Queer icon N3ptune takes the stage at The Truman with Sleigh Bells Aug. 10

Multi-hyphenate musician, N3ptune. // Photo by Juli Williams

N3ptune knows all. The Colorado icon fears no evil, hears no evil, and sees no evil.

“I’m out here disappointing everyone because they’re close-minded,” N3ptune says. “Love that for them.”

From his schooldays, N3ptune was heavily influenced by the world and morals of the Baptist Church. This background led to a musical melting pot of gospel, blues, and soul.

If you’re gonna try to make something good out of religion, it should—at least—include some bopping tunes.

The initial stomping ground for N3ptune came from dive bars and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) venues. Even though event production companies like AEG yield larger box office revenue, N3ptune’s momentum grew to be grandiose.

For any blossoming artist, a new venue and a weightier crowd can make it or break it. N3ptune’s big break took shape at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO.

But now, N3ptune is hopping over to KC hand-in-hand with the musical duo, Sleigh Bells. The groups teamed up after a COVID mishap led another Sleigh Bells opener to drop out last second for a show in Denver in October 2021.

After Sleigh Bells’ frontwoman, Alexis Krauss, heard the sheer power of N3ptune’s vocals during a sound check—and the response of the crowd—she invited the artist and guitarist Rusty Steve to join them for their upcoming show in Salt Lake City, UT.

The rest is history. N3ptune and Rusty Steve have been on Sleigh Bells’ summer tour ever since.

The honey-laced vocals of N3ptune are hyperpresent in his track “WHITE PONY.” Riffs-a-plenty and foot-tapping beats make the lyrics, “You leave me bare without a nickel in hand / No cane at all to help me stand,” a reverent and soul-shaping experience. The influence of soul and blues leaves us practically drooling over every measure.

The artist’s religious background held a strong impact on what he wanted to initially share with the world. This environment, paired with a long line of family musicians, spring-loaded his passion for music. “I’m an artist through and through,” N3ptune says. “An artist learning how to be a human being.”

From the beginning, venue choices around Denver were limited to dive bars. Every dream—and learning curve—has to start somewhere, right? Now that a larger platform has been obtained, more of the musician’s dreams are starting to take shape.

Though the road has been littered with well drinks and subpar venues, the collaboration with Sleigh Bells helped blow the doors off their hinges. “I want global success, I have no intention of just being American-famous,” he says.

Even with this new, larger platform as headliner support, he knows that he has an uphill battle as a queer performer at a show whose audience has, perhaps, a limited set of genre expectations for the evening. N3ptune never really had any plans for a specific audience anyway. But, if you ask him, the golden group lies somewhere in the 24-34 age group.

While priding himself on his lack of constriction, opportunity still awaits. “I don’t make music for nobody, I’ve always wanted to be worldwide,” he says. “I take a mainstream approach to underground music, taking what shouldn’t work and translating that to the masses.”

N3ptune expresses his gratitude for each and every fan, listener, and supporter. He’s taken his time to involve himself in every every aspect of the industry possible. He’s a joyful Sisyphus pushing an avant-garde boulder up a musical hill, knowing his new fans will pitch in.

Life on the road suits him. The entertainer just returned from a brief stint on tour in Canada, and the main takeaway is that Canadians are a lot more conversational than those in Colorado. Maybe there’s just something about the Mountain Time Zone that cuts small-talk short.

Either way, N3ptune will keep breaking the mold for himself. “Go ahead and underestimate me if you want to,” N3ptune says. “I work diligently and put the hard work where it belongs. That’s the moral of the damn story.”

N3ptune opens for Sleigh Bells on Aug. 10 at The Truman. Tickets for the event are available here.