Amsterdam-based DJ Darling Peter (he/him) has launched the label Darling Records, specifically aimed at queer artists, in collaboration with Laser and Sony Music. The first single on the label is ‘It’s Raining Men! Them! Femme!” by Darling Peter feat. Drag Race winner Envy Peru (she/her) & UK singer Vula (she/her), the trio dropping the incredible official video this morning (July 22nd). An adaptation of The Weather Girls classic ‘It’s Raining Men’, unlike the original the single is a ‘celebration of all genders’.
‘It’s Raining Men’ is one of the most famous gay anthems of all time, but times have changed since the original was released. The global LGBTQI+ community is as colourful as it is diverse and deserves a version that accepts and applauds the full spectrum of gender and sexual identities. This was the main reason DJ Darling Peter, also the driving force behind the new Darling Records label, on the eve of Pride Amsterdam and Pride Brighton to release ‘It’s Raining Men! Them! Femme!” release.
“With the track I want to draw more attention to gender identity. To show that there is much more than being a man or a woman. Everyone is unique. Male, female, trans, non-binary, you name it,” said Darling Peter. “For many people, it’s still a ‘far cry from their own’ and the term LGBTQI+ feels like a letter soup. But being able to identify with it feels like coming home, so a track like this proves much needed.”
‘Coming home’ is also the idea behind record label Darling Records, which released ‘It’s Raining Men! Them! Femme!’. Darling Peter (an alias of Peter van Vught) teamed up with Sony Music to create a place for artists who don’t fit into the ‘normal pigeonholes’, or are asked by mainstream labels to keep their orientation unspoken or deliberately vague.
“Wake up honey, it’s 2022! We need more visibility, more authentic artists who are proud of who they are,” Peter states. “That’s what Darling Records stands for. The future is queer!”
Darling Peter has been active as a DJ for many years, with Amsterdam and Barcelona as his home bases. He is also the driving force behind various queer events, including his own club night Sweetie Darling at club Lovelee in Amsterdam. The celebration of genders that is propagated during these club nights is also the motto of Darling Records. ‘It’s Raining Men! Them! Femme!” is the first release, and features Miss Envy Peru and Vula Vox.
Peruvian drag queen Envy Peru is one of the ambassadors for Pride Amsterdam this year and is globally renowned for winning Season 1 of ‘Drag Race Holland’. She is also the face of the jury in the RTL4 program ‘Make Up Your Mind’ and launched her own makeup line in collaboration with Mac Cosmetics.
English singer Vula Vox is known for her work with Basement Jaxx, Dizzy Rascal and Riton (world hit ‘Turn Me On’), among others. She recently toured with Pete Tong, the Heritage Orchestra, Becky Hill and Ultra Naté for the Ibiza Classics tour, and has had her original music featured heavily across BBC Radio 1.
