This Independence Day, University of Utah alum Jae XO dropped a declaration of freedom unlike any other — one not made in fireworks, but in fierce beats and brass horns. Their new single, “Fabulous,” released July 4 across all streaming platforms, is a bold summer anthem celebrating queer joy, radical self-love, and the sheer audacity of living out loud.
Jae XO (they/she), a revolutionary transgender artist, performer, and activist, poured a year’s worth of grief, growth, and glitter into the track. After losing their mother in 2024 to a long struggle with addiction, Jae refused to let sorrow define them.
“I wrote Fabulous because I needed to remind myself how fucking fabulous I am,” they said. “This was my vow to step beyond depression and reclaim joy.”
Born in Kentucky, sharpened in New York City, and classically trained at the University of Utah’s musical theatre program, Jae’s path has never been conventional. Their career began with performances at Salt Lake Acting Company and working with Pioneer Theatre Company, growing into Broadway blockbusters (Back to the Future, Some Like It Hot), television (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), and the electric cabaret scene of NYC. But with Fabulous, Jae turned the dial all the way up.
The idea sparked during a chaotic late-night Uber ride from a Cheesecake Factory in New Jersey. “Out of nowhere, I sang, ‘me and the dolls on the West Side Highway,’ and the whole car lost it,” Jae recalled. That lyric became the song’s fiery opening line. What followed was a Gwen Stefani-meets-drumline banger, full of swagger, brass, and even a surprise rap verse. “It’s a love letter to the band geeks, the drama kids, the queer kids who never got to march proud.”
Produced by Velvet Code and recorded with Grammy-winning engineer Denise Barbarita at MONOLisa Studios, Fabulous is Jae’s most unapologetic statement yet. But beneath the playful bravado lies a message of defiance. “Being openly trans and queer in today’s climate is revolutionary,” Jae said. “Visibility is protest. Glam is protest. And this song is a celebration of that.”
The single follows their 2023 debut Spinning, a dreamy ballad about anxiety and self-worth. But with Fabulous, Jae leapt into a new era, where genre rules crumble and reinvention reigns.
“This song showed me I can be any type of artist I want. And if that changes next year? That’s fabulous too,” they said.
Jae will be performing throughout the Northeast this summer, including a hotly anticipated show at Brooklyn’s iconic 3 Dollar Bill on August 21. Their creative team includes queer fashion talent like Evan Nicholas, nail artist Sammy Daoud, and the visual collective Lone Ace Design, who helped bring the track’s eye-popping imagery to life.
“It takes a village to make a pop star,” Jae said. “And mine is loud, proud, queer — and fabulous.”
Follow @jaexo.music on all platforms to stream Fabulous and witness the rise of one of the queer music scene’s fiercest new voices.
