Today, pop artist Jakk Fynn (he/him), a Latinx transmasculine pop artist committed to redefining masculinity, releases his latest single and music video, “Take My Heart.” The song is the first single off of his upcoming EP Can’t Look Back, out later this spring.
About the inspiration behind his newest single, Jakk says: “While “Take My Heart” may sound like a typical breakup song, I actually wrote it about my complex relationship with my family. As a trans and neurodivergent person, being raised by my immigrant grandparents resulted in a lot of friction because my identity didn’t fit their script. While I was coming of age, this left me with a lot of deep pain and heartbreak as I struggled to define my identity and find peace in pursuit of living as my most authentic self.”
In the video for “Take My Heart,” directed by Candice Dalson and filmed by Jacob Alvarado, Jakk subverts gender norms and blurs all lines between their masculine and feminine identity. Clad in black and white fashions, Jakk is accompanied by a masked figure that likely represents the identity they shed and his family mourns.
Of the inspiration behind the video, Jakk says: “Growing up AFAB felt like I was sentenced to misery. The expectations of family and society had zero appeal; it left me little room to envision a life beyond it. During my adolescence I found relief in daydreaming, cross-dressing, and music. In this video I’m ironically engaging similarly but from a space of liberation. I could go on about how the video symbolizes the binary, power struggles, and its breakdown, but I think my biggest takeaway is the actual experience. It feels akin to a phoenix.”
Of the power behind his approach to gender, Jakk adds: “I was once so at odds with my skin that a dress felt like violence. Yet now, “feminine” modes of expression won’t erode my peace or destabilize my sense of self. So sure, gender can be a very harmful construct, but don’t be afraid of the power you hold to reconstruct it. The journey is never-ending, but a better global construct can’t emerge until we’re all constantly iterating on ourselves and transcending the norms that hurt us.”
As the descendent of Mexican immigrants, Jakk is committed to using pop music’s power to uplift audiences and challenge toxic social narratives, especially for audiences who don’t often see themselves fairly and accurately represented in mainstream culture.
