For as long as they can remember, NEO 10Y has felt drawn to lunar cycles. The London-based recording artist attributes this affinity to their natal Moon in Cancer, one of the most sensitive signs of the zodiac. “For me, generally speaking, Full Moons are good or very moving in some way,” the artist tells Them. “I always noticed synchronicities in that.”

As both a proud spiritualist and fan of numerology, NEO has released music on numerological dates (think October 10, or 10/10) for more than six years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they began to study astrology, too. NEO soon realized they could harness the energies of certain astrological transits — in other words, the real-time movements of the planets throughout the 12 signs of the zodiac — to select release dates.

They dropped their latest track — a sultry, industrial-sounding cut called “GODDEX” — on Sunday, February 5, 2023, the same date as a Full Moon in Leo. As they explained on TikTok, NEO chose this astrological transit because it activates key points in their birth chart. The qualities associated with Leo — a bold, self-oriented Fire sign — reflect the song’s message of love beyond the gender binary. “I think using astrology and choosing a date that aligns with the message of a song helps bring the energy of the piece of art to a wider dimension,” NEO says.

NEO is unusually transparent about their use of astrological timing to pick release dates, but as an astrology enthusiast, I have reason to suspect they are not alone. I’m not the first to notice that popular queer musicians tend to drop new tunes in clusters. This happened recently on Wednesday, January 18, less than 24 hours after a particularly stagnant Mercury retrograde in Capricorn released its cosmic chokehold on the collective. Mars, the planet of action and determination, had also recently stationed direct after a months-long slug through Gemini.

One large question remains: If astrology is perpetually happening to us, then why bother being intentional with it? For one thing, it provides a sense of agency, which can be empowering for queer artists.

Take it from NEO 10Y, who once felt obligated to drop new music on Fridays even though they are an independent artist. Using astrological transits and lunar cycles to time their releases has helped them live in alignment with their spiritual values and connect with like-minded individuals through their art. “I’m very open about it because I feel like it’s part of my journey as an educator who’s also an artist to help people to do this,” they explain. “I’d love to see more of it.”

Source: them; photo NEO 10Y by Nik Pate, dress by Brian Carvalho, bicep cuff by Ada Zanditon Couture, hair, make up and styling by NEO 10Y

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