Sometimes, a situation will call for ripping off the proverbial bandaid and just dealing with whatever fallout comes after. Other occasions, however, suggest leaving the bandaid on. Wrap it well and tight. Bury it in soft peat. Resolve yourself to never, under any circumstances, giving it so much as a glance. Forget it exists altogether.
That seems to be the case for Justin Fancy’s “Beauty Queen,” a song about the kind of heartbreak you don’t want any air getting at, and the best way to handle that is never looking back. At least until some of the sting has gone out of it.
Fancy—currently MusicNL’s reigning Country Artist of the Year and Rising Star of The Year—might be indulging in one of the great clichés of country music, but says that “Beauty Queen” is a bit of an exception, since it ditches the mournful wallow of heartache in favour of something more upbeat.
“I’ve never been afraid of wearing my emotions on my sleeve,” says Fancy. “Bad break-up songs may be cliché, especially in country music, but I see this song as a positive spin on looking forward and not dwelling on the past. It’s the kind of song that I know my fans will be singing along to while embracing the meaning behind it.”
The way Fancy sings about the beauty queen’s “pretty blue jeans” suggests he might not be entirely over it, even if he’s not looking back and certainly not letting on that he’s been thinking about said jeans.
Besides finding its way onto streaming services today, Fancy announces that he’ll be performing “Beauty Queen” as part of the Press Play At Home concert series at Grammy.com. Fancy is the first Canadian Country Recording Artist to be invited by The Recording Academy to take part in this performance series.
“When I heard the Recording Academy had invited me to perform ‘Beauty Queen’ I was absolutely floored,” says Justin. “My journey as a recording artist has been nothing short of amazing so far, and now I’m being given a unique opportunity to perform for a whole new audience south of the border and beyond. I’m really looking at this as a huge stepping stone in my career.”
Fancy will be performing “Beauty Queen” on Grammy.com on Thursday, October 28.