Arlo Parks says coming out wasn’t the “massive explosive moment” she anticipated it to be.
The BRIT Award-winner was 17 when she told her parents she is bisexual, and the 20-year-old singer-songwriter has shared how “lucky” and “grateful” she was that she was met with love and acceptance from her loved ones.
Arlo – who took home the Breakthrough Artist prize at Tuesday’s (11.05.21) ceremony – told the Metro newspaper’s Guilty Pleasures column: “I am kinda lucky because I’ve always been comfortable and I grew up in a place, in terms of my family, where I was very much approached with love.
“I knew no matter what, I would always be loved and accepted. For most people, that’s not how it goes.”
She continued: “It felt very kind of natural. Of course it’s always a bit nerve-wracking but I felt I was coming into myself.
“My parents and friends were all very accepting. It didn’t even feel like a massive explosive moment.
“Everyone was like, ‘OK’, which I am really grateful for.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Eugene’ singer – who released her acclaimed debut studio album, ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’, last year – has admitted she never would have imagined her honest lyrics would be shared with the world, as penning songs was something she did for her own fulfillment.
She said: “For me, it comes really naturally because I spent a lot of time just writing songs for myself and not expecting anyone to hear them.
“I find it really hard to do fiction, it’s very much real.
“All of the artists I like, such as Elliott Smith and Phoebe Bridgers, do have this vulnerability.
And that vulnerability is what makes people feel comfortable and seen in your music.
“Of course there is always going to be nerves when you are putting out something that you care about but it means you are pushing the boundary a bit.
“You are on the fringe of your comfort zone. I think that’s healthy, I like that.”