Transgender pop artist Mickey Rae shares personal experience in new single «Unbound By My Body»

After making some serious noise with the bold and impactful singles «I Don’t Want Your Love» and «Strawberry Stains» over the last few months, fast-rising Portland-based tattoo artist and musician Mickey Rae is now looking to continue that same vibrant ascent with the smooth and captivating pop-rock anthem «Unbound By My Body».

Channelling a warm and effervescent approach to the guitar-pop aesthetic, «Unbound By My Body» makes for a wonderfully rich and alluring listen. Offering up a fresh and intimate insight into the life and experiences of being transgender, this passionate effort showcases the artist as a strong and driven voice arriving on the scene.

Speaking about the new single, Mickey Rae said, «The lyrics for this song are very literal so I think it’s pretty obvious the song is about being transgender. And the frustration of feeling misunderstood despite your best efforts to make others see you in the way that is uniquely authentic to you. Releasing control of other people’s attachments to who they want you to be or how they perceive you. In a very general sense it’s about self acceptance and letting go of other people’s projections. I touch on gender dysphoria and how I denied certain parts of myself. The title of this track really encapsulates my yearning to exist outside the physical body. Being transgender and having a chronic illness, I have always felt like my body is working against me. Like it really has it out for me in a lot of ways. And I am not alone in this, everyone has unique limitations that their body presents to them or the world that colors their individual human experience».

Tattoo artist Mickey Rae, born Mckenna Rae Carlisle, found themselves reconnecting with writing music during the pandemic lockdown. Although Mickey has no formal training, they grew up playing guitar and writing their own songs from a young age. When they started tattooing at age 19, they completely stopped playing music and fully dedicated themself to tattooing and perfecting their craft. Ten years later, they fell in love with writing music again and yearned to bring something new and exciting to express their true self.