Bonnie McKee’s bold pop melodies aren’t only a musical escape for her devout fans; they ignite a flame of hope, illuminating a path to self-discovery by embracing life’s ups and downs.

McKee’s unique talent was evident as she embarked on her musical odyssey, securing her first label deal with Warner Bros. at the tender age of 16. McKee left Warner after her first album, Trouble, failed to achieve commercial success, and she struggled to maintain her creative voice as a signed artist.

Soon after her departure from the label, she found remarkable success in songwriting, wielding her lyrical magic to co-write massive hits with pop titans like Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Cher that earned double-platinum and diamond accolades and a Grammy nomination. From the start, McKee was an unstoppable creative force, but her dream has always been her own pop stardom.

After fighting tirelessly to gain creative freedom in her ensuing deal, with Epic Records, McKee finally emerged victorious as an artist in her own right. But, in a legal twist that predated the Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun battle royale, she learned that she didn’t own the masters to her unreleased studio album, Hot City.

In 2020 McKee discovered a massive online forum filled with fans calling for the release of the album, inspiring her subsequent creative undertaking. Now, nine years later, McKee is redefining stardom on her terms, ready to share the re-recorded tracks for the long-awaited album that could well have been called Hot City (Bonnie’s Version).

On the eve of Pride, we sat down to talk to McKee about the indie artist’s life and the decade-long road to the release of Hot City, so eagerly awaited by her devoted queer fan base.

Hot City was released on 5/31. It features re-recordings of songs like “I Wanna Fuckin’ Call You,” “Forever 21” and, of course, “Hot City,” along with a new track, “Snatched.” How did it feel to finally get it out into the world?

It feels so liberating. I’m so grateful, especially to the fans who have stuck with me all this time because, you know, those songs never came out. I played them live and the fans came out, saw the shows, and they remembered them. I thought that I had to abandon them, and I was so heartbroken because I loved them so much. Honestly, seeing all of their comments, seeing the forums and hearing them ask for it online really inspired me to dust it off, re-record it and release it. It always deserved to see the light of day, and it feels so good to have supportive fans to help me do that.

You’re a multihyphenate creative, working in the music industry for over a decade, starting out in songwriting with immense success with pop giants like Katy Perry, Britney Spears and one of your dream collaborators, Cher, to name a few. How did your journey from songwriter and major-label singer to indie artist come about?

Well, I actually started out as an artist. I got a record deal when I was 16, moved to Los Angeles and had the whole thing where everybody was telling me that I was the next big thing, and I believed them. And then, when it didn’t work out, I sort of spiraled down and started at zero again, which I think is a really important experience, being humbled in that way; I think falling on your face is really important for creative people and for people in general. It’s important to fail so you can learn how to get back up again.

So I started writing songs kind of out of necessity and accidentally became a hit songwriter. That was never my plan; it was always supposed to be sort of a means to an end to get me back in the driver’s seat as far as being an artist. Before I left Epic, I’d put out “American Girl,” and it did pretty well. Then the label and I didn’t see eye to eye on what the second single was going to be. I was kind of having PTSD from my first record deal, and I was just, like, “I don’t really want anyone between me and my audience.” So I put out [2015’s] Bombastic and really got my hands dirty and learned what it meant to be indie, and I love it.

What is “Hot City?”

Hot City is an escape, a place you go to escape all of your real-world problems. There’s a lot of fantasy involved. Hot City was the destination in my mind when I wrote the album, where it was, like, “If I make it to Hot City, then I’ve made it.” I think over the past 10 years, I’ve learned a lot about what my idea of success is and what I think Hot City used to be: being #1, winning a Grammy, or whatever it is. Now, it’s really just about the experience for me; it’s about the journey. I know it’s so cliché, but it’s so true, and it’s been a really important lesson for me to learn. I was making success, or my idea of success back then, into my higher power, and that’s a really dangerous place to be, because I have no control over whether or not people like it, whether or not it’s a hit. All I can control is the experience that I’m having and whether or not I’m enjoying that. Hot City is about living in the moment and looking to the future without knowing what it holds but loving the journey and staying open to your destination.

So many of your themes resonate deeply with the queer community. Online fan communities are so intertwined with an artist’s life right now through TikTok and Instagram, and there seems to be such an emotional connection to your work and an excitement from the community for Hot City.

The queer community has really kept me going. I feel so welcome and so seen. I feel like they really pay attention to lyrics, which I don’t know that everybody does; some people just like that there’s a beat. But I feel like there’s so much great feedback about the lyrics—people are paying attention. That means a lot to me.

You’ve been the embodiment of perseverance, forging your own path creatively, professionally and personally. Do you have a piece of advice you’d give to young creatives trying to reach their own Hot City?

I think it’s important to be authentic to yourself; don’t try to be someone you’re not. Just following trends is not the way to go. If you do something and it’s different from everyone else, celebrate that. There are a lot of carbon copies out there, more of the same thing we’re already hearing. “Dare to be different” would be my advice.