Billy porter is a Grammy, Emmy, and 3x Tony award winner. Porter began his music career in 1997 with the release of his self-titled (aka untitled) debut album which spawned the top 10 “Bubbling Under” single, “Show Me,” and the monster ballad, “Love Is On The Way,” which also appeared at the pivotal moment in the film, First Wives Club. He went on to release “At the Corner of Broadway + Soul” (2005), “Billy’s Back on Broadway” (2014), and “The Soul of Richard Rodgers” (2017) featuring Pentatonix, India.Arie, Leslie Odom Jr., and Cynthia Erivo, among others.
Porter scored his first #1 with “Love Yourself” in 2019 on the us dance club songs chart. He followed that up with his 2020 reimagining of the legendary Buffalo Springfield anthem, “For What It’s Worth,” and a fierce collab with the Shapeshifters on “Finally Ready.” 2021 saw Porter covering Juliet Roberts club classic “Caught In The Middle” for Red Hot + Free, which supports underserved communities afflicted with HIV/AIDS. He was also enlisted by multiplatinum international superstar Jessie J for “I Want Love.” And he delivered a magical turn on Earth, Wind, and Fire’s iconic “Shining Star” as Fab G, the Fairy Godmuva, in the 2021 remake of Cinderella.
Porter is a veteran of the theater (Miss Saigon, Angels in America, Grease), and a three-time Tony-winner, including “Best Leading Actor in a Musical” for Kinky Boots in 2013, “Best Musical” as a producer for A Strange Loop in 2022, and was the recipient of the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. He has also received a Grammy for the Kinky Boots official soundtrack in the category of “Best Musical Theater Album” in 2014. Porter took home the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” in 2019 for his work as Pray Tell on the FX series Pose, making history as being the first openly gay man to do so. Time Magazine named him one of the “100 Most Influential People” of 2020. Billy released his highly anticipated memoir, “Unprotected,” in October 2021. His directorial film debut, Anything’s Possible, dropped summer 2022 to much acclaim. Now, Billy kicks off his next chapter in music, his first love, with new album, Black Mona Lisa, available now.
Photo: Franz Szony