Page 56 of High Notes & Hail Marys

The international mega-star delivers an intimate opus: a reflection on private life, sexuality, and—yes!—love. Captivating hooks marry lush instrumentals amid lyrical moments of raw self-discovery. And Grayson’s voice has never sounded better.

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Sterling hosts a listening party for his new album at midnight on release day. It’s on a rooftop in Sydney, Australia, which is twelve hours ahead of your time zone. At nine in the morning that day, Miami time, a courier shows up at your condo with a square package wrapped in plain brown paper. Inside, there’s a note.

Kai—

This is as early as I could handle. Remember that you promised to be honest.

xo,

Me

It’s a vinyl copy of the new album. Feeling likeyou are holding an irreplaceable treasure, you immediately stop what you are doing and flip open the top of your turntable. Your trip to the gym can wait. You close all the blinds, roll a joint (god bless the off-season), and lie down on the couch. There’s about two seconds of the homey scratch of the record, and then Sterling’s voice washes over you.

You blow smoke rings at the ceiling and hang on every word. It’s a secret thrill to be like this, cocooned in your own space, the surround-sound speakers making it seem like Sterling’s giving you a private concert. You listen to it once through, just to get a sense of the vibes, and then start the album over, paying closer mind to each song as it plays.

Track Five catches your attention. You almost ask Siri to play it again, until you remember that the technology is analog. Slightly stoned, you stumble to your feet and set the needle back in the last groove. According to the album’s slipcover, the song is called “keening.”

It’s immediately obvious that Zhavia produced the track. Sultry and thumping, it’s got a good beat. Sterling’s voice, though. It’s plaintive. Wailing, almost. It sounds like…

…well, it reminds you of the sounds he makes in bed.

had a dream, made it last all afternoon

your hands in my hair, yeah, we’re up in my room

you say you want me bad, boy, you don’t Know

better maKe it fast, I can’t do this slow

your lips on my lips, this bed made for two

i’m pleading, i’m begging, i’m Keening for you

You bite your lip. There’s no way Sterling wrote a song about you. Right? You decide that it’s unlikely. You certainly aren’t going toaskhim about it. It’s just a song about sex. Just because you’re the person Sterling is currently having sex with, that doesn’t mean you can assume he’s singing about sex withyou.

You are picturing him in Sydney. It must be almost 11 PM, and you can just imagine him pacing his dressing room, wanting everything to be perfect. The two hundred fans at the event have been hand-picked, screened, and vetted. You wouldn’t be surprised if they were fingerprinted first. Cal will be there, along with three other members of Sterling’s bodyguard team. There will be dedicated time set aside for pictures and autographs after the album is played, so nobody should be too crazy. Still, you know that these events get him wired and tense. What the space is going to look like. What he’s going to wear. The right tone to give his guests; the way he should smile and pose.

You send him a selfie, and try not to look too high.

You:tfw your bf just released the best album of the year

There are three dots for a while, like Sterling is typing something long. Or maybe just revising what he wrote, because, when he replies, it’s not that deep.

Ster ♥:You really like it?

You:love it, actually

Ster ♥:What’s your favorite song?

You:“pretty please” goes hard. It’s a great opener. funny thing is that i really love the closer too… “sound and light?” as for the middle, gotta go with “rocksteady”

Ster ♥:Congrats on identifying all the horny songs.

You:it’s all pretty horny on main tbh. parents of impressionable young graylings in shambles.

Ster ♥:It has an explicit label!

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