We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lucas Silveira. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lucas below.
Alright, Lucas thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I used to make a full-time living from my creative work. The reason I’d like to discuss is, is to inform other up and coming musicians that the landscape of the music industry has vastly changed and that earning a living by solely being a performing or recording artist, has become nearly impossible.
The reason I’d like to speak to this is for a few reasons. The first, to dispel the delusions that are being fed to younger artists as a means to exploit them by signing recording contracts that are not for their benefit, how you can actually make a better living as an independent artist, how self-managing and learning all the tools of the trade on the business end of being a creative is to your advantage in more ways than they know, especially the empowerment it gives artists.
I started a program called Transcendence In Sound that is designed specifically for transgender and non-binary artists where they can learn gain my experiential knowledge from songwriting to production to publishing and self-management and also, so that they can learn how to navigate the music industry as marginalized artists.
Part of this program is designed to teach these folks about the multiple streams of revenue they can minimize the time at a day job but that not having a day job as an indie artist, is actually counterproductive to their success. Even many extremely “successful” musicians have other work they rely on.
Essentially, I’d like to speak to empowerment instead of making folks feel like they’re doing something wrong. They’re not. It’s just that people don’t buy music anymore, fewer go to shows due to the amount of content on the internet, and the normalization of isolation also brought on by social media.
Lucas, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My official bio is below and to answer a few of the questions above that it doesn’t answer:
how you got into your industry – Over a decade of performing live, recording 3 independent albums, and coming out as transgender, I got signed to a major label in 2006, making me the first out transgender man to be signed by a major label.
creative works you provide – I’m primarily a singer-songwriter and performer, bud due to my connection to the LGBT community as an out and proud trans man, I also do public speaking for corporations as well as colleges, universities, high schools, and community events. I’m also a visual artist and use that as a means to earn passive income.
what sets you apart from others – I’m not afraid to be vulnerable, I have a deep understanding of the trans experience and use it as a means to educate others and use my position as a public figure and musician to communicate ideas to folks who may otherwise not listen. I’m also not afraid to speak to issues of addiction and mental health issues that exist for creatives. Most folks stay away from these conversations due to stigma, but I’m finding it is actually a great tool of connection and audience building that is rooted in something organic and authentic.
What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc. -I became the first out transgender man signed to a major label in 2006, I was the first out trans person to do many. things in the mainstream music industry, including being on an international late night television show, I toured the world with many amazing artists including Cindy Lauper, The B-52s, The Cult, Tegan and Sara, The Cult, and many more. I’ve shared stages with Feist and Lady Gaga. I acted in an award winning independent film, I was the co-host of a TV show, and I’ve released 8 studio albums.
What I’d like followers and fans to know about my work is that I always speak from the heart and from my human experience. And that being transgender, is not what defines me. It’s just an extension of my human experience just as being cisgender is someone else’s.
BIO
Lucas Silveira, frontman of The Cliks, now a solo artist, made history as the first openly transgender man signed by a major label with Warner Music, Tommy Boy/Silver Label in 2006. He’s graced global stages alongside Cyndi Lauper, The B-52’s, Debbie Harry, Tegan and Sara, The Cult, and The New York Dolls. As co-host of Vice’s Shine True in 2021, he expanded into TV.
With over 25 years of live musical experience, Lucas is a seasoned and heartfelt musician and vocalist. Presently a solo performer, he skilfully accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and piano, and has shared his music across the world, from Canada and the US to Europe and Asia.
He has given keynote speeches for Warner Music Canada, Hydro One, Corus Entertainment, and EGALE Canada, spanning schools to corporations, addressing his experience as a transgender musician in the mainstream music industry, trans community, lateral violence, and mental health awareness.
Lucas is a versatile multidisciplinary artist who has explored various realms, including those of TV show hosting, writing, acting, and visual artistry.
Lucas’s most recent artistic project was the release of a new solo album in 2021, “The Goddamn Flowers” after a hiatus from public life. Lucas now thrives in writing, song craft, and public speaking. He is currently working on a memoir and an illustrated children’s book.
Lucas has also ventured outside the music industry with the creation of transgender transition mentorship support program, He+Him+They+Them.
He+Him/They+Them is a transformative support program tailored specifically for the underserved trans male and AFAB trans communities. By providing empathetic mentorship, resources, and a safe space, Lucas empowers individuals to navigate their gender journeys with confidence and resilience. His mission is to combat isolation, challenge harmful stereotypes, and foster a more inclusive society where every individual’s gender experience is validated and celebrated.
In addition, he created the Transcendence in Sound program, a pioneering initiative designed to support transgender musicians in their artistic pursuits. Through mentorship, resources, and opportunities, Lucas aims to break down the barriers he faced himself and create a more inclusive music industry landscape. His goal is to empower transgender musicians to thrive in their careers and amplify their voices within the industry. The pilot program is being offered for free and in person in Toronto only as part of the Toronto Arts Council, Artists In The Library in connection with the Toronto Public Library. You can find all the details on the website at www.hehimtheythem.com
Lucas continues to reinvent himself and evolve in his artistic practice, personal life, and activism.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn what being successful actually meant.
I always tell people that when I was my most famous, I was the poorest and barely making it through. But the illusion of wealth existed in how the label funded our image. From expensive music videos to constant touring and press that painted us as this successful band. I thought we were alone in that so it became this big secret because in the music industry, people won’t work with you if they think you’re poor because to them, it means you’re not making enough money to be a “success”. Money in the music industry is always the bottom line, not quality art.
It was in that and in speaking to it with other musicians as I moved away from the mainstream music industry to being an indie artist, that I discovered that most musicians had been in the exact same position I’d been in and continued to be. There is a new wave of “coming out” as not being what the social media world or mainstream press paints you as.
I’m a working class musician and I had to learn to accept that it was ok to have a day job and be a creative at the same time and that it was in maintaining my personal survival that made me a successful creative.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Not a particular story, but a career of resilience. I came out as a lesbian when I was 17 and as a female musician at the time, I broke through barriers that I was told I wasn’t allowed to. When I came out as transgender when I was 32, I thought my career was over due to transphobia but I persevered anyway and got signed to a label 3 months later.
Through my entire career, I’ve had to fight for a space of belonging as the outsider, but what I’ve come to discover is that the more you know your own worth, the more other people see it as well, and that for as many transphobic music industry gatekeepers exist, there are as many allies to meet you.
One of my greatest allies was the former president of Warner Music Canada, who is now retired but still to this day champions me as an artist and advocate for trans people and trans artists.
You just have to keep your focus on the right things and use the challenges as a way to fuel your drive and creations.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thecliks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucassilveira/. (@lucassilveira)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucassilveiramusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-silveira-the-cliks-productions-inc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cliksmusic
- Other: Music streaming:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/the-goddamn-flowers/1637674149
Image Credits
Self portrait