‘I find myself still in the trenches’

There’s not much that Billy Porter hasn’t put his name to. He’s appeared on Broadway and in the West End, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, strutted down the Met Gala, played the role of fairy godmother, launched his own make-up line, and he’s now just an O away from being named an EGOT.

Originally from Pittsburgh, the 55-year-old performer is known for originating the role of Lola in Kinky Boots, following its Broadway debut in 2013. His role of Pray Tell on the hit TV show Pose, further solidified him as a household name around the world and earned him both Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

And next up as a string on his bow of achievements will be a headline performance at Manchester Pride this weekend. He’ll be fronting up proceedings, alongside Little Mix star Leigh-Anne, on Saturday (August 23) at the festival’s new Mardi Gras venue at Depot Mayfield.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Billy said he is ‘excited to come and experience’ Manchester properly having briefly visited for a performance at the Big Night of Musicals show at the AO Arena at the start of the year.

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Whilst keeping hush on what exactly his performance will entail, Billy teases that there are some very special guests set to join him on stage as he performs some classic songs and tracks from his latest Black Mona Lisa albums.

“Black Mona Lisa is my alter ego,” Billy tells the M.E.N of the story behind the album’s name – which has since taken on a bigger meaning to the performer. “When I show up as Billy Porter, that’s the more traditional space that I occupy. But when I do my mainstream music, I’m Black Mona Lisa.”

Billy says that, in a way, Black Mona Lisa is his version of Beyonce’s Sasha Fierce or Stefani Germanotta’s Lady Gaga. It’s a stage name, yes, but it’s also a whole other personality. It’s another version of Billy Porter, he insists.

“I’ve been in this business for 35 years – I’m a multi-hyphenate,” he explains. “People have gotten on the Billy Porter train at different times in their lives. Sometimes that creates confusion and sometimes it’s really hard to harness all of the audiences from different spaces.

“I have a fashion audience, I have a theatre audience, I have a film and television audience, I have a music audience. I’m in the process of trying to bring them all together, it’s like this mountain that I’m trying to climb.

“People from my theatre side don’t know my album exists, they’re still talking to me about ****ing Grease from 30 years ago. Like, there’s so much more work that exists that they’ll like that they don’t even know exists.

“What Manchester is seeing is the confluence of that. Yes, you’re seeing Billy Porter, and this version of Billy Porter is called Black Mona Lisa.

“It’s exactly the legacy I want to leave on this planet. The Mona Lisa is history, it’s present and it’s future for all time. I’d like to not disappear when I’m gone from this earth. I’d like to continue to be influential once I’ve passed onto the realm.”

In-between performing at Manchester Pride, Billy is also portraying the role of Emcee in the current Broadway run of Cabaret. Marking the end of the production, he is appearing alongside former Celebrity Big Brother star Marisha Wallace following their recent run together in the West End. And it’s historic.

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“I feel a part of the resistance,” Billy says of appearing in the show. “I’m in the centre of my purpose and my calling – doing this kind of work at this particular time is like my ministry. It’s not lost on me that all three leads in this production, at this very moment, are Black. It’s something that has never happened in the show’s 60-year history.

“The parallel of what’s happening in America right now makes it very, very real and very prescient. I feel a part of the conversation through my art, which is actually the point for me.”

He is also gearing up to work on the new Hunger Games prequel movie, has just launched a new beauty line (also called Black Mona Lisa) and has just directed a show in the West End. But it’s his music where he is currently harnessing a lot of his energy – and he’s ready to ‘lay my heart out there’ at Manchester Pride.

“I find myself still in the trenches,” he explains. “With film, TV and all that other stuff, I’m up there. But, in terms of music, I’m still building a reputation in a mainstream space – in a space that’s outside of theatre.”

But Billy says he still tries to remain grounded amongst it all, agreeing that stress doesn’t look good on him. “No, I don’t do pressure,” he insists. “I don’t like pressure. I do my best to maintain my sanity and my peace. I work very hard not to take on the pressure of others.”

Yet, Billy clearly has some frustrations with the state of the world right now. It’s one of the reasons why he says that Pride still remains important today, despite saying he had hoped such a need for it would have expired by now.

“When I came out in ‘85, we went straight to the frontlines to fight for our lives, and Pride was where we came together,” he explains. “We could all come together in one space and remind ourselves that together we win. I never thought that we would be back here.

“We have to show up for each other and show out and understand that it’s only when we join forces that we conquer evil. What’s going on right now is evil. It’s evil.”

And expanding on what Pride means to him, Billy says it’s actually pretty simple. “Pride is community,” he explains. “Pride is love, Pride is a protest and Pride is a party.

“I’m excited to come and experience Pride in Manchester.”

Manchester Pride 2025 takes place from Friday to Monday (August 22-25). Billy Porter will perform on the Mardi Gras stage, at Depot Mayfield, on Saturday (August 23).