All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
*This story first appeared in Out magazine.
ANTIBOY, also known as Harry Hains, has posthumously released his latest single, "Dream," along with an appropriately dreamy video, directed by Charlie Chops and starring trans model Andreja Pejic. The single was released three days before his final album, A Glitch in Paradise, was released.
With ANTIBOY, Hains wanted to spread his message of a future where gender doesn't exist and people are free to be whoever they want to be. This video is a strong reminder of that.
In a quote to Out, Pejic said that while she was familiar with Hains's work and they shared friends and worked for the same modelling agency, the two never met. But she jumped at the chance to get to be a part of his art when offered. "His mum reached out to me for this and another project that Harry wrote and I thought, How can I pass on this, it's too special and too beautiful. I wanted to find out more about his story to be able to do the next project well, so being in his video and hearing his music and reading his poems was special."
Pejic said she was proud to help bring Hains's vision to life. "One of his visions for the world was less labels and less barriers between people in the LGBTIQ community but also just the world. I've tried to do this with my career also," she said. "Even though I have helped so many people with their gender identity, I always say don't let that limit you, don't obsess over it, don't let it divide you from the rest of humanity. We are all flesh and bone. I think this music video was trying to touch on this. I hope Harry would be proud. I hope the community and the rest of humanity will gag."
Hains's mother, Jane Badler, also had a message for any family members of LGBTQ+ people who may be struggling to accept their loved one.
"I saw how hard it was for Harry growing up in the school system. ... He felt different," she said. "Although he had many friends, there was pain behind his outgoing demeanor. There weren't a lot of boys like him. I often wonder if he had had more support from the system would he have felt less of a need to self-medicate. I think it is so difficult for parents to see their child struggling. If only we could all totally accept our children and teach them that whatever they are is so beautiful."
She added that Hains's ideas and goals live on through his music. "The arts are a very powerful tool to bring about change. I know Harry's vision for a genderless world -- where no one is scared to be who they really are -- is one that I am fighting for. His legacy lives on in his music, his poetry, and the extraordinary way he touched everyone he met with his fearlessness and beauty."
The video for "Dream" is out now, and you can listen to ANTIBOY's A Glitch in Paradise anywhere music is available.
Grammy-nominated Chappell Roan has four-word response to management split story