Will Toledo is the lead singer of the American indie rock band, Car Seat Headrest (CSH). Born on August 23, 1992, this 30-year-old musician was also in charge of the band’s guitar, piano, and synthesizers.
Toledo started as a solo artist from 2010 up to 2014, releasing lo-fi and solo tracks under the alias Nervous Young Men. He later changed his name to Car Seat Headrest as he often recorded the vocals for his early albums in the back seat of his car for privacy. He later joined forces with other musicians to form a band — Ethan Ives on guitar, bass, and backing vocals, Seth Dalby on bass, and Andrew Katz on drums, percussion, and backing vocals.
CSH’s success came from the combination of highly contextual lyrics and powerful instrumentals. The band’s music ranges from danceable to slow to sombre, giving their listeners a great experience. The relatability of their lyrics is another thing, providing fans with much-needed comfort and connectivity.
The singer-songwriter never shies out from talking about sexuality in his songs, which makes their listeners wonder — is Will Toledo gay?
VOTE: What is Will Toledo’s Sexuality?
Expressing His Sexuality Through His Lyrics
Will Toledo is openly gay and that is apparent in the songs he has written.
The first Car Seat Headrest albums, which were released on Bandcamp, feature personal experiences about clumsy sexual encounters, mental health, and self-examination. And although Will never really directly specified his gender orientation, he would question his sexuality and express the significance of gender identity in general in his lyrics.
In the song “It’s Only Sex” for example, which was on the album “Living While Starving” (2013), he expressed his confusion about his sexuality with the lines below.
I don’t care about hundreds of hypothetical people and their hypothetical sex-deals. I care about me and my sex-deal. What about my problems?”
He also dropped hints about being asexual in the lyrics he wrote. Talking about liking someone not because of sex.
Sexual desires, speak! I want to hold you tight. I want to feel your love, physically. I want to sleep with you. But only in the literal sense!”
What happens if I don’t like it? I like you… It’s only sex.”
Most of the time, when talking about sex in the lyrics, the songwriter tries to keep gender ambiguous. This is not the case with “Beach Life‐in‐Death”, a track from the album “Twin Fantasy” (2011), wherein he didn’t shy away from clarifying the gender.
It’s been a year since we first met. I don’t know if we’re boyfriends yet.”
A lot of their listeners, especially those teens who were struggling with their sexuality and gender identity, found comfort in his songs. Plenty of his music, especially those that were released earlier, tackles a teenager’s struggle with both sexuality and young relationships. This makes his music relatable to the youth that belongs to the queer community.
Plus, he was not only making an impact on the lives of those who were struggling with their sexuality. He has a lot of straight fans, as well. People can definitely relate to his songs, regardless of what their identity is. And getting a crowd of straight guys to sing the line, “I pretended I was drunk when I came out to my friends,” is a huge feat already.
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Has Will Toledo Dated Anyone?
Will Toledo has really been secretive about his love life. He had never talked about his relationships.
He was, however, rumored to have dated Cate Wurtz, who was formerly known as Partydog. The pair were reported to have dated sometime during their adolescence and early adulthood. She was said to be the “inspiration” behind the critically acclaimed 2011 album “Twin Fantasy” and its 2018 remake “Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)”. The two remained friends after the breakup, with Wurtz contributing artwork to the band.
Other than Wurtz, there was no other publicly known relationship Toledo had.
Is Will Toledo Gay?
Yes, Will Toledo is openly gay. Or he could be bisexual. Or asexual. But one thing is for sure, he was not straight. Although he doesn’t really directly talk about it, he never really kept his sexuality a secret. It was apparent in the lyrics he wrote. He expressed his struggles in coming to terms with his sexuality through his songs.