G Flip has returned to bless our ears with a new single and it’s a really, really special one. Dubbed ‘Waste Of Space’, the track is a heartrending indie-rock ballad reflecting on the artist’s gender identity.
A candid account of the inner turmoil, self-loathing and social rejection they felt growing up identifying as non-binary and not understanding why they didn’t fit in, ‘Waste Of Space’ is undoubtedly set to galvanise G-Flip’s status as a queer icon and probably save some lives in the process.
Watch: G Flip – ‘Waste Of Space’
But it almost wasn’t released.
In a lengthy letter to fans accompanying the single, G Flip confesses they were initially hesitant to put the song out into the world. “A few months ago, my gender identity was thrown into headlines and talked about more than I ever thought was possible,” G Flip explains. “I’ve been flooded with messages and questions about being non-binary.”
G Flip says some of the messages were positive, including from “parents reaching out and asking on how to best support their non-binary children, as well as messages from people who just want to understand what being non-binary is and means.” But there were also many negative messages, including “a lot of hateful messages about my gender identity and people even telling me that I’m not non-binary.”
They continue: “As I receive more and more of these messages, I realise how much education the world needs when it comes to gender identity. Even though I wasn’t sure if I’d ever release this song, the more I thought about it, I realised how much the world needs this song.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would ever release this song”
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“Today is International Non-Binary People’s Day,” the artist continues. “I’m releasing this song because I know that if I had this song as a kid, it would have changed my entire life.”
G-Flip says their first memory of being confused about their gender was when they were just seven years old.
“I played with the boys and wore the boys uniform to school because I thought I was one of them,” they explain. “One day, the boys told me I couldn’t play with them anymore because I was a girl. I went to the girls table in hopes that I would belong there. But they also told me I couldn’t play with them because I was dressed like a boy. I was left in the middle, with no one to play with. The kids would call me a ‘waste of space’ and I was ostracised. This left me confused.”
G-Flip goes on to muse on the fact that, when you Google the term “non-binary”, it says “neither a man nor woman”. But, to the artist, it means so much more than that. “It’s a spectrum. I’m not neither, I feel like I’m both. Everyone lies on a different part of the spectrum, even those who identify as a girl or a boy,” they explain.
“I’m releasing this song because I know that if I had this song as a kid, it would have changed my entire life.”
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With that in mind, G-Flip has tried to uplift as many fellow non-binary and gender non-conforming creatives as possible during the production of ‘Waste Of Space’.
“I’m proud to say the entire cast of the music video identify as non-binary or gender-fluid, and the crew behind the camera are over 85% queer and 55% gender non-conforming,” the artist says. “For everyone involved with ‘Waste Of Space’, it wasn’t just another day at work. We are all passionate about the overall mission of my project to bring queer and non-binary representation to the world.
“I feel like my purpose on this earth is to educate the world on gender identity and be the non-binary role-model that I never had growing up.”
As a final thought, G-Flip adds: “Representation in the media matters. I, along with so many other gender non-conforming souls, are here. We are present and we are going to make noise so that this generation and future generations aren’t ostracised for being their beautiful, authentic selves.
“To anyone who’s ever felt like a waste of space, you’re not. You’re important, you matter, and you have purpose in this world.”
You can watch the video for ‘Waste Of Space’ above.
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