Kat just announced on her Twitter that she’s been officially added to the GLAAD Atlanta Council. Congrats Kat!

On a related note, here’s a new interview from The Advocate.
The singer-actress speaks to The Advocate about pursuing her hot single “Put Your Graffiti On Me,” her obsession with drag queens, and her close ties to the transgender community.

Although best-known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on the CW’s hit series The Vampire Diaries, Kat Graham’s true love is music. With her stunning voice and sexy choreography, her new single “Put Your Graffiti On Me” has caught the attention of names like Perez Hilton and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Jiggly Caliente. And as an appropriate rite-of-passage for the rising actress-singer, she’s even been noticed by Sherry Vine, who has has already produced a naughty parody of the song. Graham speaks to The Advocate about pursuing her music career, her obsession with drag queens, and her close ties to the transgender community.

The Advocate: I know you’ve been acting for a while, but when did you find a passion for music?
Kat Graham: Well, I was a backup dancer when I was 14 or 15 years old. That’s when I started to dance for other acts. I was pretty young. I saw what they were doing and I saw myself in the background of it. I thought that I could do what they did. I actually got into music around that time. I started making mostly beats and making tracks in my bedroom. That eventually led to everything, from working with Will.I.Am to signing to A&M/Octone Records. So it’s been a natural process. It’s been a hustle and a struggle, but it’s been great.

On that note, how did you go about booking yourself on a gay club tour just a couple of years ago?
You know, it’s so funny. It’s like you’re this little black girl walking into Fubar and talking to everyone saying, “Hey, I’d love to perform here for free if you would give me a chance.” That was the first step into everything that has become so much a part of who I am and so much a part of my performances and lifestyle in the gay community. I’ve been so completely influenced by performers in the community, drag queens especially. I feel like most of the world, or the mainstream, has the complete false perception of a drag queen or a transgender performer. There’s so much incredible beauty and style and ferociousness that goes into it. I feel like what I want to do, the more I grow as an artist and the more known I become, is to help raise that knowledge of how incredible these performers are. I feel like so many artists take different things from different queens and the originals never get any credit. For me, I’m like, “Listen, honey, I learned everything I know from a drag queen.” I’m part of a house in Atlanta, the House of Brooks, with Phoenix and Nicole Paige Brooks.

So where did your inspiration for “Put Your Graffiti On Me” come from?
Different places. One, I’ve always been about self-acceptance and self-love. I wanted to express that in sassy way, where it’s like if you want me come and get me. I wanted to put it in a song that had euphemisms. So when graffiti came about, it was perfect because I was singing about someone who I wanted, if they really wanted me, to come and put their name on it. It’s the attitude I have.

Read the full interview over at The Advocate

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