Pointing to Billy Porter’s Black Mona Lisa lyrics, fans may see him as the strongest person, but he once felt oppressed. The fashion trendsetter was not always confident in his music, especially when it was passed from him to one of the greatest artists of all time.

Billy Porter Goes Back In Time

The ‘Pose’ star is everything daring, but recently, he decided to show a side of him no one ever knew. In a discussion with Vulture, the A-list celebrity talked about the struggles of being a talented musician and a gay man.

During his prime, homophobia was at its peak. Despite believing in his skill, it felt traumatizing knowing that he was not being accepted. According to Porter, the industry was hell-bent on straightening him out. They wanted him to accept a different narrative.

Alongside the homophobia, Billy Porter had to deal with seeing his hard work stripped from him. The 1992 “Star Search” winner claimed his record label move crushed his sighting spirit.

“Then my label gave my song to Céline Dion for The First Wives Club! They gave it right over to her! Same producer [Ric Wake] produced it for her. I was like, ‘I did not come here to be a demo singer for [expletive] Céline Dion! I’m done!'”

Porter sighted the soundtrack in the 1996 film First Wives Club, which also made it into Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love album. The 54-year-old emphasized that his anger was not with the Grammy winner but with the industry that tried to define him.

Billy Porter Returns Into The Music Business With Black Mona Lisa

The fashion maven did not plan on returning to music, but after years of pursuing his other passions, he has circled back to his first love — R&B.

Billy Porter teamed up with Grammy winner Justin Tranter to produce his Black Mona Lisa album. Per a press release, he told the public it was time to celebrate his self-worth and share his liberation story. The singer believes that values such as self-confidence come from self-affirmation.

Before Black Mona Lisa touched down, Porter hit the road with The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume 1, where he visited 25 cities in the country.