For the first time in eight years, Margaret Cho has re-entered the world of music making. And with her first single, Lucky Gift, Cho has brought us a summery pop hit—a triumphant track that encapsulates the feeling of falling in love.
Margaret Cho is the definition of a queer icon. Over her 30-year career, she’s worked as a comedian, a writer, a producer, an actress, and more, and during that same time, she’s used her position as a queer, Asian-American woman to address social and political inequalities as they relate to race, gender, and sexuality.
Now, Cho is continuing this legacy with her new album, Lucky Gift, a venture that she says has been heavily influenced not only by the queer pop stars of today, but also by some deep, deep cuts from Down Under’s music scene.
“I’m so inspired by the gay pop of Chappell Roan and Troye Sivan, and before that, Phoebe Bridgers and Boy Genius, and before that, of course, Tegan and Sara,” Cho tells Not Safe For Queers. “But if we get, like, really granular, my major musical influences are Split Enz and Crowded House, and outside of that, I love Bic Runga and Flight of the Conchords—and The Beths, as well.”
“Oh, and Amyl & The Sniffers. Like, who even are we without Amy? I just love her punk sound. There’s nothing like it.”
These influences permeate throughout the entire album, and they’re encapsulated perfectly in Cho’s first single (also titled Lucky Gift). “Lucky Gift was the first song that I’d ever written completely on my own, and it just came together so beautifully,” she explains. “It’s about the experience of feeling ugly but falling in love anyway. It’s about proving that you don’t have to be beautiful or young to fall in love, and that love is for everyone.”
“It’s a celebratory song. It’s very lean-your-head-out-the-car-window. Like, it encapsulates that feeling of falling in love that is so amazing in life—and that’s why I love it.”
The remainder of the album includes tracks like Funny Man (Cho’s own tribute to the late Robin Williams), and You Can Be You (a touching message from Cho to the trans, non-binary, and other gender-queer youth of today). But the one she’s most excited for us to hear is track number five, Stevie.
“Stevie, to me, it a really beautiful, very emotional song, and it’s about my meditation teacher who had to move house and leave behind a feral cat colony,” she earnestly explains. “To me, it’s a really beautiful reflection on loss (albeit a very specific loss). And, yeah, it might be this trivial thing, but it’s actually not a trivial thing. It’s actually very deep.”
But 2024 hasn’t just been about music for Cho. In fact, in October, it was revealed that she would feature alongside the likes of Olivia Wilde, Daveed Diggs, and Charli XCX in Gregg Araki’s new film, I Want Your Sex.
“It’s really sexy, it’s really racy,” she says. “It’s like a 40s noir thriller with a super sexy cast.”
However, in this biblical year of Brat, Cho very sadly reveals that she never actually met Charli on set. “Charli really defined the year for me. She’s always been a champion for women in music, and so I was so excited to meet her, but I didn’t get to. Not yet.”
To finish off, Cho remarks, “I’m definitely Brat. I’m, like, old Brat. I’m more Chloe Sevigny Brat than, like, Julia Brat. I’m much less Gabriette and much more Chloe Sevigny.”
Margaret’s new album, Lucky Gift, is set for release on 14 February 2025. Stream the first track off the album now.