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This grownup gay superstar has a message to his younger schoolboy self… but can you guess who it is?

Todrick Hall as a child
(Photo: Instagram)

A gay celebrity has posted an inspiring message to his younger self on Instagram. It appears alongside a video of him singing a song in front of his class at school.

The little boy in question was born on April, 4, 1985 in Plainview, Texas. His family later moved to Dallas. He developed a love for musicals at a young age, beginning with The Wizard of Oz. Thankfully, an elementary school teacher encouraged him in his love of music, introducing him to singing and ballet.

He came out to his family when he was 15. Aged 16, he began performing on weekends at the amusement park, Six Flags Over Texas. This led to performances on cruise ships and then on Broadway.

He then began to post videos on YouTube, which led to an audition on American Idol.

Yes, you guessed it… it’s Todrick Hall!

In yesterday’s Instagram pos, Hall had a message for his younger self. He urged him to pursue his passions, even if might feel lonely at times.

“You might have to pave your own yellow brick road”

“Little Todrick, it’s older Todrick here with some important advice…” he wrote.

“You are special, you move different, you speak different, you think different because you are different and that’s ok, but it’s lonely.

“The world might not give you a road to walk down, so you might have to pave your own yellow brick road. The way you love and the way you feel isn’t wrong, no matter how much people try to convince you that it is. You are a dreamer, so chase every single dream you can dream, especially the wildest ones…you’ll fail sometimes (a lot) and people who have never had a dream worth chasing will judge you for how you failed at chasing yours…ignore them, keep going!

“If you fail, fail hard. If you love, love hard. Give every chance you get, you fight as hard as you can so that future you’s won’t have to fight quite as hard.

“Sometimes, the people who will hurt you the most will be the people who look and love like you, keep loving them anyway…they’re hurting and your light may intimidate them.

“Keep going and be so great that they can’t ignore it! Be gracious, be kind, be relentless and when you finally get to where you’re going…remember the people who stood beside you the whole entire way and bless them if you can. You will inspire a lot of people, so keep doing your thing. You got this!”

Hall went on to list some of his achievements. He also namechecked the release of his first musical theater album, Cinderella Rock, which is out today.

He ended his posting by saying, “Dreams come true.”

Todrick Hall
Todrick Hall (Photo: Shutterstock)

New musical albums with Billy Porter, Cynthia Erivo and more

Although he didn’t win American Idol, Hall used the platform it gave him to promote his talents as widely as possible. He’s become a successful independent artist, releasing several albums and undertaking world tours. His best-known song is probably 2019’s “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels”. He’s also hosted TV shows, such as HBTV’s Battle of The Bling.

However, his career has not been without controversy. He faced flack in 2022 for his participation and gameplay on Celebrity Big Brother. Then a former landlord sued him for $60,000 in unpaid rent (the matter was later settled).

Earlier this week, Broadway World reported that Hall was launching “the first black-owned theatrical performance rights company, Todrick Hall Musicals.”

Through the company, Hall will release the rights to three of his original musicals: Cinderella Rock, U.G.L.Y., and OZ the Musical, for license to both professional and amateur companies.

The Cinderella Rock album, which includes performances by Cynthia Erivo and Jade Noavh, among others, will be followed by the albums for OZ The Musical (March 5) and U.G.L.Y. (March 12). Billy Porter, Cheyenne Jackson and Nicole Scherzinger are among the singers on the other albums.

Hall explains more about the project below.

The idea is that people can license the scripts and music to put on their own shows. We imagine Hall will be hoping that at least one of the shows might be picked up by a big Broadway producer.

Get more info about the singers and project below.

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