Torraine Futurum is many things: a model, an activist, an influencer, and a musician on the rise. She first made waves in the fashion industry in late 2016, after photographer Ethan James Green found her on Instagram. After Green posted a black-and-white photo of Futurum on his account, she was exposed to a swath of fashion executives; the following February, she walked for Gogo Graham and Vaquera at New York Fashion Week. Since then, Futurum has appeared in fashion shoots for photographers like Petra Collins and in magazines including Dazed, i-D, and more. In 2017, she posed on the cover of Candy, the world’s first transversal magazine. Her vocalization of her life as a Black model of trans experience has garnered praise and admiration from several well-known activists, including Janet Mock and Raquel Willis.
But modeling is just the start: Futurum has proven herself to be a talented musician as well, performing throughout New York since 2015. Last week, she debuted her first self-directed music video for a new song called “Unclaimed Perfection, Babygirl,” a track off her forthcoming full-length album, Miles From Heaven.
Futurum describes the song as an exploration of circumvention and depression, unlike “Key Party,” an upbeat single she released in 2017 that was used in a Vogue U.K. promotional video. “Unclaimed Perfection” sees Futurum take new form in an eerie production of spiraling emotions. The artist's ultimate aim is to "do whatever the fuck I want to do on this Earth — and it’s going to be excellent," she tells me. them. spoke with Futurum in the middle of her recording sessions for the upcoming album about artistry, fashion, and mental health.
What inspired the video behind "Unclaimed Perfection, Babygirl"?
You know how you get inspired by something specific, and then make it more general? I guess it’s about me being a sad girl and writing about some sad shit. Basically, I wanted to have the video personify the idea of being in your feels. So cut to when I’m sad, I’m spiraling, I'm manic and hypersensitive. The video represents when I’ve struggled with having free time and thinking, Literally, what do people even do for fun? I’ve had that problem before, so that’s what the video is about — a day at the beach. It’s one of those clichés about happiness and easy living.
How has fashion informed your musicality?
Fashion is relevant because I’m someone who cares a lot about how I look. It’s not even just my face; I love how wardrobe can convey a story. I don’t even wear sweatpants because I only own things I’m obsessed with. That lends itself to music and making music videos, because it’s another part of a story. Clothing can give you a vibe, but music makes it more literal.
What struggles have you faced in music as a Black trans girl?
I’m a superhero. [Laughs] I don’t have struggles.
What have been some of your favorite moments as model?
Last September, I went to Pat McGrath’s Mothership Ball. I was doing video content with the makeup team and Vogue, and Pat McGrath came over to do my face. I was like, This is crazy! Also hanging out with other dark-skinned Black models was really cool. There’s this photo I took with Duckie and Leomie Anderson. Just being next to them was beautiful. That photo is a memory to me. All of us being together and me being part of that group was something really cool and validating.
All of my firsts really stand out to me. I’ve done a lot of campaigns at this point, but I feel like every time I do beauty brands particularly, there’s something there. It’s such big money, and for them to want to use you is such a big vote of confidence.
Another thing I’ll never forget is being in the fucking Carly Rae Jepsen “Boy Problems” video. That was surreal! It was one of the bigger things to happen early on for me.
Did you always see yourself going into modeling or music?
All of the things I’ve tried and failed have lent themselves to where I am today. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I’ve wanted to be a film director and a stylist, a photographer, and so many other things. I don’t know if I was as into what the practicality of those careers entail. For example, I wanted to be a fashion designer, then I realized people spend eight to 10 months and then go to the next collection. I was like, “That’s boring to me.” I need almost instant gratification.
Many fans first learned who you were on Tumblr years back. You and all these cool New York kids started there then moved to Instagram and kind of blew up. What do you think of your progression as a public figure?
[Laughs] I think it’s an interesting phenomenon. Media has been changing for a few years now. It used to be a top-down thing, and now it’s big brands going through Instagram and seeing what they can latch onto. Now you can see yourself reflected as opposed to someone telling you what you should look like. It’s pretty refreshing.
What do you want your music to say about you?
What I want people to understand about me and even about themselves is that you can do whatever the fuck you want. There’s no real blueprint. It’s so easy to settle into a space, settle into a brand, or even settle into a personality.
For instance, David Bowie is someone I love. What I really admired about him is that he always did whatever the fuck he wanted. It was so divorced from people’s perception of him. He could make a multi-million selling album with a totally new sound and have people love him for that sound. After that, he would then do something totally different. His brand was the fact that he was fucking talented. If he wanted to make and R&B album, he would do that. If he wanted to blues album, he would do that. You didn’t know what he was going to do next, but you trusted his quality and level of curation. I respect David Bowie because he had great taste. If he were still alive, and you told me he was going to release an album of Scottish folk songs, I would be like, “OMG this is going to amazing!”
I want to establish a brand of high taste levels. I guess that’s the big takeaway. In 20 years, when someone thinks of me I want them to be like, “Wow, she can do whatever the fuck she wants and it’s going to be cool.”If I wanted to make furniture, then I want people to be excited about that. If I released three albums and they all sounded radically different, then I want people to be excited about that. Essentially, me making music is currently my highest form of expression that ties everything I want to do both visually and sonically. There’s so many different mediums inside of it: art direction, styling, and poetry. I want people to know that I can do whatever the fuck I want to do on this Earth — and it’s going to be excellent.
When can we expect the album?
Mad soon.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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