Boyfriend Sets New Concept Album 'In the Garden' Feat. Billy Porter, Jake Shears & More

Singer-songwriter Boyfriend has announced the release of In The Garden, a visionary new concept album reimagining the biblical story of Adam and Eve through a feminist and queer lens. A radical fusion of music, theater, and social commentary, the hugely ambitious project – which blends bold storytelling and an all-star cast of genre-expanding collaborators including Scissor Sisters’ frontman Jake Shears, Billy Porter, Peaches, and Big Freedia – arrives Friday, May 9 via Big Freedia’s Queen Diva Music (distributed by The Orchard). 

A fully realized artistic statement breathing new life into an ancient narrative, In The Garden is heralded by the premiere of the album’s second single, “FIGHT (Feat. Jake Shears)." The track sees Shears – the iconic Scissor Sisters co-founder and Broadway/West End star (Kinky Boots, Cabaret) – bringing a spectacular theatricality to the role of Adam, here portrayed not as the first human but rather the brash foil to the saga’s leading lady, Eve (performed by Boyfriend). “FIGHT (Feat. Jake Shears)” follows In The Garden’s first single, “CURIOUS,” which was released last month.

With In The Garden, Boyfriend does not merely retell the story of Adam and Eve – she rewrites it entirely. At its core, the project is a feminist reclamation of the Genesis narrative, with Eve now presented as the central protagonist embodying intellectual curiosity, autonomy, and rebellion. In Boyfriend’s retelling, Adam is blissfully content with the status quo, unquestioning of the structures imposed upon him, while The Serpent (voiced by Peaches) does not coerce or deceive but simply inquires – asking Eve questions that resonate with anyone who has ever sought to challenge oppressive structures. Meanwhile, God – portrayed by Big Freedia – is a braggadocious, hot-tempered, and highly entertaining diva. In The Garden is thus a direct confrontation to the foundational notion that women’s pursuit of knowledge is dangerous, a challenge that remains deeply relevant in contemporary conversation.

Beyond its feminist critique, In The Garden is also a deeply queer project, both in its casting and in its thematic subversions. Traditional religious doctrine has often framed queerness as antithetical to divine creation, but Boyfriend’s retelling reclaims Eden as an inherently queer space. The flamboyance and performativity of Jake Shears’ Adam, the gender-subversive power of Peaches’ Serpent, the radical swag of Big Freedia’s God, and the omniscient authority of Billy Porter’s narration all serve to undermine the heteronormative assumptions embedded in the biblical text. Rather than existing as a site of rigid binaries – man and woman, good and evil, obedience and rebellion – Boyfriend’s Eden is fluid, dynamic, and expansive.

Executive produced by composer/producer Alex Krispin (best known for his near decade-long creative partnership with Daniel Lanois), In The Garden is just as sonically subversive as its narrative. Described by Boyfriend as “show tunes disguised as songs for New Music Friday,” the album balances its experimental storytelling with an alternative pop accessibility thanks to an award-winning production team that includes Asa Taccone (Portugal. The Man, Electric Guest, The Lonely Island, Carly Rae Jepsen), Little Shalimar (Run the Jewels, Killer Mike), film composer Joseph Shirley (Creed II, Trolls, The Mandalorian), and Gold Glove (Slayyyter, Big Freedia).

Long hailed for her riotously cheeky live show, Boyfriend will bring In The Garden to life onstage alongside a cast of background singers and performers who will embody the characters while the recorded voices of the featured artists remain. The show will premiere on April 26 at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans and more US dates will be announced soon, including an album release party at Joe’s Pub in New York City on May 6.

In The Garden highlights the remarkable breadth of Boyfriend’s ambition and ingenuity, taking her from underground festival darling to the creator of a full-fledged theatrical production. Her previous work has always been steeped in a spirit of playful rebellion, using burlesque, drag, experimental pop, and theatrical performance to challenge societal norms. In The Garden now represents the culmination of this ethos. In doing so, Boyfriend challenges the structures that have long upheld patriarchal and heteronormative ideals, offering a new Edenic vision that centers on curiosity, agency, and rebellion.

Boyfriend has earned international applause for her provocative musical artistry, powered by complex lyricism, extravagant theatricality, and radical social commentary tackling gender roles, sexism, body positivity, the patriarchy, and more. Since making her debut as Boyfriend in 2012, the multi-talented New Orleans-based artist has unleashed a long series of singles and EPs while also staking a claim as an in-demand songwriter and producer with credits spanning Charli XCX, Troy Sivan, Mykki Blanco, Mala Rodriguez, Pom Pom Squad, Cimafunk, The Revivalists, and Rebecca Black, placements with ABC, Comedy Central, HBO, Hulu, Netflix, and Starz, including major motion pictures Space Jam: A New Legacy and Office Christmas Party and spots for Amazon, Apple, Marc Jacobs, Monster Energy, Red Bull, and Walmart.

Throughout her career, Boyfriend has prioritized collaboration as a means of artistic and political resistance. She has worked with a wide range of artists who, like her, exist outside of mainstream binaries – including such iconic figures as Pussy Riot, Cindy Wilson (The B-52s), Amanda Lepore, and her longtime musical associate Big Freedia. Most of all, Boyfriend has proven a truly inimitable live act via her fabulously over-the-top stage productions, which Rolling Stone named in the top 5 shows at Outside Lands and saw her heavily featured in the Grammy-award winning Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story. Boyfriend also appeared in the annual all-star Bonnaroo SuperJam alongside Jon Batiste, Chance the Rapper, Margo Price, and many others.

In The Garden is not Boyfriend’s first entry into musical theater. In 2018, she interpolated Rodger and Hammerstein’s “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” with her song “Wash That,” which premiered on Playbill and was performed alongside Tony Winner Laura Osnes at Broadway Conference. Additionally, Boyfriend created Hag, a three-act semi-scripted and interactive musical that ran for 4 consecutive years at Preservation Hall and featured the award-winning burlesque/drag duo of Kitten & Lou, rearranged Boyfriend ragtime mixes by composer Joseph Shirley and trombone stylings by Preservation Hall's David L. Harris.

2022 saw the release of Boyfriend’s debut album, Sugar & Spice, which saw her joined by an array of diverse musical partners including among others T-Pop star Pyra, Pussy Riot, Von, and Los Angeles-based psych outfit Death Valley Girls. Over the years, Boyfriend has garnered critical applause from high-profile media outlets such as NPR, Rolling Stone, The FADER, Billboard, Playbill, Vice, NYLON, Consequence, PopMatters, The Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Playboy, EARMILK, Dazed, and many more.

Now, with In The Garden, Boyfriend has taken her boundary-pushing, one-of-a-kind approach to all new heights of inspiration and cultural significance, the culmination of a lifelong vision that continues to avoid categorization while creating connections across generations and genres.

Photo Credit: Hunter Holder

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