Billy Porter Dishes on Meaning Behind ‘Black Mona Lisa’

Determined to forge his own path, actor/singer Billy Porter took over Broadway when he performed as Lola in Kinky Boots. Not only did he praise the role for allowing him to explore his feminine side, but his time on stage won him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2013. Just a year later, he took home a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for again, Kinky Boots. And, in 2020, he made Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Porter released his fifth album, Black Mona Lisa, in November and recently discussed what the album means to him and the decision behind its name. Back in March, Porter announced the Black Mona Lisa Tour, which came with a series of concerts that seemed to encompass the artist’s life work. In a press release, he said, “It’s really the first time that I’ve been able to fully express myself and who I am through my music. Through my mainstream pop music space. It’s like my magnum opus. It’s everything to me. You’ll really get a glimpse into who I am even deeper with this music.”

Porter’s “Magnum Opus”

Fast forward to the album’s release and Porter continued to refer to Black Mona Lisa as his “magnum opus.” For those who might not know, magnum opus is defined as “a large and important work of art, music, or literature.” 

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When asked about his unique choice of wording, Porter recalled working on the album. “We probably ’bout six, eight months into the process. We had written a bunch of other stuff, and the themes and the tone were forming. I don’t remember where ‘Black Mona Lisa’ came from, I just kind of say, it kind of fell out of the sky. Like there was like a, you know, like, time stood still for about a good 20 seconds, and then like, maybe even 30. And then 20 minutes later, the song was written.”

Somewhat stunned that the name came out of nowhere, Porter admitted he used the phrase magnum opus because much like the original Mona Lisa, it is “relevant, always. Past, present and future. And that’s my goal with my legacy.”

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