Out singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright
on Friday released a new single from his postponed album Unfollow
the Rules.
In
the aptly-titled “Alone Time,” Wainwright sings, “I need a
little alone time; A little dream time; Don't worry I will be back
baby.”
Wainwright told LGBT blog NewNowNext
that he released “Alone Time” because he wanted “to give
something back to everybody who's been so patient.”
Instead of releasing “Alone Time”
on Friday, Wainwright had planned on releasing Unfollow the Rules,
his ninth studio album. The COVID-19 crisis pushed back the release
of Unfollow the Rules until July 10.
“There was a real debate over whether
it was better to encourage people or to do it with all cylinders running. We chose the latter,” he said of the postponement.
Wainwright was also asked about
performing “Going to a Town” for fans on social media during the
coronavirus pandemic. The song, released in 2007 during the George W.
Bush administration, includes the chorus, “I'm so tired of
America.”
“It seems to have a recurring kind of
position in the dialogue here with this country that we love so much
but get so frustrated with,” Wainwright
said. “It has gotten so out of control up until now with
24-hour news and the Trump clown show. Someone said this is the
'great equalizer,' which is so untrue because not everyone is
affected by this in the same way. It’s bringing out a lot of the
fault lines once again in this country, and this is the last nail in
the coffin.”