“That would be the greatest ideal, if it didn’t matter that I was a queer person or a female, because my music could be interpreted on its on merit,” she said about writing on topics others might find novel within the context of solo pop-related tunes. “But I don’t want to suppose a reality that we haven’t reached yet and then operate as if that were the case.”

It’d be virtually impossible to control one’s representation in the press. And while Baker’s acutely aware of that, penning an essay on a similar topic for the “Can You Deal” zine, it’s clear that she understands what work needs to be done.

“If anything, I’m more careful in the way that I discuss substance abuse then I am in how I discuss my sexuality and religion. I fear glamorizing that experience or creating this belief that you have to experience suffering in order to gain valuable insight,” she said. “There are people who experience suffering that doesn’t look that cinematic. People experience so many different types of suffering, not to mention that I think it diminishes the issue of substance abuse or coping with things in a self-destructive way. It’s something that I think needs to be talked about.”

Her work differs from acts like Downtown Boys or Sheer Mag, the latter being booked for a show at The Southern on Oct. 19 with hardcore act Haircut, which hold forth on broad political concepts and how society renders its own reality. Baker just recounts lived experiences in the hope that her work’s more than entertainment and can in some small way add to the discussion.

Dave Cantor is a reporter for The Daily Progress. Contact him at (434) 978-7248, dcantor@dailyprogress.com or @dv_cntr on Twitter.

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