What does it mean to “SWERLK”?
For Babydaddy of Scissor Sisters and musician, singer and producer MNDR, it’s a combination of five of the fiercest words being used today: twerk, twirl, werk, swerve and swirl.
But it’s also so much more than that.
“It’s not only a dance move or a song,” MNDR told HuffPost. “It’s a way of life and a philosophy!”
“SWERLK” is a new collaboration released today via GLAAD and HuffPost by the two music powerhouses, with the intention of bringing people together and honoring the 49 lives lost one year ago on June 12 during the Pulse Nightclub Massacre.
“MNDR and I were talking about how we wouldn’t exist without the culture around the clubs and the bars and the kind of escapes they provided and complete support system for what we were both doing when we started our projects,” Babydaddy told HuffPost. “So it was this sort of, ‘we’re not just supportive but also in debt to this culture.’
This guiding mentality is at the heart of “SWERLK,” with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward the Contigo Fund ― a grassroots organization born out of the Pulse Massacre and dedicated to supporting and empowering the LGBTQ and Latinx communities in the Central Florida area.
“I think this is something that MNDR and I both discussed ― the way to honor what happened and the way to deal with it,” Babydaddy added. “While being somber was a completely valid reaction to what happened, I think the most important way for us to kind of fight back and keep the spirit alive was to actually dig deeper into the spirt of what that whole scene, that community is. So, for us, that idea [consisted] of making something that hopefully people want to go out and play in the clubs and have fun with experience.”
“The spirit of being in something together and escapism and art and connecting with people – I think that’s a big part of the song as well,” MNDR said.
Listen to “SWERLK” above and head here to learn more about the Contigo Fund.
GLAAD will premiere “SWERLK” videos from the Scissor Sisters and MNDR on the GLAAD Facebook page today and next week.
