Sharon Needles Debuts Twelve-Track Album and Music Video on January 29, 2013, along with Documentary and Limited Edition Book
New York, NY - Sharon Needles conjures up a vision of ghoulish ecstasy in a crypt, with red lacquered fingernails clawing at a stone entombment. Her onstage entry, usually in a casket, elicits chills and laughter. Behind this macabre persona is a genius entertainer who spent over fifteen years honing skills that built the foundation for a career. Known as a drag performing artist and reigning queen of Logo TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, Needles is a versatile actor and songwriter.
On January 29, she will debut a twelve-track album, PG-13, with simultaneous release of her first music video, “This Club is a Haunted House.” An eerie, somewhat chilling mix of fright-inducing punk and emotional catharsis, these eclectic songs range from an anticipated pop-punch to dance-beat:
1. This Club Is A Haunted House (feat RuPaul)
2. Call Me On The Ouija Board
3. Dead Girls Never Say No
4. Drink Till I Die
5. I Wish I Were Amanda Lepore (feat Amanda Lepore)
6. Why Do You Think You Are Nuts?
7. Disco Ball
8. Dressed To Kill
9. Let’s All Die
10. Kai Kai (feat Ana Matronic and Alaska)
11. Everyday Is Halloween
12. Hail Satan! (feat Jayne County)
Needles wrote all material, relying only on her dream collaborators for inspiration. “This album has been titled PG-13 because like this vapid industry, life succeeds only in compromise,” she said. “In order for this world to work with me, you must meet me halfway.”
RuPaul, Amanda Lepore, Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters, and punk rock legend Jayne County contribute everything from humor to rap, while partner Alaska from season five of Logo TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, premiering January 28, rounds out this starring lineup, with striking album art by Austin Young, a Los Angeles based artist and celebrity photographer. Young has worked with Amy Poehler, Debbie Harry, and Margaret Cho.
Lepore remarked, “She’s really knowledgeable about nightlife culture—past, present, and what’s next… She reminds me of the original Club Kids that I worked with when I started in NYC.”
Produced by Tomas Costanza, the album was recorded at Killingsworth Recording Company in Studio City, California. His recent projects include Boys Like Girls, Clinton Sparks, and Flo Rida, now adding Sharon Needles to his impressive list of credits. “She is the most paranoid, disgusting, vile, lewd, corrupt, and obscene bitch I’ve ever met. And I mean that in a good way. Basically, there are three human needs in life: Sex, Scotch, and Sharon Needles,” Costanza said.
A freaky trip to the dark side, the video is a high fashion production with a crew of over one hundred people, implementing advanced technology in film, including use of the Sony Red. It was shot on location at The McKittrick Hotel in NYC. “Those like me who have been judged during the day, tend to be rulers of the night. We don’t want a white house, we want a dark club,” Needles said. “If we can’t be loved, then let’s be feared. This club is a haunted house.”
Styled by Geoffrey Mac, known for work with Britney Spears, Ke$ha, and Nicki Minaj, along with Santiago Felipe, another talent on projects with Kate Nash, Natalia Kills, and Neon Hitch, the video is an unexpected, heart-pounding display of sensual flash directed by M. Sharkey Productions.
Sharkey is an industry icon, a coordinating artist who learned his trade with Adele, Boy George, and Sir Elton John. “I love punk rock, and I love Sharon Needles, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to work with someone I admire and whose whole vision is stately recognizable to me. Sharon Needles is a positive and powerful voice for the next generation of transgressive youth, so this collaboration was the perfect compliment to my ongoing work with queer kids.”
Logo TV will run a sneak preview of the music video on Monday, January 28, at 6:00 p.m. and again at midnight EST, premiere night for the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. A trailer of the video can be seen now.
Directed by Paul Brickman, Sharon Needles: Parental Guidance Suggested is an astounding, in-depth look into the making of the video, “This Club is a Haunted House,” featuring interviews with Needles, Geoffrey Mac, and M. Sharkey, along with impressions from the visionary’s devoted fans—an insider’s look behind the scenes.
In conjunction with the documentary, This Book Is A Haunted House is another candid glimpse into production of the video. Filled with gorgeous and gruesome cinematic stills, as well as backstage photos, the book showcases stunning portraits by director M. Sharkey. This will be a limited edition, perfect-bound companion piece with handwritten notes, messages, and scribbles by Sharon Needles. Slated for sale in mid-February, this collector’s item is now available for presale at the Sharon Needles Official Store: Tacky Overpriced Crap.
Needles will take a break from her current international tour of Europe, Canada, and Australia to attend release parties and open the doors to her fans. This is an opportunity to hear the music, see the video, study the documentary, and watch Sharon Needles perform live with a few surprise guests:
January 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Rasputin
9:00 p.m. VIPs & Press
10:30 p.m. Public
More information at: http://www.facebook.com/RASPUTINLA
January 27 – New York, NY – The McKittrick Hotel (home of Sleep No More)
7:30 p.m. VIPs & Press
8:30 p.m. Public
Tickets available at: http://www.mckittrickhotel.com/monocle
For those who cannot join her, the media will be available at all major digital music outlets, including iTunes and Amazon, on January 29, 2013. CDs, along with vintage vinyl (excuse me, who the hell still wants that old crap?), will be available at: http://www.sharonneedles.com
Any problems… just call her on the Ouija board.
