Destino: Queer Musicians Should Be Celebrated Outside of Pride Month

Denver musician Destino Mondragon, who uses they/them pronouns, says their music feels like journal entries.

“It’s a way to move on from certain chapters of my life, or welcome new beginnings in my life,” says the Denver native, who performs under the mononym Destino. “For me, that’s how I connect. I feel like sharing with people the true feelings you are feeling. People resonate with that.”

Mondragon’s heavily electronic music sounds as though it's been sent back in time from a very queer future. Their latest record, Starcrasher, is a collection of emotions and experiences that showcases how Mondragon is changing as a person and advancing as an artist, while also healing their inner child on a journey of self-expression, self-discovery and futurism.



“This project really showcases that,” Mondragon says. “There are a lot of songs about love, heartbreak, sobriety, and struggling with that sobriety. I’m kind of opening up about that.”

Mondragon performs at Meow Wolf on Wednesday, June 1, and headlines a Starcrasher release party on Friday, June 3, at Universe. They have planned some choreography, lights and a lineup of fellow queer artists from the Denver area.

On Starcrasher, Mondragon follows up on sonic concepts touched upon in the 2021 EP When the World Was Ending, such as a creative use of AutoTune, which has been integrated into the production more seamlessly on the new record. Mondragon says the album reflects the confidence they feel in who they are as a person, adding that they have more of an idea of how to contribute to Denver's art and music scene.

“I feel like, as a nonbinary person, I have been really able to explore my identity and my personal expression on this project,” Mondragon says. On When the World Was Ending, "I was getting experimental with vocal production and intermingling my identity through the use of vocal modulation. I feel like on this project, I've really translated that into the production and the songwriting.”

They are still exploring their sound, and the record, while it’s undoubtedly music by Destino, crosses multiple genres.

“The way I’m really able to convey that expiration and discovery of music and sound through this album is because there is literally music across the spectrum,” Mondragon says. “There’s some low tempo. There’s some rap. There’s some upbeat electronic disco stuff. It’s a little bit all over, showcasing what I’m trying to test out.”

Mondragon adds that it’s important to show growth from project to project, and says they have seen each progression as breaking a glass ceiling. While pondering what they would call breaking the final glass ceiling, Mondragon landed on the new album's name: Starcrasher.

Mondragon worked with a bevy of fellow queer experimental-pop artists on the record, including Umami Goddess, JBBBittner, Rae Renee and Tyler Ashton. Mondragon also performs with queer artists through the production company Wide Eyed Entertainment, including Alice Kane Wolf, Cau5er, Kill Kill Bite Bite and Dragon Drop. Denver boasts a healthy number of artists on the queer spectrum — enough to consider the community its own scene — and Mondragon takes inspiration from them.

“With this project, I really wanted to focus on working with all queer creators and just amplifying that,” Mondragon says. “That unique voice is sometimes overlooked by a lot of people.”

As Pride Month begins, the celebration of all things LGBTQ has become corporatized and basically a money grab for different businesses, says Mondragon: “People need to stop only booking queer artists for Pride shows. We literally exist every other month of the year, and we deserve to be seen in more spaces.”

They add that queer people deserve more safe spaces, especially in light of recent and ongoing political attacks on LGTBQ people and their very existence. Pride month, Mondragon says, is a time when everyone needs to be reminded that queer people exist and they matter.

“We are going to be here no matter what,” they say. “I want to be able to create and provide spaces for queer people to share their art and their existence throughout the year, not just Pride.”

Mondragon adds that they are still discovering who they are as a person, but they're enjoying the journey.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” they say. “But I’m doing a good job. I’m paving my own lane and planting those seeds.”

Destino performs at the Indie 102.3 Pride Party at Meow Wolf, 1338 First Street, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1. A Starcrasher release party happens at Universe, 1869 South Broadway, at 7 p.m. Friday, June 3. Tickets for both events are available at destinomakesmusic.com. Starcrasher will be available to stream on all platforms on June 1.