How Stacey ‘Hotwaxx’ Hale Revolutionized Detroit’s Music Scene as a Black Lesbian Woman

Decades later, the Ferndale Pride headliner is still setting the beat for Detroit’s music future

Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale is the embodiment of Detroit talent and grit.

When I meet her at Spot Lite Detroit on a hot spring afternoon, she’s finishing up a business meeting, dressed to the nines in a cozy Detroit Lions sweatsuit. Her blue-detailed nails, silver Detroit D earrings and blue-tinted shades say it all — she’s a true fan of her city.

And for nearly a half century the city has loved her right back.