Australia-born multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/vocalist G Flip (government name: Georgia Flipo) got their first pair of drumsticks at the age of nine and never looked back. After years of diligently slogging away as a drum teacher, music store employee and session drummer, the outspoken nonbinary artist is knee-deep in the hoopla of a 25-city North American tour supporting their sophomore release, the aptly titled Drummer.

Amid said hoopla, HITS got some inside tea on breaking an LGBTQIA+ artist from G Flip’s manager, Future Classic’s Megan Rasmussen, and their agent, Wasserman’s Eli Gelernter, and scored a chinwag with G about music, Pride gigs and brand deals.

Having a solid team behind an artist can make or break a career, and it’s obvious G’s team is well-versed in the “making” part of that equation.

“Queer people don’t just live in major cities—we’re everywhere—and being queer means you have a built-in community wherever you go,” says Gelernter. “You’ll find many Pride events in the nooks and crannies of the U.S. that will pay for your clients to perform. To me, this is the best way for queer touring musicians to start building fan bases in non-major markets.”

“A big challenge we faced when growing G Flip’s audience in the U.S. was finding the first core fans,” Rasmussen concurs.

“G playing a bunch of Pride shows organically grew their audience and community across the country.”

G, you’ve been playing drums since you were nine. Did playing music have a role in your journey to living as your authentic self?

Drums are the key to everything in my life; they gave me my confidence when I was a queer kid and couldn’t come out. To a certain extent, drumming helped me hide. I got to be the “drum kid” in school, not the “gay kid.”

How many instruments do you play?

In addition to drums, I play piano, guitar, bass and loads of percussion instruments, but musically I hear things as a drummer when I’m writing. Even if I’m writing on the piano, I tend to hear things percussively.

You’re finishing up a long run of headline shows and festivals, but in June you’re playing Pride gigs in major cities like Chicago, Nashville and New York. What’s the difference between playing a headlining show versus playing Pride gigs?

Pride is just a blast. It’s so fun. The energy is there, and no matter whether the crowd knows you in advance, it’s like they’re just there to root for you. I love it.

Your brand deal with Crocs got a lot of attention. What are some other brands you’ve been working with?

Just off the top of my head, there’s Uber Eats, Subaru, Jeep, Fitbit and the Australian snack brand Twisties.

What’s next on the horizon for you?

I’m getting back into the studio to work on my third album, and I’m also releasing a “drumless” version of Drummer. It’s not an acoustic version of the album—more like a reworking without drums.