Atlanta musical artist Cello/Phn performs new song at Global Black Pride Festival

Atlanta Black Pride weekend is finally here and is responsible for hosting Global Black Pride for the very first time. With the weekend festivities beginning, Atlanta resident and alternative R&B and psychedelic musician/songwriter Cello/Phn (pronounced: Cellophane) performed on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Piedmont Park.

After a two-year-long break from releasing music, Cello/Phn is back with his newest single, Fennin’. Cello/Phn describes the new single as something he has never done before, having sexual undertones and

His last full project, “What Happened to Monday,” came out in 2022.

Originally from New Orleans, Cello/Phn started his journey musically about three to four years ago. He said he would write music and leave it in his phone until one day, his roommate asked him about it, and his ex at the time helped him get studio time and the rest was history.

Some of his musical inspirations are Steve Lacy, Prince, Lenny Kravis, Maxwell, and Taylor Swift. He’s also currently listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest hit album, “Short n’ Sweet,” where he says he loves the song “Taste”, but has found a new love for another song titled, “Dumb & Poetic.”

Cello/Phn spoke with The Atlanta Voice before his performance to talk about his passion, new music, and more.

The Atlanta Voice: You’re performing at the Global Black Pride Festival Saturday at 3pm, how are you feeling about your upcoming performance?

Cello/Phn: I’m a little anxious. I think this might be the biggest crowd I’ve performed in front of. This is also something that we’ve been preparing for a minute, like the last three years, so I think I’m always anxious. I feel like this one’s gonna make me nervous, but I’m also super excited too, though.

AV: As a Queer artist, what does performing at Global Black Pride mean to you?

CP: For me, it means more than anything I’ve gotten before. I feel like a lot of people think because I have a big following on social media, it makes me feel like a celebrity or popular, but my music is something I’m passionate about.

AV: It’s been two years since your last project, “What Happened To Monday?,” why the two-year gap?

CP: I’m a creative strategist outside of music. For me, everything must be strategic and perfectly placed. I went through a period of changing my body, losing weight, getting more in touch with myself. “What Happened to Monday” did so well charting on iTunes at number 48 right under Taylor Swift and right above Radiohead, and I always had that feeling of, ‘how do we come harder’, and for me, that takes time.

AV: Let’s talk about your new single ‘Fennin.’ What was the idea behind it?

CP: I feel like I don’t have a lot of sexual under-toned music, and I wanted something that was closer to my song, Higher, but like amped up. Fennin’ is about meeting someone and you’re so infatuated to the point you want to be under his skin. It’s not in your face and everyone has feined for someone at some point life.

AV: What’s your process for writing and recording music?

CP: I’m only able to write music when I’m emotional whether I’m super happy or super sad. Typically, music is created when I’m sad, but I can’t control what comes out of those emotions. I’m trying to get to a place where I’m able to write music without that feeling, but most of my music comes from a place of real experiences. I’m good at making melodies quickly. When I was working on ‘What Happened to Monday,’ I called two rappers to sit down with me and I told them to challenge me and if they could convince me to change my lyrics, I would change them. That’s been happening lately with my music, which is exciting because I used to be so stubborn.

AV: This new evolution over the past two years, how does it reflect in your music?

CP: The music is very vocal. Like I said with Fennin, there’s a lot more movement. Normally, I’d want to keep to myself on stage and not move around. Now, I’m moving around the stage and moving my body because before I was heavier, but now I need to move more.

AV: What makes your music different from others?

CP: What makes my music different from other people is my stance on Queer music. For the longest time, I was rejected from Queer blogs and events because I was told my music wasn’t “gay” enough, and what makes my music Queer is me because I’m Queer enough. I also think it’s very interesting when we think about the LGBTQ+ community, we’re represented by a rainbow, but in the media, it is always just the pinks, yellows, oranges, but it’s never blue, purple, or green. I fit within that green, purple, blue space, and we need more presentation of that as well.

AV: What’s your plans for the rest of the year?

CP: I am releasing a project titled, “The Monday Blues,” which was supposed to be a deluxe edition to ‘What Happened to Monday,’ but when management heard it, they told me it was a whole different project itself. It’s four songs, 12 minutes long. The inspiration for the project is like if you go to music festivals and get drunk, you’ll meet someone on that Friday and typically you would spend that whole weekend with them, then comes Monday, the comedown, which is called Monday blues. That’s comparable to a quick two-week relationship that starts off very quickly.

AV: I want to get your opinion, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, on the vandalism of the Pride flag where the suspect defecated on it.

CP: I think it’s unfortunate as we move in the year 2025, we’re still facing homophobia and physical violence just from existing. Imagine people attacking a cosplay event just because they don’t like anime. It’s that simple to let people exist. We created these spaces to get out of theirs and they come in and invade us. I’m not so much on peaceful protest all the time because sometimes you do have to fight fire with fire. As I get ready to perform on Saturday, I am a little worried because you don’t know what to expect. Think about the pulse shooting and all those lives we lost. I hope that eventually people can mind their business and let people be themselves. It’s worse things to worry about than two men kissing.

AV: What kind of advice would you have for someone who wants to chase their dreams, but don’t know how?

CP: You need to find, this is also marketing advice, your why. Why am I doing this? What is the reason for it? And when you have a why, that extends to being a purpose and when you have your purpose, no one can change that. This is yours.

Fennin‘ is out now everywhere. 

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