2007, he launched his career in the pop group NLT before transitioning to film and television full-time. Beyond memorable spots on the likes of True Blood and The Office, he spent six seasons on Glee as fan favorite Artie Abrams in addition to touring the country in the show’s live production and appearing on the big-screen in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. During this time, he attracted millions of followers online and garnered nominations at the Teen Choice Awards and beyond. Along the way, he quietly wrote songs and spent countless hours in the studio. Encouraged by NLT collaborator and producer Justin Thorne as well as songwriter Wednesday, he crafted his debut solo EP, Boy—released as the first artist signing for Vydia in 2019. The project illuminates the nuances of Kevin’s manic love for a wide swath of genres, finding a middle ground between influences as diverse as SZA and nineties pop favorites a la Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
In addition to releasing new music, Kevin recently launched a new podcast with former Glee castmate Jenna Ushkowitz. Titled Showmance, the project is part of The LadyGang/ PodcastOne Network and features Kevin and Jenna interviewing some of film and television’s favorite best friends about their work-life balance and maintaining friendships in Hollywood.