The creation of "Straight Until You Kissed Me" is a story of resilience and artistic rebirth. It emerged from a deeply personal place, transforming pain into powerful music. Special thanks to the talented individuals who inspire Ethan to bring this song to life and share its profound message with the world.

The Song That Became The Story

By Ethan Scott Grey

This song is the heartbeat of the entire film. “Straight Until You Kissed Me” the song came first—it wasn’t written to fit a story, it became the story.

In the summer of 2025, I was going through one of the most painful chapters of my life. As a gay man, I made the decision to walk away from a 16-year relationship in order to save my own life. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had already given up my singing and acting career for two years trying to hold that relationship together, and when it finally ended, I found myself lost in a deep depression, barely able to function.

The only way I knew how to survive it was to write. I started pouring everything I was feeling into music—every ounce of heartbreak, confusion, loss, and longing. Then a friend of mine, a music producer, reached out and encouraged me to come back into the studio. He shared music from an artist who had gone through a similar breakup.

When I listened, something in me cracked open. It wasn’t just the sound—it was the honesty. It gave me permission to feel everything I had been trying to hold in, and more importantly, it reminded me that I wasn’t alone in it.

That moment became the turning point.

After spending endless nights listening to that artist’s music and crying myself to sleep, I found out that he was also an actor. So I watched one of his films, and he and his co-star completely blew me away with their performance. It woke up something inside of me that I thought I had lost forever. It was like I asked myself, what do I do now?—and something inside me answered, Get up.

So I did.

I called my friend, went into the studio, and we started recording the songs I had written. While sitting in the greenroom one day getting coffee, I had this tune in my head that I couldn’t shake. Then the words literally fell out of my mouth: “I thought I was straight until you kissed me.” I called out to my friend, asked for a pencil and paper, and started writing as the melody and lyrics poured out at the same time. Two hours later, I was sitting at the piano with a recorder and the song was complete.

The next day, we brought in musicians and recorded the original version of the track.

At the time, I had no intention of releasing it myself. My plan was actually to give the song away to the two queer actors who had inspired me, as a way of saying thank you. But then some personal drama hit—hard—and it set me back emotionally. I was still carrying so much unresolved pain from walking away from my 16-year relationship, and the depression came crashing back even stronger.

I tried to find a way to get the song to those actors, but I couldn’t make it happen at the time. So I reached out online, asking for help from the online community.

That was a mistake.

Many people misunderstood my intentions. What I meant as a genuine gesture turned into something else entirely in their eyes, and I was met with intense backlash. The situation escalated quickly—I was attacked online, and it went as far as receiving death threats. I want to be absolutely clear: those two actors had nothing to do with any of that. They were never part of the negativity.

About three weeks later, I happened to catch one of the actors on a live broadcast. I was quietly watching when some people who supported me started commenting that I was in the room. A few minutes later, he acknowledged me and asked where he could hear the song. I quickly created a link and shared it.

He listened to it live.

He grooved to it.

And afterwards, he asked me why I would give it away instead of releasing it myself. I explained my intentions, and he encouraged me—genuinely. He said, “Ethan, you need to release this. It’s really good.” His kindness meant more to me than I can fully put into words.

But shortly after that moment, the attacks intensified again. The death threats increased. I felt completely overwhelmed and defeated. I said I was going to delete the song—that it would never see the light of day. I even found myself regretting that I had ever written it.

Then one night, I fell apart.

I tried to take my own life.

My friend found me—and he is the only reason I am still here today.

A few months later, after a long conversation with another close friend, we found ourselves talking about the song again. I shared an idea I had—to turn it into a film. Something about that idea reignited a spark in me, and I went to work writing a feature-length screenplay based on the emotion and story inside the music.

Now, that script is complete, and I am actively moving into pre-production with a team.

The final piece of this journey came when I was invited to a jam session with a local pop-rock band. I introduced them to “Straight Until You Kissed Me,” and as they started playing it, I immediately heard something different—something bigger. I stopped them and decided to elevate it. The lyrics stayed exactly the same, but I wanted a more cinematic, driving sound to match the film.

About an hour later, a theatrical version of the song was born.

It had energy. It had power. It moved.

We went straight into the studio that same day and recorded it.

And for the first time in a long time—I felt alive again.

Now, I’m not just surviving… I’m creating. I’m building a feature film. I’m preparing to release my music across platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, iHeartRadio, and more.

This song doesn’t just connect to the film—it is the film. It represents the exact moment everything changes—the awakening, the risk, the truth, the pain, and the beauty of becoming who you really are.

“Straight Until You Kissed Me” is the heartbeat of the story because it was the heartbeat that brought me back to life.