(Rica Shay)
After stints at The Flat and Hope Garage, promoters Shameless and Jem’s weekly party Otter Box found a new home this past Sunday at the freshly queered-out Macri Park. “The vibe is just right,” says Shameless of the new space. “It’s got that perfect divey thing going on with its dark corners and low ceilings, and it fills up well. We’re excited to have Macri Park be the final home for Otter Box.”
To celebrate the scruffy event’s homecoming, the promoters brought in sexy music man Rica Shay, who turned out an energetic set to a packed house. After wrapping up, Shay spoke with Next about what he’s been up to recently and what he has up his sleeve for the future.
“I’ve been in Europe for the past three months performing, traveling, and collaborating on some new material with a few artists I met on the road," he said. "I’ve got a mixtape coming out in late December, and I’m still working on figuring out what songs to include.”
One of the songs that’s sure to make the cut is his new song “No More,” which Shay described as sad and grimy. “It’s a song about battling depression and stereotypes, about [denying] the boxes people try to put you in," he said. "As an artist, I’ve dealt with a lot of self-hate, so this song is kind of about how I dealt with that.”
"No More" and its accompanying music video will drop next month. Shay said that part of how he dealt with his feelings of being boxed in as an artist involved taking a year off making music to focus on himself and his craft. “My older stuff was cute, very tongue-in-cheek, but my newer stuff is more raw and better," he said. "I wanted the feel of the new mixtape to be lyrically uplifting, but to also have some depth.”
Shay will perform September 12 at Bushwig and September 14 at Metropolitan's before heading back to California. Don't miss him!