Building a World Where Survival Turns Into Celebration
Humans: Tony and The Kiki | New York City, The states
Black Dress and Black Top: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_ | Metallic cut-out Pants: Megan O’Cain @_meganocain
Before the stage, before the spectacle, there was a shift in identity. “Up until this project, Tony was decidedly ‘Anthony’ and not ‘Tony.’” What emerged was not just a name change, but a functional alter ego. “This gave permission to inhabit something larger than normal life outside of being a civilian.”
That expansion continues in the name itself. “We always knew that it was going to be ‘Tony & The ___,’” they explain, searching for something that felt like energy, not just branding. The answer came from queer culture. “We wanted something that encapsulated fun, a party, a hang. And in queer culture that’s a kiki!” But beneath that levity sits something heavier. The word also traces back to a childhood memory tied to a lost queer elder. “It’s symbolic of their queer elder who has passed on, and all queer elders who have passed on.” The project becomes both celebration and continuation.Queerness, for Tony & The Kiki, is not an aesthetic or a layer added on top. It is foundational. It shapes not only what they create, but why they create at all. As they describe it, it’s “more than a guise… it’s who we are. An inescapable fact.” That reality carries weight, and it shows up in the way they move through the world. Survival is always present, always humming in the background. “Survival mode is always a tab open on the browser. That leads us to make music we want to dance and have fun to—a party, a celebration of joy and community.” 
Embellished Top and Skirt: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_
Purple Velvet Top and Skirt: Megan O’Cain @_meganocain
That tension—between survival and joy—is the engine of their work. The music leans toward release, toward movement, toward collective energy. Not as escapism, but as response.Their definition of queer excellence follows the same logic. It isn’t abstract or theoretical. It’s direct: showing up fully and doing the work well. There’s an emphasis on consistency, on commitment, on honoring the lineage of artists who came before them by meeting the moment with the same level of intention.There was no singular breakthrough moment where their work suddenly became “accepted.” Instead, there was a quieter realization: the work exists, and spaces will either hold it or reject it. That understanding removed the need for validation. The art doesn’t wait. It moves.“Survival mode is always a tab open on the browser. That leads us to make music we want to dance and have fun to—a party, a celebration of joy and community.”
That openness carries into their creative process. Ideas arrive in different forms—sometimes fully formed, sometimes fragmented—but the goal is always the same: to build a world. Songs are constructed piece by piece, layered intentionally, shaped by how they might live beyond the recording itself. For Tony & The Kiki, performance is not secondary—it’s central.Their live show acts as a guiding force, a “north star” that informs how the music is written from the beginning. Theatricality isn’t an add-on. It’s part of the structure. The same is true for visuals. Fashion, lighting, and stage presence are treated as equal components of the experience, not accessories to it. Everything works together to create a full environment, not just a sound.
Metal Adorned Mesh Top: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_
Their influences reflect that mindset. Rather than distancing themselves from what came before, they lean into it—pulling from glam rock, queer performance history, and the artists they’ve grown up with. The goal isn’t reinvention for its own sake. It’s a continuation with a distinct point of view.That clarity extends to how they think about risk. What others might label as “too much” or “too controversial” doesn’t hold much weight. In their view, that tension has always existed within rock and queer performance. It’s part of the language. Simply existing within that space is already disruptive. “Look at us,” they say. “By existing, we’re challenging norms.”“Look at us. By existing we’re challenging norms.”
From their perspective, queer artists aren’t reacting to mainstream culture—they’re shaping it. The mainstream, as they see it, is always catching up. Internally, one of the most defining shifts came when they fully embraced their theatricality. Letting go of expectations around what a “rock band” should look like allowed the work to align more closely with who they already were. That alignment changed everything.It also reshaped how they experience vulnerability. On stage, performance becomes a kind of armor—a place of control, of confidence, of belonging. The more exposed moments tend to happen offstage in the writing process, where personal experiences surface and reveal themselves as shared truths.
Red Headpiece, Dress and Jacket: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_
Embellished and Lace Tops: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_
Pink Pants: Megan O’Cain @_meganocain
That sense of connection is what they hope audiences take with them. Not just enjoyment, but recognition. A feeling of permission. The freedom to exist as they are, without negotiation. Looking ahead, that energy is only expanding. With a U.S. tour underway and a more theatrical live show in development, they’re building bigger worlds, reaching wider audiences, and deepening the immersive quality of their work.Their vision of the future is clear and grounded: something emotional, physical, and real. Not an escape from life, but a reflection of it at full volume—fun, messy, joyful, and honest.For anyone encountering Tony & The Kiki for the first time, they distill it down to something simple:Life is still complex. Survival is still real.
But within that—“Life is doable and fabulous and WE are doable and fabulous ;)”
Metal Adorned Mesh Top: Vo Stewartbaxter @vostewartbaxter_
Shrinking Violet Dress and Airbrushed Tights: Megan O’Cain @_meganocain
Credits
Story: Levi Rodriguez @itslikethejeansArt director, stylist and photo: Haley Varacallo @haleyvaracallophotography Humans: Tony and The Kiki @tonyandthekikiAssistant: Enlin Q @endpointemedia