Though he may not remember, the first time I met Ashton Laurence was backstage at a music showcase in Nairobi last December. He was touching up his make-up, preparing to go on stage in a blonde wig, glitter mesh sleeves, and a long red train. Moments later, as I watched him on stage, performing his hit single “Only Fan,” which, in his words, “is really the gayest possible pop song,” I immediately saw the talented pop star he is. I had heard about Laurence eight months earlier in April. The 25-year-old made rounds on social media when American popstar Nicki Minaj reposted videos of a group of party revellers in Nairobi singing her songs at a Nicki Minaj-themed party named The Barbz Nite.