Trans trailblazer Munroe Bergdorf has done ‘so much service for British society’, says ANOHNI

ANOHNI and the Johnsons have released an inspiring new music video for their first single in seven years, featuring trans trailblazer Munroe Bergdorf.

ANOHNI and the Johnsons’s new single “It Must Change” is the lead single for upcoming album My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross – and get the tissues ready, because it’s a heartbreaking plea for trans acceptance.

“The truth is I always thought you were beautiful in your own way / That’s why this is so sad,” ANOHNI sings, with social justice activist and model Munroe Bergdorf lip syncing to lyrics that describe a system in collapse.

ANOHNI, of ANOHNI and the Johnsons, has praised Bergdorf for her “service to British society”, saying: “She always impresses me with her articulate grace.

“Munroe’s dignity and ethical courage are a guiding light.”

Describing “It Must Change” and its now released music video, ANOHNI explained that:

“Many of the recordings on this record – like ‘It Must Change’ and ‘Can’t’ – capture the first and only time I have sung those songs through. There’s a magic when you suddenly place words you have been thinking about for a long time into melody.

“A neural system awakens. It isn’t personal and yet is so personal. Things connect and come alive.”

My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross features a portrait of legendary human rights activist Marsha P Johnson, reflecting the 25-year relationship with the memory of Johnson that ANOHNI has held space for in her own work.

ANOHNI’s approach since her last record has shifted, moving from someone tasked with challenging global denial to an artist seeking to support others on the front lines.

“I want the record to be useful,” she says. “I learned with HOPELESSNESS that I can provide a soundtrack that might fortify people in their work, in their activism, in their dreaming and decision-making.

“I can sing of an awareness that makes others feel less alone, people for whom the frank articulation of these frightening times is not a source of discomfort but a cause for identification and relief. 

“I want the work to be useful, to help others move with dignity and resilience through these conversations we are now facing.”

My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross by ANOHNI and the Johnsons is out 7 July.