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I'm Winning – The Doubleclicks' Premiere a Steven Universe-Inspired Non-Binary Animated Music Video

Portland and Los Angeles-based siblings, The Doubleclicks (aka Laser Malena-Webber and Aubrey Turner) have a new single & video in the works.

Their forthcoming LP, the book was better, will be out in early May. But first, the new video for the duo's new single, I'm Winning, is a project written and animated by 16 non-binary, trans and genderqueer artists. The song is about Laser's experience with their non-binary gender identity, and the visuals focus on non-binary fantasy heroes saving the world. The video is inspired by video games, with art referencing the likes of Pokémon, Mario Kart, Skyrim, the Dream Daddy dating simulator and, of course, Steven Universe.

Malena-Webber says "After coming out as non-binary, I wrote this song and got really excited about making a video for it. The song is about my experience, but I wanted the video to come from more folks in the genderqueer community because I wanted to represent as many folks as we could. I put the call out online to hire non-binary and genderqueer artists to participate. We had an amazing time collaborating on this project, and it was awesome to see these incredible non-binary video game heroes come to life."

"My favorite games are the ones that let you choose. Choose your clothes, choose your character, even choose how you win: whether it's World of Warcraft where you can hunt or collect plants, or Stardew Valley or Minecraft where you can mine, grow, even make friends — video games provide a lot of opportunities to escape into a fantastical world full of options. S and I co-directed the project. S designed our main characters — a party of four non-binary heroes from a fantasy world. We assigned a different section to each artist, who had their own artistic take on the characters as well as a different video game style. I'm so happy with how this project turned out."

And they will be using Kickstarter for pre-orders, kicking off tomorrow. Here's a Bleeding Cool premiere look at the video. Aren't we lucky?

Also working on the video are art Director/storyboard artist, S – artist based in Dallas, Texas who says "More than anything, I'm thankful for the opportunity to showcase the talents of so many amazing non-binary and genderqueer artists, and hope that more people will have the chance to live their most authentic lives."

And animators:

  • Cheyanne Bueno is a California-based cartoonist and illustrator who loves to look towards D&D for inspiration. They have a penchant for unapologetically creating self-indulgent characters that reflect their own personal experience as an enby person positively.
    https://milkychai.weebly.com/
  • R. Lin is a 3D artist and illustrator from Chicago. They would love to pursue a career as a sleepy bookstore cat, but willing to settle for struggling artist. You can find their work at tinyeuph.com
  • I'm Shaina, an agender/demiboy artist and animator, pronouns they/he. Loves drawing and animating cool superhuman and fantasy characters! Posts lots of animated videos and speedpaints on Youtube channel SCH Ribbit, and has a webcomic on Tapas right now called Jaden Unshaken. Hope to see you come by!
  • Alanna Secrest is a genderfluid artist from Arizona. They are graduating from NAU in 2019 with a degree in Visual Communications, and have experience in cartooning, illustration editorship, design, and animation. Alanna can be found on Twitter and Instagram @cactiforsale, and their full portfolio is available at AlannaSecrest.com.
  • Victoria Watkins is an artist based out of Greenville, SC. Although they work mainly in comics and illustrations, they also work on podcasts and music. Victoria loves romantic fiction, cute pastel art, and Kirby. Currently, they're working on an science fiction romance comic called Mid Century Modern Love, which you can read here (18+ only!): https://tapas.io/series/Mid-Century-Modern-Love
  • Jey Pawlik is a nonbinary and queer cartoonist who is the artist for the webcomics: Dead City, Gender Slices. Jey is well-known as a strong voice for nonbinary and trans people, they are active in the queer community and hope to teach others through their comics. jpawlik.com
  • Miranda C.F. Schneider is an artist and animator currently working in the NY area while also attending the School of Visual Arts. and they can be found on Twitter @aibirdy and on Instagram @mirandaclarefs and their website is https://mirandaclarefs.wixsite.com/mirandacfs
  • Annie Luu is an Asian/American illustrator that currently studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They enjoy illustrating cute and whimsical concepts.. Annie's art can be found @PortableCatnip on Instagram and Twitter.
  • Julia "Jules" Quandt is a Brazilian nonbinary freelance 2D artist, animator, and Portuguese/English translator, currently based in California. They are a retro game collector, Nintendo fan, and lover of all things animated. You can see their portfolio at http://quandtuniverse.carbonmade.com
  • Brittany Arnold is a 2D animator from Illinois. She likes watching cartoons and drawing cartoons. Twitter: unluckylungs Instagram: luckylungs
  • Em Stema (they/them) is a nonbinary freelance artist who makes animations, storyboards, illustrations, and comics about every little thing that catches their interest. http://steemie.tumblr.com/
  • Kira Davis: Kira Davis is a nonbinary animator and illustrator currently in school for Animation Production at AUB. They're from the West Coast USA but go to school in the UK. They love cute things, fanfiction, and sleeping. You can find them at twitter.com/kiradraws and kiradavis.artstation.com/
  • Geo Barnett (they/them) is a transgender 2d animator, illustrator & zinester living in Brooklyn, NY. http://www.geobarnett.com/
  • Leah Lindsaychen is a freelance animator, musician, writer, and social pariah. From time to time, she hosts the Tales of Insecurity podcast, an anthology of post-modern existential horror, and is currently on tour with her tiny low-resolution cover bug band, The Pixlies. For more information on her current projects or to commission her services, visit http://talesofinsecurity.com.
  • Dhurata Mehmetaj is a Baltimore-based illustrator, animator, and comic artist whose work revolves around fun and movement. through the development of a wide variety of characters, Dhurata tells grandiose stories of worlds seen and imagined.

The Doubleclicks recommend hiring and working with all of these people. More information about all of the artists involved in the video can be found here:

The Doubleclicks mix comedy, social justice and feelings in charming, catchy songs. Since debuting with a weekly YouTube songwriting project in 2011, the Doubleclicks have carved out a space in geek and songwriting communities with their message of empowerment and their penchant for involving their community of listeners in the creation of their music and videos.

Sometimes called "nerd music" or "kids music," the Doubleclicks reach beyond these labels to create meaningful music making audiences laugh and cry. Doubleclicks songs have been featured on several NPR programs, college radio stations and all around the Internet. The band's fanbase frequently participates in their music videos and have funded four albums via Kickstarter projects, raising a total of more than $220,000.

The Doubleclicks' 2012 album Lasers and Feelings, 2015 album President Snakes, and 2017 album Love Problems hit the Billboard charts and they play everywhere from music venues to comedy clubs, game stores, San Diego Comic-Con, San Francisco Sketchfest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival and JoCoCruise. They've appeared with the likes of Wil Wheaton to Rebecca Sugar.

And now… on Bleeding Cool. How the mighty have fallen. Oh go on, let's have some quotes.

  • Described as a "nerd-pop-folk duo from Portland, Oregon" on their YouTube page, wrote "Sexist Bullshit (Christmas Song)" to remind everyone what feminists really want this holiday season: "The ability to make sexist assholes disappear." – Huffington Post
  • "Even those musicians who may not be casting about for extra work are finding charm in writing custom music for weddings. Among them are… the Doubleclicks, a duo based in Portland, Ore., whom Webber says specializes in songs she describes as 'snarky, geeky and sweet.'" – The New York Times
  • "[The Doubleclicks] write and sing songs that are as direct and relatable as a long phone call to your best friend." – Bitch Magazine
  • "It's no secret, we love The Doubleclicks" – i09
  • "Our favorite nerdrocking cello heroes" – BoingBoing
  • "Everyone with a heart should find something to love in the Doubleclicks" – Portland Mercury

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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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