Queer-Femme Houston Artist Stoo Drops Debut Album

As a college student, Houston queer-femme artist Stoo began researching gender and sexuality via the Web.

Stoo, who uses the pronouns they/them/theirs, discovered Cyberqueer Culture, a part of techno-culture that has allowed LGBTQ folks to be themselves and meet others online since the ’90s. 

“There was so much I never knew before, because we’re all raised [to conform to a gender binary],” Stoo recalls. “I’m obsessed with the internet. It has helped me and other queer people so much. Without it, I would have never understood my gender identity, or connected with many of my friends.”

Stoo further discusses finding themself via the internet’s assistance in Supersuit, an alternative-pop album that released on July 5. Houston artists the Space Kiddettes, Attxla, and Melancholiaah, will appear at a live show for Stoo’s debut record on July 13 at Darbly. 

“The album is about me—a cyborgian pop star superhero—understanding myself outside of who I am on stage,” Stoo says. “When you’re a pop star, you try to be perfect. But the truth is, I actually deal with a lot of human problems. Supersuit let me rip away from a façade, and say everything I’ve ever wanted to say.” 

Stoo created Supersuit over the span of 14 months with producer Attxla. The nine-track album’s debut comes just two years after the release of Costume, a critically acclaimed EP by Bling St., Stoo’s band with Luis Cerda. 

While Costume was heavily ‘80s influenced, Supersuit pulls inspiration from pop songs made in the 1990s and 2000s. Stoo’s creative process included listening to sounds and reading music by artists ranging from Janet Jackson to Charli XCX to Fergie. 

The soft and electronic sounds of Supersuit are paired with lyrics that explore empowerment, sexuality, and complex relationships with Stoo singing, rapping, and talking over catchy beats.

As a solo artist, “I really stepped out of my comfort zone and into a new territory,” Stoo says of their latest venture. “I tried things I’ve always been afraid to try, allowing the universe to speak to me. Now I’m finally doing what I’ve always dreamed of.”

On July 13, Stoo presents Supersuit: The Presentation, a concert that will also include a press conference where Stoo plans to unveil the “supersuit”—a fictional high-fashion smart device, designed in collaboration with Houston drag artist Fancy Fraud to visually tell the story of their songs. 

“I’m so stoked to finally share this world and become a superhero for the next year or so,” Stoo says. “I’m just trying to save the world with music every day, one wig at a time.” 

Supersuit is available on streaming services. 

What: Supersuit: The Presentation
When: 8 p.m., July 13
Where: Darbly, 7800 Amelia Rd
Info: facebook.com/events/368549313710283/