Interview: Russell Blake Russell – Talking New Chapters, We Are Sovereign, Solo Plans, Endorsements, and Much More!

Don’t Fit The Mold, Set It On Fire

Words to live your life by and words that define who Russell Blake Russell is. The We Are Sovereign vocalist has entered a new chapter in their life, and in this interview, we explore what that means.

1. Hello Russell. It is an absolute pleasure to be speaking to you and thank you for giving me your time. Of course, this is not the first time you and I have spoken, but I have a feeling this might be our most important interview to date. So, first things first, how are you and how is life overall right now?

Hey! It’s a pleasure to be speaking to you too! It’s definitely not the first time, haha! Good to speak to you again!

I’m really good, thank you, as well as I can be with the journey I’m currently on with my gender reassignment. I feel more focused and disciplined than ever. There are good days and bad days, unfortunately more bad than good at times, and it’s definitely an emotional and physical rollercoaster. But I’m focused on the end goal. I’m pretty resilient and headstrong, so I try to focus on the positives and keep myself as well as I can be in the situation I’m in!

2. You have been on an incredible journey, the past few years, both personally and professionally. What does it feel like to be starting this brand-new chapter?

The past few years have definitely been amazing, but they’ve also been incredibly challenging at times. Honestly, it feels incredible to be starting this new chapter of my life. I’ve always said how important it is to live as your true self, and over the years I’ve gradually ticked off all the boxes needed to do that. Right now, I’m on the final steps of that journey. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my mind. I feel excited about life and I look towards the future with a lot of positivity. It genuinely feels like a fresh start, with new opportunities, new goals and a new vision for what’s ahead.

3. A new chapter, a new name. What made you decide to go with Russell Blake Russell?

Russell is my original surname, so that was definitely staying put! I love the name Blake and felt it had a really cool ring to it. Russell was also a strong candidate for my first name because all of my northern friends, where I was born and grew up, have always called me Russell or Russ anyway. It was only when I moved away from my hometown that my old first name really came into play. My solo project is called RUSSELL as well, so everything just seemed to fit together naturally. I went back and forth on a few different ideas, but when I wrote Russell Blake Russell down in full for the first time, I instantly thought yeah that’s the one!

4. You have been very open and honest about your gender reassignment journey in your own unique way. It’s been really informative and inspiring. Why have you chosen to talk so openly about what you’ve been going through?

Thank you, that’s really lovely to hear!

Throughout my career as a musician, I’ve always been very open about who I am, my sexuality, my gender dysphoria and what I stand for. I’ve never been afraid to be vulnerable through my music and lyrics.

I wanted to share this journey for a number of reasons, but the biggest one is education. I wanted people to see what this process actually looks like from a real human perspective.

There is so much negativity and hatred surrounding the subject, and I think a lot of that comes from a lack of understanding. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware there are people in the world who choose to hate regardless but if there’s an opportunity to educate, create understanding and spread awareness, I’m always going to take it.

Everybody’s journey is different. We’re not just labels or categories, we’re real human beings going through incredibly difficult experiences simply to feel comfortable and at peace within ourselves. I think it’s important to show the reality of that.

Something I’ve not spoken about publicly very much is that my cousin Alice sadly took their own life in 2021. They were also in the process of discovering their identity and experienced bullying and a lot of difficulties along the way. As a family, we never expected that outcome. It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life, but it’s also a huge reason why I’m so passionate about sharing my own journey. More than anything, I want to help create
change.

If I can inspire people, educate people and potentially help save lives through sharing my experiences, like I did through We Are Sovereign, then I’ll give it everything I’ve got.

5. What has been the most challenging part of the journey so far?

There have definitely been a lot of challenging moments. I think having to put We Are Sovereign on pause has been the hardest part. The band is everything I’ve ever known and it’s always been my main focus. No matter how I was feeling, being able to get on stage, pick up a microphone and scream or sing my heart out made everything else disappear. I pushed for as long as I possibly could, but once the operations started, I physically didn’t have a choice anymore.

Going from life in an active band to having my world slow right down has been a huge adjustment. Over the past few years I’ve had to see gender specialists multiple times and open up about my past and how I feel. That process alone has taken a lot out of me mentally. The build-up to my phalloplasty surgeries and my hysterectomy has probably been the most difficult part emotionally.

One challenge I never expected was avoiding second-hand smoke and vaping. It sounds simple, but it’s everywhere. Before surgery I’m tested to make sure I’m not smoking, but second-hand smoke can affect those results too. If that happened, my surgeon could delay the operation by six months. Because I spend so much time around music venues, I’ve constantly had to be aware of my surroundings. I thought it would be one of the easiest things on the list, but it’s actually turned out to be one of the hardest haha!

There are also days when I wake up and everything feels so far away. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about lost time or wishing I could speed the process up but when those thoughts creep in, I remind myself why I’m doing this and focus on the bigger picture. As difficult as it’s been, I genuinely believe this journey is helping shape me into a stronger person. Going through all of this is 100% the making of me.

6. What has been the most exciting part of the journey so far?

I’d say the most exciting part is slowly realising that everything I’ve ever dreamed of is becoming a reality. The path to becoming my authentic self is finally happening in real time. It’s no longer me waking up every day wishing I could have a certain body or wondering if I’d ever be able to have children. Now I wake up knowing I’m in active steps towards both of those things.

Meeting my phalloplasty surgeon in person, discussing expectations and seeing examples of end results really brought it home that this was actually happening and not just something I hoped for one day.

I also had some tests regarding the functioning of my ovary as part of my fertility journey and found out I was healthy enough to begin the process of freezing my eggs. That was incredibly exciting because it’s something I’ve always wanted. I actually came out of the appointment crying because I was so happy!!

After my hysterectomy I was only allowed to keep one ovary, so I honestly didn’t have the highest hopes. There have definitely been scary moments throughout this journey, but there have also been some really exciting ones too.

7. Who or what (if anything) has helped inspire you to keep moving forward?

Working on my solo project RUSSELL has definitely kept me afloat. I’ve put my heart and soul into that during the break I’ve been on and it’s really helped keep me focused and grounded. I’ve spent so much time putting my head down and writing!

Women’s football has also been a huge source of inspiration. I used to play when I was younger I played for my school team, a boys’ team called Wyre Juniors, and then when the FA said boys and girls couldn’t mix, I went for trials at Blackburn before eventually playing for Blackpool Ladies so I’ve always had a strong connection to the game.

What inspires me most is the determination and resilience of the players. I find a lot of their stories relatable to my own journey. Many have had to step away from the careers they love through injury or personal challenges, only to come back stronger than ever. That’s something I’ve really connected with throughout my own experiences with top surgery and my future operations.

I support Arsenal Women, so I watch all of their games. I obviously follow the Lionesses closely, and I also watch all of the Matildas’ games too. I watch a lot of Chelsea Women’s matches as well because I think Ellie Carpenter is an absolute machine. She’s a perfect example of what I mean, she went through a serious ACL injury, had a huge period away from the game, worked incredibly hard to get back, and returned stronger than ever. It’s also been nice to actually sit down and properly watch matches rather than trying to follow them on a phone while travelling with terrible internet haha!

So yeah, women’s football has definitely been a big source of inspiration for me throughout this period. So yeah they keep me inspired in a cool way if I’m honest.

8. Has it been difficult to step back from the music scene during this period? In particular, having to put We Are Sovereign to the side for now?

100% I’ve found it very, very difficult.

It has its positives and negatives, like everything does. I miss performing, I miss being a physical safe space for people at shows and I miss everything about it but at the same time, I know I needed this time to make sure I can complete the journey I’m on.

I needed the rest. I needed the reflection time. I needed the opportunity to stand still for a while because I’ve never really had that since I was around 15 years old and started making music.

I had a short break when I had top surgery, but that’s about it. I miss everything about the band and the community we built!!

9. Speaking of which, what does the future of We Are Sovereign look like?

It looks positive and exciting!!

It still feels a long way off before we’ll be able to return, but ultimately it’ll be me coming back as my true self and us continuing to release music with strong messages, meaning and authenticity. I feel like I need to complete this chapter of my life in order for We Are Sovereign to thrive at the next level.

It’s definitely not over.

10. Tell me a little about your sE Electronics endorsement and how it came about.

I’d already been using sE microphones live for years alongside a number of other sE products.

I’ve used many microphones across my career but until I found sE, I never found one that I was like wow this is 100% in sync with my vocals. If I could have created my own custom microphone in terms of sound and physical form the sE V7 would have been the end result. My past and current work was put in front of the sE team at the time, which led to a few conversations with Toni from sE about what I was doing and how I was using the gear. From there, it developed into an endorsement and I was invited to join the sE family with it being announced this year (January 2026). sE is a brand I truly believe in and am proud to have my name associated with!

11. How important is something like this for you and does it feel validation?

I’m really proud of it and proud to be part of the sE family! Being endorsed by sE Electronics means a lot to me as a vocalist and my career as somebody who has dedicated so much of their life to music. I’ve learnt over the years that validation isn’t something you get from the outside. It comes from believing in yourself and backing what you do long before anyone else does but with this it’s incredibly rewarding to be recognised on a professional level by a company and team I have so much respect for. To be welcomed into the sE family is a huge milestone in my career and something I’m so genuinely grateful for!

12. You’ve mentioned that you’ve got a solo project planned. Called ‘Russell ect’, which is a name I love. What can we expect, sound-wise from the project, and when can we expect to hear something from it?

Thank you! I’m glad you approve of the name!

Sound-wise, it’s a complete contrast to We Are Sovereign. I’ll be honest although I still love performing heavy music, I don’t actually listen to a lot of metal these days. This project reflects who I am musically right now. There’s no screaming in it. It’s more pop-punk, pop- rock and pop, with some acoustic tracks mixed in as well. If you threw Avril Lavigne, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and MGK into a giant blender and added my own style and vocal approach, you’d probably get something close to what I’m aiming for.

I’ve focused on melody, memorable hooks and big choruses while still keeping everything relatable and based on my own life experiences. The difference is that a lot of the songs come from a more positive perspective.

As for when people can hear it, it’s still a work in progress. Most of the material is written already. Right now I’m rehearsing everything behind closed doors, polishing the final details and preparing to head into the studio. I’m also looking into launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund recording costs. As this is a solo project, everything comes out of my own pocket and I’ve got significant time away from work ahead because of my 3 future surgeries and recovery time.

I don’t want to waste any more time than necessary once I’m ready to move forward, so it’s definitely something I’m considering!

13. What prompted the decision to explore a solo project?

I think as a musician it’s really important to explore your creativity and different passions if you feel drawn towards them! I’ve always believed to never limit yourself to one genre As I mentioned earlier, I don’t really listen to much metal anymore. These days I’m more into pop-punk, pop-rock, pop, rock, dance, R&B, Motown and country music.

If I put music on to relax, it’s rarely anything particularly heavy. If heavy music comes on, I still appreciate it, but I definitely think my tastes have changed as I’ve gotten older. I’m basically not what I look like image wise, haha! I love Taylor Swift and if I get in the car you’ll find me blaring Westlife haha!

I feel like I still have so much left to give in my music career and when I started writing, these songs just flowed so naturally. I wanted to create something that reflected me solely as an individual.

14. What excites you about your future in music?

What excites me most is coming back into my career as my true self, in the right body, and being able to fully enjoy performing songs that I love.

For so many years, what should have been some of the happiest moments of my career were always clouded by the struggle of feeling like I was living in the wrong body. It’s going to be amazing to finally enjoy those moments without that constant battle sitting in the back of my mind.

I’m excited to launch RUSSELL. I’m excited to bring back We Are Sovereign as the person I’ve always been meant to be. You can’t see the physiological effects of this whole process but it’s huge it impacts your life every day it’s all you think about really. Most of all, I’m excited to step back into the music world as Russell Blake Russell!

15. We’ve talked about new chapters, but all of this makes up the story of your life. Which needs a title. What is the title of your story?

The title of my story would have to be the phrase I’ll be carrying with me throughout my RUSSELL solo project journey:

x Don’t Fit The Mold, Set It On Fire x

Links

Russell Solo Project | We Are Sovereign | Official sE Artist Profile