Made to feel ashamed of who he was, Linnel has only recently been able to accept and explore his queer identity. "I'm Sick" is the culmination of self expression that had been suppressed for 18 years. The song came out a few short months ago and today the world finally gets a chance to see the video that changes the narrative of the song entirely.
What at first sounds like a love song, is really an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. The video, directed by Madi Boll, is centered around a boy named Leyton, played by Pierson Carlson, who is interested in wearing makeup. But when his mom and sister walk in on him putting lipstick on he is made to feel ashamed and a "disease" begins to take form on his skin, alluding to how being gay used to be listed in the DSM. While the gay community has made many improvements in equality, the trans community is now experiencing similar discrimination.
Feeling insecure about his identity, Leyton goes on a walk to clear his head, but finds himself at a party where Linnel is singing "I'm Sick" and everyone there is confidently displaying signs of the same disease. It is a place of community and togetherness, where everyone is welcome. By the end of the party, Leyton's "disease" has fully taken form, but feeling confident in himself, he goes home ready to fully embrace just that. The hope for this video is that it serves as an opportunity for all intersections of the queer community to reclaim the idea that being queer, and/or any other part of the LGBTQ+ community, is a "sickness" or "disease."
Being queer himself, the message of this video is incredibly important to Linnel not only as an artist, but as a person. In the weeks leading up to the video Linnel hosted a "Question of the Week" series on Instagram that consisted of different topics within the LGBTQ+ community. Topics ranged from internalized homophobia to favorite queer art and the responses came pouring in. It enabled people to have a platform to speak out on certain issues/topics that aren't generally brought up in the mainstream media. The responses from all different people brought to light many similarities in regards to why people don't or wait to come out, what they love about their queerness, and how they feel about their own internalized homophobia. For more on this, check out Linnel's Instagram story highlights under "QOW".
Linnel is only just getting started. The "I'm Sick" music video has made a statement about the kind of behavior and morals that he stands for. Linnel hopes to continue to shine a positive light on the LGBTQ+ community, while making music that brings people of all mindsets together to start a conversation.
