Exclusive: Queer Artist Garek Sings to His Childhood Self in ‘Stray’

Old home videos play as Garek performs an emotional ballad in the video for "Stray." The queer singer-songwriter's newest single from his album Take the King is a conversation with his 8-year-old self. It's the song he wishes he had as a child.

"I spent so many years hating myself because I listened to the voices around me saying that people like me were disgusting," Garek tells us. "That I as a human being, was fundamentally wrong in the way I was made. I internalized this, and I believed it. Being a child is hard enough, but when you have everyone around you, kids, parents, complete strangers, telling you that you're somehow less than they are, it makes it absolutely impossible to see any potential for yourself."

Although the '90s child takes inspiration from industrial rock artists like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, this track serves an upbeat '80s tempo a la Erasure. It's a perfect song to dance to or cry to.

Pre-order Take the King, available Friday on iTunes, for an instant download of "Stray" and an acoustic version of the song. Watch the video for "Stray" below: