Rita de Los Angeles - Pride, Protest and Panic Attacks

This week, In the Key of Q welcomes Rita de Los Angeles, a country singer-songwriter whose journey has taken her from the streets of Los Angeles to rural Germany. With her unique blend of country, Americana, and indie folk rock, Rita has carved out a distinctive space for herself as a proudly queer artist in the international country music scene.

Born to Arab immigrant parents who filled their home with country music, Rita's relationship with the genre has evolved through remarkable life experiences. At fifty-five, she's built a life in Germany with her wife of sixteen years, performs to sell-out shows, and has just released her Pride anthem, "Not Even a Little," dedicated to Dykes on Bikes.

In this candid conversation, Rita shares stories of her early activism with Queer Nation and ACT UP, her forced migration due to unequal marriage laws, and how singing unexpectedly became her medicine during a period of debilitating panic attacks.

[00:00:00] - Introduction

[00:02:00] - Rita's stage name and life in Los Angeles

[00:04:11] - Being a native Los Angeleno and immigrant families

[00:05:51] - Egyptian parents' migration to the US

[00:08:24] - Discussion on attitudes toward international conflict

[00:10:24] - Early activism with Queer Nation and ACT UP

[00:13:10] - LGBTQ+ environment in 1980s-90s Los Angeles

[00:15:29] - Shutting down anti-gay church services

[00:19:02] - Who are the Dykes on Bikes?

[00:20:40] - Country music influences and family connections

[00:25:48] - Ageism in the gay community

[00:28:12] - Creating inclusive spaces through music

[00:30:48] - The transformative experience of seeing diverse couples slow dancing

[00:35:04] - The story behind "Home Is Where the Heart Is"

[00:40:03] - Separation from family during COVID

[00:42:32] - Discovering singing as therapy for panic attacks

[00:46:48] - The fifteen-year-old self segment

[00:51:13] - Two minutes on living your dreams

[00:54:24] - Gateway track: "Not Even a Little"

• "Slow Dancing" - A ballad inspired by seeing diverse couples slow dancing at one of Rita's performances in a rural German bar
• "Home Is Where the Heart Is" - A poignant reflection on being forced to leave the US due to unequal marriage laws
• "Not Even a Little" - Rita's Pride anthem dedicated to Dykes on Bikes, described as "country disco" with hip-hop rhythms

Rita de Los Angeles is a country singer-songwriter now based in rural Germany, just outside Cologne. Born and raised in Los Angeles to Egyptian immigrant parents, Rita spent her early adult years as an activist with Queer Nation and ACT UP before building a successful career in film and television marketing. After meeting her German wife 23 years ago, Rita was forced to leave the US due to immigration laws that didn't recognize same-sex relationships.

At age 55, Rita has reinvented herself as a musician, discovering that singing helped cure her debilitating panic attacks. She now performs regularly in rural Germany, including in churches—places she once protested against. Rita donates her streaming royalties to Immigration Equality, an organization supporting LGBTQ+ immigrants.

"I was just an angry bird. And I wanted to put myself on the street and stop traffic and shut down these church services." - On her early activism

"My heart is always in two places. When I go home to California, I miss my kids, I miss my wife. And when I'm in Germany, I miss my dad, I miss my...