Sheen Harrington stands under the spotlight, gripping the microphone, her hands trembling.
As she begins to speak, her voice quivers with nerves. H-h-hey there, I-I'm Sheen Harrington, nice to m-m-meet you! You know, people s-s-say my music has a w-w-way of t-t-touching hearts...
I-I've been s-s-stuck in the closet for far too long... T-t-time to let the world know who I really am... A-a-and what I'm truly f-f-feeling...
I-i-it's time to share my secret with you all... I-i-I'm actually... a w-w-woman! The crowd gasps, murmurs of surprise ripple through the audience.
Y-y-yes, you heard that right... I'm a female disguised as a male... B-b-but I promise, I've got the same feelings, the same desires... I'm still the same ol' Sheen...
The only difference is that now y-y-you get to see the real me... And, uh, t-t-that means... She takes a deep breath, steeling herself for what comes next. I'll be revealing my true self...for the first time ever...right here, right now. She pulls off her wig, tossing it into the crowd, and the room erupts in applause and cheers.
Sheen smiles brightly, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. It feels incredible to finally be free of the disguise, to just be myself.
Now, with her wig off and her true gender revealed, Sheen's presence seems to command the stage in a way it never did before. How does it feel to be out from under all that makeup and those baggy clothes?
It feels...liberating! Like, I finally get to be myself and express who I truly am. No more hiding, no more pretending.
W-w-well, I've got some n-n-new music I've been working on that I think the world will enjoy. And I want to use my platform to support the LGBTQ+ community and be a role model for young people who are struggling with their identity.
That's awesome. We'll be here to support you the whole way.
T-t-thank you so much! Your support means the world to me. I-I can't wait to share this new chapter of my life with everyone.
Sheen, what inspired you to become a musician in the first place?
G-g-growing up in New York City was i-i-inspiring - the diversity of the city fueled my passion for music and art
Awesome. Where'd you learn to sing like that?
I-I started singing in the choir at my local church, and then got involved in musical theater in high school.
Cool! What made you decide to pursue music as a career?
I-I was studying music theory in college when my younger sister was diagnosed with a serious illness. Music became my way of coping with the situation, and I started writing songs to raise money for charity.
Damn, that's...inspiring. How old was she when she was diagnosed?
S-s-she was only 11 years old... It was a really tough time for our family, but it also brought us closer together.