Meet the Future Perfect Project (FPP)! This New York-based Organization promotes LGBTQ+ Youth expression and their music! Founded by Celeste Lecesne and Ryan Amador, the Future Perfect Project amplifies the queer youth narrative through workshops and social media. If you wish to see their work in action, the Future Perfect Project is hosting a free immersive event at Lincoln Center's Hearst Plaza on June 4th at 12 pm EST, kicking off Pride Month nicely! Nine artists from all around the country will perform their collaborative album “Not What You Pictured” at the event. All performances are of course LIVE! Jejune is ecstatic to get to know this small collective of artists through their music, and can wait for the show! If you are interested in the Future Perfect Project’s story and want to support LGBTQ+ youth, please continue reading the interview below!

Where are you based?
We are a small collective of artists who live all over the country, but generally we are based in the Hudson Valley in NY State.

How did you come to find music was a passion for you?
As artists ourselves we know the power of music as an expression of the (Big S) Self, and from the beginning of our journey of providing creative workshops for LGBTQ+ youth we incorporated music-making into our programs.

When was Future Perfect Records founded and can you tell us a little bit about it?
Founded by Celeste Lecesne and Ryan Amador, FPP began by offering true storytelling and songwriting workshops to teens in high schools and LGBTQ Youth Centers nationwide. Then when the pandemic started FPP managed to keep growing their community of LGBTQ+ youth and allies by adapting workshops to an online format and launching FPP’s production arm, which focuses on broadcasting the voices of queer young artists through media. The self-expression of these young people is challenging the narrative that queer youth are only subject to struggle and they are modeling for us how to move past our own limitations in order to create healthy, holistic cultural ecosystems of belonging; young LGBTQ+ people are articulating a tomorrow worth living for, one in which every young people is safe, seen and celebrated in their homes and communities.

In five years, FPP has reached thousands of young people, online and in-person, creating community through self-expression and social activism. Through in-person workshops FPP and their team of working artists have visited 100+ schools and LGBTQIA+ Centers. They currently have 300+ registered into the FPP online network, which feeds into online workshops.

What is the mission, and how do you utilize LGBTQ+ creatives to strengthen your mission?
FPP envisions a world where every young person feels safe, seen, and celebrated in their home and community. We believe that the self-expression of LGBTQIA+ young people is a declaration of a better future for us all. Utilizing the arts as a pathway for that self-expression, The Future Perfect Project is a co-creative network that offers queer-centered art workshops to young people around the world, and produces writing and media content by and about the youth we serve. By amplifying queer young voices, we are transforming the narrative about young people and helping them articulate a future only they can see.

Tell us about your upcoming Future Perfect Project Event!
Nine queer youth ages 15-23 from around the country are traveling to New York City to perform their album of original music LIVE and in person, thanks to a generous grant from Lincoln Center. This will be the first time they meet one another in person, following a nine-month virtual workshop where they wrote, recorded, and released their record "Not What You Pictured." This concert is a free, outdoor event at Lincoln Center's Hearst Plaza on June 4th at 12pm EST as a part of their Summer for the City series.

How can our readers attend?
This event is general admission, first come first served. Just line up along the westside of Barclay’s Grove at Hearst Plaza ahead of the 12pm performance. There will also be a handful of advanced reservation tickets available at this website: http://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city/the-future-perfect-project

How do you find your talent?
One of the co-founders of Future Perfect Records, Emma Jayne Seslowsky, spent a lot of time on Tik Tok researching potential applicants that might be a good fit for the program. In addition, youth music organizations reposted our call for applicants like A cappella Academy, helping us reach more young people to participate. A handful of our existing participants from previous writing workshops + events applied as well.

What amazing LGBTQ+ artists are on the roster for the upcoming event on June 4th?
We have nine incredible artists headlining this event: AJ, Michael Stolar, Kai Warrior, Katelyn Handy, Daniel Cruz, Elias Brix EDM, Ruby Pine, Delia Jane, and Christian Inman. A brief bio for each artist can be found here. In addition, we have a queer band to back up these youth songwriters: Maya Bassuk on violin, Chanese Elifé on drums, and Tiger Darrow music directing.

How are the artists involved in the production process? Do they have the majority of creative direction?After writing their songs on their own, with one of the facilitators, or with a fellow member of the program, each artist is paired up with an LGBTQIA+ producer. From there, the artist is in full collaboration with this producer to the extent that they want. Some artists like to be more hands off in this part of the process, letting the producer dream up their song and build it out on their own. Some like providing the producer with reference tracks of songs they'd like theirs to sound like as well as provide some instrumentation themselves via background vocals, guitar, or piano. One participant is an EDM producer, so they were in charge of producing their own song entirely.

What were some obstacles and accomplishments to producing this album remotely?
An accomplishment is that this incredible album filled with the creative power and honesty of these young people was completed completely remotely and during a pandemic. It is so easy to become bogged down with the state of the world and lack the inspiration/motivation to create, but each of these young people chose to show up and create anyway. The only obstacle was not being able to collaborate, co-write, and celebrate with one another in person. We were still able to make a whole lot of value through this nine-month program on Zoom, completely virtually, but we are SO excited to be able to move this connection offline and in real time and space.

Do you have a favorite song on the album? If so, which one and why?
We love all our children equally, because each of them is a unique expression of love in the whole history of the universe. How could we not love that!?

You were also a co-founder for the Trevor Project. For those unfamiliar with the Trevor Project, when and why did you establish this organization?
The Trevor Project operates the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention lifeline for LGBTQ+ and Questioning youth. It was inspired by the Academy Award winning short film, Trevor, which I wrote and which was based on my own personal experience as a queer youth. Studies have proved that LGBTQ+ youth are 3 to 4 times more likely to consider suicide than their heterosexual peers, but back in the early 90’s this news was only beginning to be understood. When Trevor found its way onto HBO, the director/producer of the film, Peggy Rasji came up with the idea to put a phone number at the end of the broadcast in case there were young people watching who identified with Trevor. But at the time there was no 24-7 suicide prevention helpline for queer youth; so, together with fellow producer, Randy Stone, we started The Trevor Project. The organization has been saving young lives since 1998.

Does the Future Perfect Project and the Trevor Project work together on any events/projects/advocacy?
Not currently, but it could happen.

How can readers donate to either project?
www.thefutureperfectproject.com
www.thetrevorproject.org

The Future Perfect Project is an epic way to kick off pride month! How else are you celebrating pride month? How would you like to see others celebrate pride?
We are continuing to offer online workshops to our youth, keeping them connected to one another — and to themselves. We are also working on a devised theater piece in NY (The Last Grove) in collaboration with The Atlantic Theater Company, exploring the topic of Climate Crisis and Queerness. We would love it if the LGBTQ+ community dedicated June 1st as a day to celebrate queer youth — they are our future. We would call it Queer First — and there would be events nationwide that encouraged young people to participate and celebrate themselves and one another.

Besides the highly anticipated Future Perfect Project in June, what's next? Do you have any more upcoming projects?
In addition to The Last Grove, we are preparing to release our second season of animations this Fall, as well as the premiere of our new series of animations entitled Super Queeroes, which have been written and performed entirely by the young people. We are excited about a new podcast devised and produced by young people entitled I’m Feeling Queer Today. And we are editing a series of intergenerational conversations between young queer activists and their elder counterparts, Queer2Queer.

What do you hope those who prohibit gay expression and life with the “Don’t Say Gay” rhetoric, would understand. Why is it so important for youth and adults alike to “Say Gay”?
While lawmakers are busy passing laws and proposing measures to limit the self-expression of LGBTQ+ youth in their schools and communities, The Future Perfect Project has been handing the mic over to the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth, giving them the opportunity to talk about such topics as coming out, blended families, relationships, peer acceptance, homophobia, activism, and more. We believe that the self-expression of LGBTQ+ youth is a declaration of a better future for us all. Where they are safe, seen and celebrated, everyone is doing better. And where they are benign authentically themselves, everyone is inspired to be their best selves.

What is your motto in life?

Never Give up
Trust Your Life.
It’s Already Tomorrow

If you are interested in learning more about the Future Perfect Project, please follow them on the platforms below:
Instagram - @thefutureperfectproject @futureperfectrecrods
Facebook - @thefutureperfectproject
Website - http://thefutureperfectproject.com http://linktr.ee/fprecords http://futureperfectrecords.bandcamp.com
https://onerpm.link/notwhatyoupictured
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd4RHsM_rvo

The Future Perfect Project: The New Generation of LGBTQ+ Storytelling