Pose star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez says her debut album 33 ‘healed the trauma I never addressed’
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez has addressed the impact of her debut album 33. (Getty)
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez has spoken about her debut album 33, saying that the work “healed the trauma I never addressed” as “a person of colour, a person who’s trans and a woman”.
The Pose star released her highly anticipated debut album on 26 September under the moniker Michaela Jaé. The 10-track album explores various genres, including pop, R&B, Afrobeats and ballroom influences, and includes two spoken-word interludes.
The star previously announced the album along with releasing the single “Green Lights”, and said at the time to Essence Magazine: “I’m super excited that I finally get to have music out as this is a new sound and a new era for me.
“I’ve always loved pop and R&B music, and I’ve always dreamt of how it would sound if I mashed the two together, and I feel like I succeeded with that, along with a story that will hopefully last the test of time when regarding the past, present and future.”
Now, the American Horror Story actress has reflected on the album following its release into the hands of fans, admitting that it healed some unresolved trauma for her, particularly when it comes to her identity as a trans woman and person of colour.
Following the 33 album listening party, Rodriguez said to Them Magazine that she was able to “really sit with the album again, and I think it’s subconsciously healing the trauma that I never addressed”.
After asking what trauma she was referring to, Rodriguez responded: “The traumas of the world and things that I have dealt with. Just simply being a person who is different, whether it be being a POC [person of colour], a person who’s trans, [and] being a woman.
“All of those things that I am and what I’ve experienced through being those intersectionalities have brought out a lot of reality. When I was listening to the songs, I just broke down and I was so happy that it could do that for me, and I was like, ‘This could heal me from what I was going through. It’s definitely going to help somebody else out there.'”
Michaela Jaé’s new album 33 is out now.
