Johnny Manuel first blew everyone out of the water five years ago on America’s Got Talent with his iconic performance of “I Have Nothing”, which helped propel him to the show’s semi-finals. After that, he headed over to represent Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest as part of the vocal group Equinox before appearing on The Voice Australia, where he made it it all the way to the finals.
Queerty had a chance to catch up with Johnny, whose new EP Younger Skin is out now, in our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In the conversation below, he shares about his obsession with Golden Girls and Diana Ross, the TV show that had the biggest impact on him as a queer teenager, his current celebrity crush, and his dream musical collaboration. Here’s what he had to say…
QUEERTY: What is the gayest thing about you?
MANUEL: Hmm, let’s see… My incessant quoting of lines from Golden Girls in casual conversation. My obsession with Diana Ross’ 1983 Central Park performance. (It’s the drama of the rain, her hair and cape blowing in the wind and those diamond earrings you could see from New Jersey that does it for me!). Or the simple fact that I’m married to a man. Take your pick. HA!
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You’ve competed on America’s Got Talent and The Voice Australia. What is one non-singing reality competition you would love to appear on and why do you think you’d be a great contestant?
I have to be completely transparent here, I don’t watch reality competition shows so I honestly don’t know if I’d be good at any of them. I’d actually never seen America’s Got Talent before I competed on it!
Is there a piece of pop-culture—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, etc…—that you consider a big part of your coming-out journey? Why does it stand out to you?
It was Queer As Folk (the American version) for me. I remember winning a $100 Amazon gift card and using it to buy the boxset of the entire series on DVD. I also remember frantically checking the tracking everyday so my parents didn’t intercept the delivery and find out what I’d ordered. I must have watched every episode at least 10 times!
Growing up in a small town, not knowing any gay people, it was my window into a new world. Watching it gave me a life to look forward to and empowered me. I desperately wanted a group of queers to call my own like they had. I hadn’t realized it was a possibility until then. And for all his flaws, Brian Kinney was a hero of mine. I’d never seen a gay man be that fearless and unapologetic. I admired the way he lived his life so much. It changed me.
Years later Noah’s Arc had a transformative impact on me as well. Seeing queer people honestly depicted on screen was major but as a Black gay man, seeing an entire cast of Black gay characters was the pinnacle. It made me fully visible for the first time. That was special.
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Let’s have a lightning round! Short answers only… Current celebrity crush?
Oh, Evan Mock. For sure!
Last show you binge-watched?
Elité. Can’t get enough!
Movie that terrified you as a child?
Child’s Play. Chucky scared the shit out of me! LOL!
Guilty pleasure?
Ordering from Uber Eats. I do it WAY too much!
Song can’t you get enough of right now?
“Stay” by Alicia Keys and Lucky Daye. It’s feel good music.
Your love of Gucci dates all the way back to your childhood, as evidenced by this adorable photo you shared of yourself at three-years-old rocking a Gucci sweatshirt and cat whiskers. Aside from Gucci, who are some of your favorite designers? And who are some of your favorite LGBTQ designers?
Tom Ford (My love affair with Gucci truly began with him) and then, of course, there is Halston. Both of their designs are timeless, sexy, and effortlessly chic. Doesn’t get any better than that!
Your social media pages are all about love and light and positivity (and amazing fashion!). Obviously, that’s a great outlook to have on life. But I’m curious… What’s one thing that just annoys the crap out of you???
OMG. People who walk around oblivious to the fact that they’re in everyone else’s way because they’re looking down at their phone. Like, girl, you do not own the sidewalk. MOVE!
If you could collaborate with any singer on a cover version of any song, who would it be and what song would you pick?
Marvin Gaye has an album of covers called Romantically Yours released in 1985, and he covered “The Shadow of Your Smile” on it. The thought of collaborating with him on that is a bit overwhelming. I would have loved that opportunity very much.
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Kangol2
Beautiful man, incredible voice. With the right material and management he could and should go far. Whitney would truly be honored by his version of her song too!