Billy Porter to Release 'Black Mona Lisa' Album Next Month

Billy Porter will release his long-awaited new album, Black Mona Lisa, via Island UK / Republic Records on November 17, 2023. The album is executive produced by hitmaker Justin Tranter and is comprised of songs that tell Porter’s story authentically, with depth and nuance.

Pre-save "Black Mona Lisa" here.

To herald the arrival of the record, Porter dropped a brand-new version of the fan favorite “Children.” “Children (WhatTime It Is),” features Black Acid Soul phenom Lady Blackbird.  Billy and Lady Blackbird met via what Porter calls “divine order” at the House of Koko in London.

“What I love about Lady Blackbird, is that she sounds so good, like a modern-day, blonde Grace Jones,” said Porter. “Her music is aggressive. Her music has message and passion and it’s about something. Like me. We fit perfectly together.”

“This is the perfect time to release a new version of ‘Children.’” he continued. “Folks are trying to come for us LGBTQ people and we have news for them, ‘Don’t come for us unless we send for you.’ The time is now!”

Black Mona Lisa the album boasts the title track “Black Mona Lisa” and will feature fan favorite singles “Baby Was A Dancer,” “Stranger Things,” “Fashion,” and most recently released “Broke A Sweat.”  Check out the full tracklisting below.

In June, he wrapped the 25-city nationwide tour, THE BLACK MONA LISA TOUR: VOLUME 1. The show was hugely successful with both fans and critics alike. 

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote: “Stunning” and “one-of-a-kind,” a “rare kind of performance” with “above all else, transcendent joy.” Louisville’s LEO Weekly called the show “spectacular, inspiring, dazzling.” The Minneapolis Star-Tribune noted Porter’s “panache” and “sumptuous outfits.”