Cole Haden

Model/Actriz is a punk rock band with an out and proud singer named Cole Haden. The group was formed in 2016 with Cole and members Ruben Radlauer, Jack Wetmore and Aaron Shapiro. 

For 10 years, they have created music together, starting with their debut record Dogsbody in 2023 and most recently Pirouette in 2025. This has led the quartet to the music festival Coachella this year and to a sold-out show at Thalia Hall, where Cole spoke backstage before this gig. 

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Are you from Boston?

CH: (Cole Haden) The band is originally from Boston, but I am from southern Delaware. We are stationed in New York now. 

JN: Are you the only queer member in the band?

CH: Yes. 

JN: Is that your shirt on the hanger with the beads?

CH: Yes and it is what I will wear around the venue before and after for photo opportunities. 

JN: Is fashion your favorite part of your day?

CH: Yes, but I don’t like a quick change. One time, the whole back half of my pants came off and I had to scurry offstage to tie everything together. 

JN: You need a costume assistant to help you. 

CH: There was, but the venue was hard to maneuver around.

JN: I saw you ran out into the crowd at Coachella. Is that a regular part of your live performances?

CH: Yes. This is the first band I have ever been in and my background is in theater. The etiquette of the theater is for the audience to watch a performance happen on the stage. With music, there is less standardization and I started running around from the beginning. 

It came out of me growing up in theater and making people stop what they are doing to pay attention. 

It has been 10 years with the band now, so it is less about shaming people and more about choreography. 

JN: How has the band evolved over 10 years?

CH: This interview is taking place at a sold-out show at Thalia Hall and that makes me remember playing a show for five people at Subterranean. This isn’t the final destination for us in Chicago and we are still evolving while developing our act.

We are trying to find ways to engage with audiences at our concerts and I am excited to write more music. 

JN: How did you connect with Kareem Rahma for a SubwayTakes episode?

CH: I met Kareem through a friend of a friend. The offer to be on the episode was because his office was in the same building as our music label. 

It was fun and they filmed on an active subway, so there was a lot going on. 

JN: Who is your favorite “Actriz” currently?

CH: Jean Smart. Hacks is my favorite show. 

JN: You have described Pirouette as a coming-out record in the past. Can you expand on that?

CH: The record reflects a creative time when I was discovering my latent identity as a queer person through the lens of pop culture. I wanted the tone to be me as a pop star for my inner child to look up to. 

My life did get better. All of the suffering and feeling like I was alone are the things that will make me part of a community as I come out the other side of living it. 

JN: We wouldn’t have this interview if I hadn’t tracked you down as a queer singer, so that is the reward of being out and proud. 

CH: Yes, but during that time, it can be scary to make the declaration that I was different and that I deserved space in the world. That is something that I had a hard time coming to terms with. That can be a private thing and at the same time a universal experience for every queer person, no matter what their background is. 

JN: How does it feel to create a safe space at your shows for the queer community?

CH: Ever since Pirouette came out, I have been so pleased and honored by all of the queer people who come to our shows to find a safe space. Wherever we go, we are always grateful for our audiences. 

JN: Did you have a blast making the video for “Cinderella”?

CH: I did. We got our friend Kevin Zambrano to do the choreography for it. I wanted it to be the birthday party that I never had as a kid, so there was a cake and I was dressed as Cinderella. Finally, at the age of 29, I was able to have the birthday that I wanted. 

We made the video with our friends, which made it even more special. 

JN: Is the “Diva” video an homage to horror films?

CH: Yes, I love horror films. I sent Rachel Brown from the band Water from Your Eyes a mood board and they directed the video. I wanted a glamorous femme fatale and they developed it. 

This album is about bringing queerness to the forefront of the genre. 

JN: What is your favorite scary movie?

CH: Toni Collette is fabulous in Hereditary, but I also like The Shining. 

JN: So Swan Songs recently came out?

CH: Yes. The song “Thank You by Dido” could have gone on for 10 minutes because I have many stories about meeting people on the road. It’s about the safety and familiarity one can get from another person before driving away and never seeing them again.

It’s about how I felt when I took the Uber back from an apartment of a guy I had hooked up with. Hearing that song “Thank You” by Dido on the radio while heading back to the tour bus has stuck with me since it happened. 

JN: What are your plans for the rest of the year?

CH: I am excited about going to Turkey in June. I have heard how queer people are viewed in that country, so I am going to make that show extra gay. 

Model/Actriz returns to the Windy City on July 17 at The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.