Star Amerasu Is The Space-Age It Girl Who's Turning Chaos Into Comedy

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6 days ago

If you're looking for the new It girl who can do everything from acting, directing, composing, DJing and writing, Star Amerasu is your girl.
Star is best known for her Immersive DJ sets and intergalactic online series, 2099. She blends futuristic vibes with current issues to make it easily digestible for people to see how wild our futures could be, and how those in power can make these things happen. She channels the spirit of Marsha P. Johnson in her work, aiming to create art that not only entertains but also uplifts and informs. With so much chaos in the world, Star's presence feels like a breath of fresh air.
Star is starting a new chapter with a variety show called A Journey With Star Amerasu. The show features live music, comedy sketches, and celebrity guests.
We sat down with her to talk about the new show, the state of the world, and why wigs are the key to her funniest characters.
What can you tell us about your new show, A Journey With Star Amerasu?
I wrote a show; it's kind of like a sketch comedy. I'm harkening back to the '70s when everyone had a variety show with a bit of a modern twist. There are TV shows like Carol Burnett. I were obsessed with Carol Burnett as a young person, and my mum used to order the tapes off the TV, so I was inspired by that when I created my show.
You blend live music, comedy and celebrity interviews in the new show. Where did the idea for all of this come from?
Well, the show's changed a bit – the interviews aren't like straight-on interviews, it's just a little bit different and unique, without giving too much away. It's like a synthesis of all the things that I've learned in the entertainment industry. Because, you know, I started working a long time ago, making music primarily, and I made a soundtrack to a film, which was like my first foray into being a professional artist. So, I felt like I was just thrown into it, and I did a lot of theatre when I was 22. I was in a Jeremy O'Harris play, the play was called NORF. I feel like those experiences really shaped me. How I view my artistry now, and now that I feel like I'm more in control of my narrative. I'm just trying to find ways to say things about society and wrap them in like a silly goofy package and be myself.
What do you want people to take from the show?
I want people to know that every person out here is trying to do their best under oppressive forces, and I think that a lot of comedy comes from reality, and I've gotten the note that some of my Instagram stories feel dark, which is so funny to me because I'm just like, "Have you looked outside?" Girl, like its actually dark, especially right now, like I'm in LA and I was downtown two days ago, it was scary – like four cops were driving through the streets with their sirens blazing, and it's like right now we are living under military takeover in certain parts of the city. So, I think when you make a dystopian comedy, in my mind, the reality that we have is dystopian, and I'm just trying to process that. I think it's really fucked up that the idea of like having such an intense immigration process and trying to like capture people is reminiscent of when the police originally started as slave catchers. And that is like what's happening again. Round people up, catch them, turn them in, and make them work.
Could you give us a little hint on what celebrities might be making an appearance on the show?
There's nothing confirmed; we're keeping it under wraps. I have friends whom I might tap, and who are willing to be a part of my journey, because it is a journey with Star.
You centre a lot of your work online around space. What does this theme mean to you?
Octavia Butler is an inspiration of mine, and she has a series where it's like post-apocalyptic Earth, and then the aliens come and save people, but the aliens were capturing people. That's something that fascinated me. I also watched a lot of Star Trek, and when I say a lot, I mean I've watched all of the Next Gen. I'm a big we're nerd, and so I love space, and I love the ideas of the future where we're sort of past Earth's chaos.
Your TikToks and reels are funny, but are also packed with unsettling truths about the future. How do you choose what to focus on, and do you consciously balance humour with social commentary, or does that happen naturally?
It's like what Mary Poppins said: a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. So, I feel like it's kind of giving that. You must package things in a way that people can digest them, especially as a Black trans woman. I think there's a fatigue of yelling at people like that. When Black Lives Matter was big in 2020, that sort of modality of like we could say 'you guys are fucked up' and 'this is fucked up' to people, and they were willing to listen and accept it. I feel like things have shifted right, so currently the issues that are more present in the news cycle are like immigration – in the states and in the UK – and anti-Blackness is still a thing, like anti-Blackness is still a huge issue all around the globe, and it's like moved to the back burner. So I think, as a Black woman making art, I've realised that I'm not the kind of a yelling at people artist, it doesn't work for me. I found a way to package a message through humour, because I feel it's easier for people to accept that message from me in a way, because our society is messed up, honestly.
You're going on a Pride tour this summer. How does your set change depending on where you are?
I just did LA Pride, they booked me to do 2099 live and so I made it, we had a video of pandemia playing in the party and me interacting with the video, So I integrated like the video to the club, I think for my other performances this month, I might bring a little bit of shenanigans and sound clips and bites into my DJ sets and definitely wear the wigs because a lot my characters come from wigs. I just feel like I'm in my silly, goofy, girly era, and it's an opportunity to be silly in San Francisco Pride. They booked me to do like a pride Stand-up comedy thing, and I'm gonna go on a rant about contemporary culture and sort of insular LGBT+ issues. Because my question for society is 'What's going on with the twinks?' and that is the question I'm asking society right now. That's a big question, and that's something I'm addressing in my stand-up.
The internet can be both a catalyst to success and a harsh critic. How do you navigate visibility, especially as a Black trans artist?
The bitches love to try to bully me. I realised that it's not just my issue, it's kind of like an everybody issue; we live in a weird bully culture. Well, that's because our governments have become even more bullies, I think it's become normalised to be an asshole to people, so I try not to be. I'm realising that I have a lot of power in just being nice to people. So that's my tea. But I feel like I've learned now to just not take it personally; when people comment on my Instagram or TikTok, honestly, these people cannot put an idea together, and I can put many ideas together and get shot done. So that's what helps me sleep at night, and that's why they are haters. And in fact, I will say this. I pray for them, and I wish them well, as I rise in success and fame, and I get all the possibilities of my heart's desires.
How has your online popularity affected your artistic practice, especially your music?
I would say that I've always been kind of silly. My birthday is Fool's Day, and so I feel like I've internalised that in everything I do. You know I'm a sickening DJ and I've been a DJ for many years, and so what I've learned recently is the idea that the internet shows people videos of me being funny, but they don't necessarily know that I've been an artist for super long time and vice versa. Some people who have known me as a musician and an artist are like, 'Oh, my God! I didn't know that you were like an actress. I didn't know that you could do all these things,' and I'm like, 'I'm happy I'm showing all aspects of myself now' so everyone will see.
In what ways do you see yourself continuing Marsha P. Johnson's activism and creativity through your music and visual art?
The thing we do as a community is we put these people on a pedestal and kind of view them as an idea versus an actual person. So, what I'm realising is that this lady was doing her thing. Theres a quote in this book where she's talking about how her reason, why she feels like she's alive on earth was to bring happiness to people and that God brought her down after WW2 as an angel of joy for people on earth and I think that like that is such a good way to view being alive on earth. Life is fucked up, but my vibe is also trying to find the mirth and all of it, and my defiance is not letting the world take my joy from me, even if it's just like one act, you know, like how easy it is to smile at somebody, or you know. Tell somebody like, 'Hey, like your skirt is cute today', 'girl, you're serving 'Hi, diva'!' That could save somebody's life. You don't know.
With everything going on politically right now, how do you protect your joy?
Log off. I log off, and I go on a walk, and you know, sometimes walking isn't for everyone. But for sure, you can go outside and get some fresh air. A lot of us are online chronically; that's why we're so stressed out. Sometimes you gotta be like: you know what, today is not the day to be on this computer and my phone, I'm just gonna not do it. And watch if I need, if I must be plugged into something, just watch some old TV shows that make you feel happy. When the world becomes too much, I'm just like, okay, bye, girl, I'm just gonna sit and like veg out.
What are the types of things people can do to advocate for those who don't have a voice?
Start talking. I feel like what people don't realise is that interpersonal relationships are more political than they think. Everything's not online – not everything needs to be like I'm standing up for the rights of these people. It's like, girl. Do you have a friend? Or do you know somebody? A trans person who needs support, you could help them: it doesn't need to be like I'm gonna wear a protective T-shirt, it could be actually at my job, where we're hiring, and I know that there's a Trans girl who's working at the club – maybe I should help her find another avenue to make her rent. Those kinds of things, or like you know, I just got an inheritance, I should donate to this girl's mutual Aid fund, she looks like she needs it. Like, I don't think that people realise how easy it is to directly impact people that they might pass in life. There are real people in real life who need help.
With everything going on in America and the UK surrounding being trans, can you talk about the importance of visibility for Black trans creatives today, and how you hope your work contributes to that?
I don't get the hoopla. I think Trans people are super cool, like don't you think it's freaking cool how malleable the human body is?! Why is this not a science thing like, we have all this science and technology – that's freaking fab. I look at myself and I think to myself, that's wild. I transitioned when I was 19 years old, and look at me now: I just love how I look. I love everything about my body. I'm like, that's so awesome, and every time I see trans people, I think, 'Wow', that is very interesting and very cool. I can't imagine how much more technology could advance in the next 20-40 years. It's like we should just be fascinated with humanity and the growth that humanity can achieve, versus focusing on one group of people that's probably less than 5% of the population all around the world. Also, I'm like, well, there must be something magical about this percentage of people that people are trying to legislate them to disappear, that's so freaking weird. I just think that we are a group of people on Earth that have access to something that other people don't. Some can't handle it, and I feel bad for them. So, my thing for other trans people is just to really settle into the idea that it's okay that people don't get you, and it's not okay for them to try to erase you. It would be impossible for them to. We just have to keep pushing forward. That's all I can say, because it doesn't make any sense to me.'