Tegan and Sara certainly know how to throw a talent show. The twin pop auteurs’ just-released video features a cast of trans and gender-nonconforming youth lip synching to the sisters’ 80s synthy single “Faint of Heart” dressed as some of the past century’s most iconic artists. Writer Tyler Ford plays Prince, Dominic Ravina takes a turn as Elvis, I Am Cait‘s Ella Giselle appears as Madonna, Olabisi Kovabel plays Grace Jones, Cooper Treibel does David Bowie, and Eli Erlick and Ni Ching-Marino play Tegan and Sara themselves. The Quins chose to make cameos as audience members to keep the spotlight on the LGBTQ youth of now.
“Faint of Heart” was filmed the day after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando on June 12. “There was something very personal about this tragedy and that was undoubtedly on our minds as we arrived on set,” Tegan told Teen Vogue. “From the second we walked in, I felt incredibly emotional. The cast was so young, so excited, so talented, so friendly and so diverse. It was clear this video was going to be very special.” “Being on set with so many LGBTQ folks — especially the day after the Pulse shooting — was so necessary, nurturing, affirming, and healing. It’s so important to be able to create with and within our communities,” Ford added.
Tegan and Sara have been in the game for a minute (they began touring back in 1998), speaking out about LGBTQ rights and freedoms at times when it was far less popular. It’s heartening to see the sisters not only stay engaged with these issues, but encourage a new generation of queer kids to love themselves. “Some of the themes of the video — mentorship, finding community, expression, bravery — are things you see so many LGBTQ youth actively pursuing in order to thrive. We need to be strong against a lot of hate in this world,” said Tegan.
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Text Emily Manning