"Taking the Mask Off": EVVAN Shares Essay Coming Out as Non-Binary & New Song "Falling into You"

Today, alt-folk singer/songwriter EVVAN (she/her) shares a performance of new song “Falling into You” alongside her essay “Taking the Mask Off,” about coming out as non-binary and pansexual. Specially written for and released around International Non-Binary People’s Day on July 14th, “Falling into You” and “Taking the Mask Off” both showcase EVVAN’s intimate, personal journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance as she bears her soul for all to see, hear, read, and feel.

Hailing from Long Island, NY, EVVAN has been slowly rising on the local scene over the last few years – playing local venues like The Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and Rockwood Music Hall – while releasing a slew of songs that, in addition to diving into the depths of self, simultaneously capture her folk background and pop sensibilities. She released her debut EP ‘Home’, co-produced by members of the band Milo Greene and mixed/engineered by Grammy winner Sean O’Brien, in late April 2021. A soothing, visceral record of inner reckoning and personal awakening, ‘Home’ showcases the best of EVVAN’s artistry; as she wears her heart on her sleeve through five songs that plunge into identity and community, and all the emotions that surround these complex subjects.

A previously unreleased track, the heartfelt “Falling into You” finds EVVAN shining bright as she accepts herself for who she is, embracing her identity while unveiling heavy life questions in the process. In many ways, it’s an alt-folk/country soundtrack to self-acceptance – one full of worries and wonder, inner strength, and ultimately hope.

“This song is about falling completely into the person you’re pursuing and all that goes with that, the good, the bad, and everything in between,” EVVAN tells Atwood Magazine. “For me, part of what I perceived as “bad” was my inability to understand who I was at that point. My journey coming out as non-binary was a long one and it was full of worry that I’d never live a life without judgment, mainly judgment of myself. Would I find someone who’d accept me for who I am, fully and truly? Over a year after writing this song and coming out, we filmed a live performance and just watching it fills me with courage. When I look at myself, I see someone lighter, someone who can act how she wants and dress how she wants, and not care about whatever pushback comes along with it. I finally found myself and instead of wearing countless masks, as I have in the past (pandemic aside), I can just be simply me.”

Stream “Falling into You” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and read EVVAN’s “Taking the Mask Off” to discover her music and learn more about her journey of coming out as nonbinary. EVVAN will be performing at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 on 7/28 – tickets here.

Stream: “Falling into You” – EVVAN

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Taking the Mask Off

by EVVAN

I’ve been in a self-reflective mindset over the last year or so. I’ve put myself in a much-needed self-isolated state. The quarantine holds strong ownership over this self-isolation, but I started this journey of introspection because I felt something off about myself. I didn’t feel whole; I felt as though I was wearing a disguise and blending in with the crowd because I didn’t give myself the opportunity to truly explore who I am as a person, as a human.

I lost myself in books, fiction for distraction and nonfiction for self-improvement. I picked up new hobbies; I started and finished projects. I wrote. I wrote. I wrote. I felt at times I was vomiting out my thoughts and feelings, but every time I’d read back what I wrote it was in a different language. I couldn’t figure out what I was trying to say, and moreover, I couldn’t figure out what this meant.

There were so many times I felt this out-of-body experience when I’d go into a store and not see where I’m meant to go. I’d see my physical body, but I wouldn’t see my actual being and wouldn’t see it represented anywhere around me. I’d think to myself, “What does this mean? Why do I feel this terrifying sense that I am not who I think I am? WHO AM I?”

That became the question I desperately needed to answer. Who am I?

I look into the mirror and analytically can list that I am a female with brown hair and pale skin. Cool. But why does that feel wrong? Why do I feel hesitation when I tell myself this? I mean, it’s true, right? But maybe I’m getting away from myself. Maybe I’m losing the true point I’m trying to make.

Simply put, but not so simple, I felt lost, like I was in someone else’s skin.

So where does this leave me now? Well, I talked it all out. I exhaled all the noise in my brain out into the open. And when I was through, I felt like I just endured the battle of a lifetime. I beat my enemies and won the war. I felt drained, yet I was floating. The answers were right in front of me. That’s who I am. That’s who I am! This was all a lie. Was it a lie? Did I just not look hard enough? Was it society that taught me this was who I was, or was supposed to be? Was my truth beaten down by societal norms and social constructs so that I had to actively seek it out?

Not anymore. I am free. But I am chained. I am alive. But I am targeted. I am surrounded by hate, jealousy, negativity. I am drowning in the unfairness of generational ignorance.

I’m that person so many people don’t understand. I’m that person I didn’t truly understand. I’m that person who gets mocked, who gets told I’m a fake, an attention seeker.

Call me what you want, but today I’m totally and completely me. I want people to see who I really am.

I’m non-binary.

I’m not that female with brown hair. I’m a non-binary person with brown hair. I’m not a girl. I’m not a boy.

I’m non-binary.

This realization came with a downpour of other realizations. I had this gender dysphoria that would terrorize me as a kid. Why did I want to wear something inherently masculine? Why did I enjoy looking feminine the next week? Why were those the only choices I had? Why couldn’t I just wear what I wanted, look how I wanted, FEEL how I wanted, without society feeling the need to micromanage my thoughts and label me as who they believed I was and should be?

I’ve struggled with mental illness for most of my life and some of the demons I’ve battled in the past were the voices yelling at me that I was different and that it was wrong. I became so brainwashed by society’s manipulative explanation of gender that I truly believed I could only be a girl or a boy. The stigma surrounding gender binary was something I had to abide by and if I didn’t then I had a target on my back.

Some of my earliest memories are of getting viciously bullied by singleminded kids who didn’t know any better and were essentially programmed to attack anyone who went against the grain, whether with their fists or their words, or if they were masters of multitasking, their fists AND their words.

Girl acting like boy? Cannot compute. Must destroy.

So again, non-binary is my gender, if you’re wondering. I use the pronouns she/her because any other pronouns don’t feel like me and she/her are what I’ve known my whole life. Make no mistake, this does not mean I am a girl. They’re just the pronouns I feel most comfortable using at the moment. Maybe that will change over time. I have the right to change my mind. During a recent conversation with a friend who works for a 슬롯사이트, we discussed how identities and labels evolve, much like preferences in entertainment. Maybe a new pronoun will be created and universally used and acknowledged. I have the RIGHT to change my mind. Maybe a few years from now after more self-reflection, I’ll realize a different way I want to label myself that represents me better. I have the RIGHT to change MY MIND. No one but I has the right to say who I am, nor do they have the right to judge me if in the future things change.

For those who read this entire thing, I thank you. And for those who have supported me and loved me through this process, who have held me, given me a nice kick in the arse when I needed it, and who have treated me the same regardless, I’ll never be able to express the gratitude I have for you.

Find your people. Find the people who build you up, who learn with you, who ask questions, and who will fight for you. If you haven’t found your people yet, keep searching. They’re out there and they’re waiting for you. The biggest reason I feel brave enough to step out of the disguise and reveal who is underneath is the people I’ve surrounded myself with. My people let me live my most authentic life and encourage me to be who I want to be.

Simply, me.

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