I Am America

Words and Music by Shea Diamond

Arranged by Charles Beale

You may recognize I Am America from the HBO show We’re Here where small towns in America put on drag shows with the help of queens like Bob the Drag Queen, Latrice Royale, and Eureka O’Hara. Shea Diamond’s high energy song served as the opening theme for the show’s four seasons.

While Shea Diamond and her co-writers Justin Tranter (songwriter, singer, activist) and Eren Cannata (producer, singer, songwriter) were in the midst of creating I Am America, they received a call. The deadline for the final product was moved to 24 hours away. Within that time they finished the writing, recorded vocals, and recruited Cannata’s family to record the bombastic horns.

The end product is a propulsive song that proclaims that queer people are also part of the American story, even when it hurts us, even when it doesn’t want us. Diamond (whose first name is pronounced Shee-uh) is a singer-songwriter and transgender activist. She came to songwriting during her time in prison, developing a poignant style to match her powerful voice. As Justin Tranter explained on the Switched on Pop podcast, she is the perfect person to declare the song title. She is America: marginalized on multiple axes and as vital to our country as anyone else.