EXCLUSIVE: Sir Ari Gold Talks Sexuality & Religion

Billboard Top 10 Recording Artist, Sir Ari Gold, has been entertaining audiences since the young age of 6. He was recently featured on our ‘Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men’ list, and now Sir Ari has joined us to discuss his latest music video, ‘My Favorite Religion’.

Sir Ari Gold made his television debut on the legendary ‘Joe Franklin Show’, leading to a gig singing for Diana Ross and Jem and the Holograms. Gold has won the Independent Music Award, Output award, the Grand Prize of the USA Songwriting Competition. Gold was recently knighted for his art and activism by The Imperial Court of New York, and has been featured on VH1, MTV, NPR, IFC, BBC, Fox News, Top of the Pops, HBO, LOGO, and much more.

Gold’s most recent album, ‘Between the Spirit & the Flesh’ has received critical acclaim since it’s release in 2011. His latest music video for the single, ‘My Favorite Religion’ has created a lot of discussion (and debate) due to it’s meshing of sexuality and religion.

Watch the video below before reading our conversation with Sir Ari.

Congrats on the success of your latest album 'Between the Spirit & the Flesh'. How is this album different than your previous releases?

This album is more beat driven, harder and more electro—no ballads this time. “My Favorite Religion” is the closest to a ballad on the album. But like my past albums there’s a theme that carries through the whole album that comes from a deeply personal place.

This is the first album you've released under the name 'Sir Ari'. Why have you chosen to adopt that moniker?

It’s the first album I’ve released since I was knighted by the Imperial Court Of New York, which is one of the oldest Human Rights Organization in the world. It also helps on search engines distinguish me from my doppelganger on Entourage. But I’m quite proud of my knighthood. I received it at the Night Of A Thousand Gowns, which is such a cool charity event. Very New York.

Your new music video for the single 'My Favorite Religion' is very thought-provoking and beautifully shot. Can you tell us about the meaning and symbolism in the video?

It was directed by David Graham from New York and Alessandro Calza from Italy. The concepts and images were definitely collaborative. The song was born out of my own personal exploration of religion, spirituality and sexuality. The priest is played by Alessandro. He made a very sexy priest. For me, articles of prayer like teffelin were not divorced from eroticism. And teffelin itself is supposed to represent a mind, body, soul immersion. One pair in the video is actually my Father’s. Freud would have a field day with that one!

In the video, you search for love in various religious institutions. Is this true in your life? Have you found yourself and/or love in religion?

The song is a love song. My favorite religion could be anything....I wouldn’t say that I have found myself in religious institutions but I’d say that I have searched for myself in them. I certainly have found joy and pleasure in religious institutions as well as shame and pain.