My Pride Anthems: Laith Ashley

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and that includes how we’re all celebrating Pride in 2020.

With huge public gatherings out of the question, we’re asking a range of LGBTQ celebrities and allies for their personal Pride anthems, to help us all get into the Pride spirit from lockdown.

In the latest instalment of our My Pride Anthems series, model, singer and actor Laith Ashley shares some of the tunes he can’t stop listening to this Pride month.

Among them are newer hits from artists including Lady Gaga and Harry Styles, as well as a certain Britney Spears track he says never fails to get him motivated... 

Britney Spears – Work Bitch

“I listen to Britney Spears all the time. I’ve always been a big Britney fan, I grew up listening to all those, you know, they called them ‘bubblegum pop stars’ back them. So I was a huge Backstreet Boys fan, I loved *NSYNC, I loved Britney, I loved Christina Aguilera. I used to record episodes of TRL on VHS when I was a kid, I was just obsessed with pop. 

“But my go-to Britney song is Work Bitch. Especially when I’m working out, if I’m on the stationary bike, I love to listen to it, because it helps me keep going.”

Kim Petras – Wrong Turn

“I think Kim Petras is amazing, and I think she doesn’t get credit, maybe due to her transness, but I think that her music is fantastic and it should be everywhere.

“I love her Halloween album, Turn Off The Light, I listen to it all year round. I would listen to it at the gym – I mean, the gyms are now closed – but when I was going to the gym it would be on repeat, I would be singing along to it during my workout, and if I got looks, I didn’t really care, because I was so into that song.”

Vincint – Remember Me

I love Vincint. I actually first discovered him on [US talent show] The Four, and his rendition of Creep, it gave me goosebumps, and I still watch it on YouTube over and over and over again. I was just like ‘wow, this kid is incredible’, he should have won that competition.

“He’s a friend of mine, actually. I was out in West Hollywood, I think at Bar10, just dancing with my friends, and I saw him and I was like ‘oh my god, you’re Vincint’, and we just ended up dancing together the entire night and hanging out and getting to know each other.”

Cocoa Sarai – Big Dummy 

“I think Cocoa Sarai is one of the most incredible artists I’ve ever heard in my life, and again, she’s also a very good friend of mine. She’s worked with Dr Dre, she’s written for Anderson .Paak, she also won a Grammy this year as well.

“She’s currently an independent artist, and she released a couple of singles this year, the one I’ve been listening to most is called Big Dummy, and the visuals that go with that song are absolutely spectacular, too.

“She’s essentially talking about the industry, and how difficult it can be to make it or reach a goal, but there’s nothing else she’d rather do than be a creative, even if no one notices. And that resonated with me, so I’ve been listening to that a lot.”

Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar

“Watermelon Sugar is, I think, my favourite song right now. I like that he’s talking about something very sexual, but he’s not being too overly crude. It’s subtle.

“And I don’t know, it’s just a fantastic song, I love his voice. I love everything about him, I love his fashion, and all of that together with the music fits so well.”

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande – Rain On Me 

“When I first heard Rain On Me, I was just like, ‘oh, this isn’t bad, it’s two huge, huge popstars, of course everyone’s going to like it’. And then after I listened to it a few more times, I was like ‘OK, this is a great song’.

“It’s definitely a Pride anthem, for sure, and we’re in Pride month – I want to get out there and see people and have a good time, I feel so stuck. But I also understand that we’re in a time for social change and I’m happy to be living through that.”

Kay’vion and Laith Ashley – Gym Class

“My best friend Kay’vion – who’s also an artist and a sound engineer – and I, we decided to do this song, because everyone’s at home and everyone that wants to work out is probably feeling the effects of not having their gym, unless they’re fortunate enough to have some sort of equipment at home.

“It’s a really fun kind of summer anthem for working out and just having a good time. The video is very colourful and bright, so if anyone needs a work-out tune, I think that’s a good one.”

Laith Ashley is currently appearing in the series Mélange. Watch the pilot episode on Logo TV here.