'Pose' Star Mj Rodriguez Opens Up About New Music Video and Paving the Way for Young Trans Artists

Pose star Mj Rodriguez is putting her diva skills to work with a foray into music!

Earlier this summer, the 30-year-old actress-singer — who made history as the first trans woman nominated in a lead acting category for the 2021 Emmys — released her debut single "Something to Say" under the name Michaela Jaé, and she just dropped a gorgeous music video for the funky R&B track.

Ahead of the video's release, Rodriguez opened up to PEOPLE about making the move from acting to music, her influences and how she hopes to be a trailblazer for other trans entertainers.

What was the inspiration for the song?

We wanted to make sure that the song represented everyone and what we were going through collectively as human beings on the Earth, in the time of Covid-19 and elections and the Black Lives Matter movement. This was all happening while we were getting the song together, so we wanted it to really speak to everyone. We wanted also to let people know, within the song, that no matter the color of your skin, no matter the orientation, no matter the sexuality, no matter how you navigate through the world, we can really bring people together if we use our voices as one. Why not do it through joy? Why not do it through happiness? Why not do it through empowerment and liberation? That was the main goal of the song. I want to make you smile all the time, so if I did that, I'm happy.

What lessons did you take from the set of Pose to filming the video for "Something to Say"?

Just the energy. You got to keep your energy up, especially when you're the focal point. You have to make sure that you're being a light and that you're being happy and that you're lifted, because not only does it help everybody else, but it makes you feel good too. Also, just being patient. Sometimes the process is a long one, but the hard work, it's worth it. I'm so happy I'm finally delving into this and people get to see Michaela Jae.

Talk about the difference between Mj and Michaela Jaé — is it like a Beyoncé-Sasha Fierce persona kind of thing?

Everyone has been saying that! Mj Rodriguez, in the very beginning when I was starting out in my acting career, I was like, "This is the person that is the prestigious, classy, well put together actress." Versus Michaela Jaé, she is the diva, she is the shark, the songstress. That's the true me; that's the person that's inside of Mj, is Michaela Jaé, so I wanted people to really get a glimpse of who I am aside from the actress that they see on the television screen.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

My mom and my uncle were the main music heads in my life. They played music all the time around me, from Chaka Khan to Luther Vandross to Phyllis Hyman to Gladys Knight—just a slew of R&B artists that I was into on the regular. When I was 5, I got totally hooked on Michael Jackson. I'm still hooked on him to this day, but I was so, so enthralled in not only his philanthropy but the way he worked on his music and how musically inclined he was and how he lived in the music on the stage when he was performing.

I had all of those influences from my mom, then the ones that came after, now like Beyoncé, Tina Turner. I started creating this whole image and persona for myself at the age of literally 5 through 16. Even though I was young and I didn't have any space to really delve into the music industry, I just kept building on myself and kept making sure I honed my craft because I love singing and music. Those were my inspirations, and I keep them close to my heart with a lot more new ones that are around now, like Doja Cat and Chloe x Halle and SZA. I love all of them.

You broke through acting on TV, but you actually studied music first, right?

I had been trained in acting when I was younger, but my, like major, when I was 11 years old all the way until I was up until 18 years old, was voice. I was trained vocally in R&B and in classical. Then I got an opportunity to have a scholarship at Berklee College of Music. I took that opportunity, I auditioned and I got in. I studied there only for a little bit because an amazing opportunity came. But my time that I was there, I learned a lot. I majored in songwriting, but I minored in performance. I learned a lot about the music business, knowing the ins and outs of the industry. I was in my element from 19 all the way until 20 years old, then I went on to pursue my career as an artist.

Representation matters — do you have any trans or queer mentors in the music industry?

There's not a lot of trans women who are in the music industry. I don't, unfortunately, have that right now, but I do see a lot of my sisters who are in my age bracket who are part of the next generation, which I'm living for, like Kim Petras. The girls are showing up. That's my inspiration. If I had any kind of mentorship, it would be my sisters out here really pushing and making it happen for all of us. Hopefully one day we will be the mentors to the ones that are coming after us. How Michael Jackson and Beyoncé and Chaka Khans were my mentors to look up, hopefully down the line, these young ones look to me and say, "I want to be her."