Jade
Esteban Estrada
has
been called "
the most
exciting
Latin pop artist
to ever emerge
onto the music
scene ",
but Estrada is
much more than
just a pop star.
Setting himself
apart from his
contemporaries
as an actor,
writer and
singer Estrada
has managed to
morph himself
into an
entertainer who
knows no
boundaries and
is willing to
push himself
above and beyond
any labels that
might try to
confine him
making himself
arguably
the most
influential
(if not
the only)
out gay
Latin performer
ever .
When I spoke
with Estrada
over the phone
he was just
arising from
sleep at his
home in Texas
preparing to
once more hit
the road with
his musical
comedy act "
ICONS: The
Lesbian and Gay
History of the
World, Vol. 1
" which
has been greeted
to much acclaim
across the
nation.
"I've been
touring since I
was nine,"
Estrada quipped
wistfully
evidently trying
to shake off the
fog of sleep as
we speak.
Hailing from San
Antonio,
Estrada, the son
of a U.S. Army
officer and a
stage actress
won a
scholarship to
the American
Musical and
Dramatic Academy
in New York and
sharpened his
knowledge of his
chosen
profession.
Estrada studied
dance (alongside
Jennifer Lopez)
with Slam, the
lead dancer from
Madonna's Blonde
Ambition Tour
among other
notable teachers
of the era.
Since then,
Estrada has
managed to stick
his foot in the
door of nearly
every aspect of
the
entertainment
industry
conceivable.
No stranger to
Nashville,
Estrada has
performed his
pop act at
previous
Nashville Pride
events (back
when the
organization was
still called
OPEN) and most
recently
performed "
ICONS: The
Lesbian and Gay
History of the
World, Vol. 1
" at
Club Blu for
this year's
Nashville Pride
Comedy Night.
Estrada was so
well received
that he was
invited back to
perform
ICONS 2
for the upcoming
Bearapalooza.
With ICONS
(which
incidentally is
actually a
trilogy of
one-man shows)
Estrada is on a
mission to set
the record
straight about
gay history.
"I get so tired
of people
thinking that
gay history
begins and ends
with Judy
Garland and Cher,"
Estrada
explained. "They
are not gay
historical
figures. They
may be iconic,
but they aren't
gay. It drives
me nuts!"
Indeed, both of
the ICONS shows
that have been
staged thus far
find Estrada
donning the
likenesses of
such truly gay
historical
figures from
Oscar Wilde to
Billie Jean
King, from Ellen
DeGeneres to
Alexander the
Great and more
in order that
through comedy
and music he can
relate a true
sense of history
to gay and
lesbian
audiences.
"I love history
and I love
making people
laugh," said
Estrada of
ICONS. "I also
love singing and
dancing so I've
sort of thrown
all of these
things into a
pot and stirred
it around and
there was
ICONS."
Jade Esteban
Estrada will be
performing his
one-man musical
comedy "ICONS:
The Lesbian and
Gay History of
the World, Vol.
2"
for Bearapalooza
at Club Blu on
Thursday, July
21 at 8PM.
Copyright 2005
Out and About
Nashville
