If you are planning on attending the upcoming Dinah Shore festival, September 21-25 in Palm Springs California, then hide your girlfriend because Siena Liggins is coming to bring down the house with her infectious brand of pop/EDM/hip-hop blend that will surely have you weak at the knees.
In case you aren’t yet familiar (where have you been?!?), The Dinah Shore is the world’s largest queer/lesbian/non-binary/trans event founded by Mariah Hanson, attracting some of the biggest names in music in past years such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Bebe Rexha, Lizzo and more who have all graced The Dinah stage before becoming international superstars.
This year’s event will see exciting queer female voices in the lineup, including Fletcher, Zolita, Cassidy King and Siena Liggins among others headlining the iconic event.
“These are the galvanizing queer voices to watch long after The Dinah is a wrap. They are part of a new generation of queer young artists who are determined to change the long-held stereotypes of this industry” said Mariah Hanson in a press release about the upcoming event.
In two years Siena Liggins has gone from an unknown songwriter to one of Billboard’s Top Ten Rising LGBTQ+ artists (2021), and sharing stages with the likes of Lizzo, Doja Cat, King Princess, Baby Tate, and Tkay Maidza.
Siena’s much-anticipated debut album, “Ms. Out Tonight,” arrived complete with fast-paced, sensory overload visuals for every song. Coverage from The FADER, Buzzfeed, Refinery 29, and Earmilk prompted an album premiere experience in Atlanta, and the record has now surpassed 2.5 million streams with features on playlists across every streaming platform including Spotify’s New Music Friday, Fresh Finds and the cover of Tidal’s Rising: Pop playlist.
The project’s title is an affirmation of Siena’s arrival, a celebration of her identity, and a warning to those unready to envision the next generation she represents.
“Whether she is telling ladies not to fall in love on opening track ‘Girlfriend’ or betting “you lose your composure” on ‘Blush,’ Liggins is unflinching in her representation of queer sexuality,” said Billboard about the artist.
In anticipation of her headlining this year’s Dinah Shore, we had the chance to chat with Siena about ‘Ms. Out Tonight’, being considered one of the biggest rising queer artists on the scene, and why all attendees should be prepared to “hide your girlfriend” come September!
The past couple of years have seen you go from rising artist to one of the most in-demand LGBTQ+ artists on the scene! Can you first tell us where your music career began?
It’s truly surreal to think that I might be “one of the most in-demand LGBTQ+ artists on the scene” because I’m still so fresh in my journey, but it’s an amazing feeling considering a few years ago I had no idea where music might take me. I wrote and released my first single, Flowerbomb, in 2018 just hoping to get the attention of one girl and now, she never texts back but I get my attention fix from girls all over the world. It’s a crazy feeling.
You are set to play the upcoming Dinah Shore festival. How are you feeling about the event, especially now that the world is starting to open up after 2 years of cancellations due to COVID?
Dinah Shore is legendary so when I got the news that I was going to be playing the festival this year, it felt like a huge milestone for my origin story. The last couple of years have been a rollercoaster for everyone and for a few minutes, I’ll get to be on stage giving folks a chance to escape a bit. My only hope is that the weather treats me nice and the crowd is even nicer.
We can’t get enough of your track ‘Ms. Out Tonight’ and could listen to your vocals all day! What is the story or inspiration behind the track?
First off [and totally biased opinion]– if MOT is your favorite track on the album, you’ve got great taste. That track, the lyrics, the emotion will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve talked a lot about the inspiration behind the title and content and what it meant for the era of my life when I wrote it. It is the essence of my project– an emphasis on simplicity and connection, a teetering balance of aggression and tenderness, and no apologies for the confidence I’ve earned.
Your song ‘Blush’ is featured on comedian Nikki Glaser’s new HBO special promo. What was it like learning that she wanted to use the song?
A highlight of my career will always be opening the HBO Max app and hearing my lyric “I get your panties in a bunch” on the homepage. Nikki Glaser has great taste and hopefully, I’ll get to catch a standup special of hers in person soon.
You recently performed at Pride in London. What was that experience like?
Pride in London was a fairytale. I honestly held my breath for what felt like months before the plane touched down because I couldn’t believe it. I’ll never take for granted how far these silly songs about love and stuff have taken me and it’s incredible knowing my songs have crossed an ocean. I knew I had to give it everything on stage and it paid off. The crowd was bananas.
Your music is a celebration of your queer identity, and an unapologetic statement on being LGBTQ+. Although it is 2022, why it is more important than ever to celebrate and amplify queer voices?
It’s so refreshing to see so much queer talent taking up space in the mainstream and creating space for more folks who live within the margins. Personally, I think it’s important to continue pushing for more of us in more positions on and off stage, in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes.
For people who will discover your music for the first time, what do you want them to feel after listening to ‘Ms. Out Tonight’?
My hope for anyone listening to Ms. Out Tonight or any of my music for the first time is that they feel seen regardless of who they love, what they look like, or how they identify. Then I hope they feel like playing it again at max volume.
What can Dinah Shore attendees expect to see in your upcoming performance?
I can’t give away too much, but I’ll tell you what I expect to see– all the hottest babes at the front of the stage. And if you haven’t already heard… hide ur girlfriend!
Follow all things Siena Liggins by clicking HERE, and make plans for The Dinah Shore by purchasing tickets HERE.