Billy Porter Heads Out on Tour 30 Years in the Making

Billy Porter is a name synonymous with high fashion, bravura vocals, and a fierce attitude. Whether on a red carpet or appearing on television ("Pose"), movies ("Cinderella," "80 for Brady"), or theater ("Kinky Boots"), the Emmy-Tony-Grammy winner cuts a unique and quite fabulous profile. And, for the first time, he's bringing his style to a city near you.

Backed by a full band and a video installation, the "Black Mona Lisa Tour" will see Porter tell his life story through song – intermingling tracks from his Broadway performances and the "Pose" soundtrack, as well as his own solo pop career.

The 25-date tour kicks off on April 29th in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre, before Porter then makes stops in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago, as well as his hometown of Pittsburgh. It'll conclude on June 3rd at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

EDGE spoke to Porter about his first pop music tour, his trend-setting style, and what his past has taught him.

EDGE: This is your first headlining pop music tour. How does that feel?

Billy Porter: I'm excited. It's been 30 years in the making. I'm thrilled to finally be here after all these years. I had a record deal back in 1997. My first R&B album came out, but the music business and the world were very homophobic at the time. So, it didn't work out so well for me. Now, all these years later, I get to come back to the mainstream pop music world on my own terms. It is both redemptive and unbelievable.

EDGE: What the meaning behind the tour name – "The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume 1"?

Billy Porter: "Black Mona Lisa" is the name of my new album, which is coming out at the end of summer, early fall. I wrote this album with a few writers, the amazing Justin Tranter being one of them. We were sitting in his studio and the title just fell out of the sky, and it was just a magical moment. We ended up writing that song in about 20 minutes. "Mona Lisa" is past, present, and the future. She's relevant all the time.

EDGE: What can fans expect to see?

Billy Porter: It's a retrospective of my life told in song. There'll be 10 new songs from the album. And I'm going back to my old '90s roots. There'll be an R&B section with some '90s sound. There will be the theater section, which will include "Kinky Boots." There will be my political music, gospel, and some dance party songs.

The base of the album is a celebration. It's a celebration of life, love, joy, hope, and peace. As a society, we've been in a collective trauma for quite some time now, and we're still in the middle of it. My hope is that this concert will be healing for people. I want to give the world a big bear hug and remind everybody that love always wins. The change has already happened. We have to still fight for the soul of humanity together. We've done it before, and it's time to do it again.

EDGE: I was hoping that you were going to tell us that Sally Fields, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Rita Moreno are your backup dancers. (Porter acted with the actresses in the film "80 for Brady.")

Billy Porter:No. They can't dance or sing. I'm teasing. I love them all and wish I could have them with me. Honestly, this is about me. I spent the first 25 years of my career trying to get the gatekeepers to take me seriously as an actor. And now that that has happened, I read comments that say, "I didn't know Pray Tell could sing." Singing was my first gift. It's the gift that I was born with. I started singing when I was five years old, in church, and I've been doing it ever since. I'm looking forward to sharing my purpose, my calling, and my ministry with the world.

EDGE: You have always had a game-changing style. I can only assume that this tour will not disappoint when it comes to your wardrobe.

Billy Porter: It will not disappoint when it comes to my wardrobe. I don't know what it is yet. We're still in pre-production. We're still having designs drawn and things sourced. It's going to be fun, and it's going to be great. I promise.

EDGE: You recently released a new single, "Baby Was a Dancer." Tell us about it.

Billy Porter: "Baby Was a Dancer" is essentially a retrospective of my life. It's a celebration of my life in my own words. I get to say exactly what I want to say in the way that I want to say it musically this time. It's a song about transcending the haters. You will always have the naysayers and the ones that doubt you, but you need to keep dancing your way. We have to transcend that hate and encourage ourselves to grow and to always love ourselves.

EDGE: When writing your own songs, who are some of your influences that helped shaped your style?

Billy Porter: There are too many to name. I've been around for a very long time and had so many influences. It started with gospel singers the Hawkins family, the Winans, and the Clark sisters. Then, R&B – it's Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder. I know I'm missing people. That's why I don't like to list people, because I miss some and then I feel bad. I was bitten by the theater bug in sixth grade, so I love Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. I love the classics. I have a very wide range of influences, and I get to bring them all into this tour.

EDGE: What has your past taught you about the present?

Billy Porter: That you can't have a testimony without a test. It's the testimony after the test that can heal and set you free. My hope for this show is that sharing my journey will help heal others and set them free as well.

EDGE: What is one quote you've heard in life that you'd love to share with your fans?

Billy Porter: Don't wait for anybody to give you permission to practice your art. You must be doing that all day, every day, even when no one's listening – and most of the time, no one will be listening.

For more on Billy Porter's "Black Mona Lisa Tour," visit his website.