You know, without a roof over my head, meals in my tummy every night, and the support to live comfortably while working a job that allows me peace of mind despite not making too much, this album would have never happened.

Mom: Thank you for sharing my music taste and excitement over bad bitches in pop music and rap. I wouldn’t be so unapologetic about my love for the genres if not for you.

Dad: Thank you for always supporting my obsession with Nintendo. I remember you taking me to the cheesiest launch events and years of listening to me babble on about the latest games and happenings. Without that support and landing space for my love for gaming, this project would never have happened!

Francis: Thank you for always playing Mario Kart with me growing up. It has come to define my love for music and clearly has influenced how I work creatively. I have such great memories playing Double Dash with you. Hope there will be many more with Mario Kart World and every other game they put out! Congratulations on your top surgery. I’m so proud!

Gracie: Thank you, over these past five years, for always listening to my remixes. I love what I do, and have always done it for myself, but it hasn’t always been easy having nobody to share this creative work with. Whenever I see you, you always have an open ear for my latest work. And that means the world. Thank you, too, for loving Kesha as much as I do!!

Molly: Thank you for always being there for me, even when you’ve been so far away and dealing with the stresses that come with being a new parent. Your patience especially in these last years that haven’t been filled with the color and success I always hope for means so much. I hope Gigi’s a Nintendo girl!

Bark & Vine is a small queer-owned plant shop in New Haven, CT. It also happens to my place of work! And how lucky am I for that. Bark and Vine has come to mean so much to me, especially as it has allowed me to express myself fully in a work-setting, something I had never experienced prior. The team’s support while I’ve worked on this stuff on the side, and their constant encouragement of my silliest and nerdiest sides has allowed me to truly bloom over the last year.

Olivia: Thank you for being such a great manager, business partner, but most importantly, friend over the last year. Things haven’t always been the easiest while we try to run a small business in Trump’s America, so I just wanted to say it especially means so much that you’re able to find the humor and joy in everything we’ve worked on this year. You help keep me sane and on track, and you’ve filled me with so much confidence. Thank you!!

Ruby: I haven’t known you long, but I just wanted to say that you’re probably one of the most colorful, fun people I’ve ever met! Thank you so much for the encouragement in this project and for the countless wonderful, insightful conversations about topics ranging from Sabrina Carpenter’s new album to the big ideas we’re dealing with in culture and society right now. Playing you Mother Kart and seeing your reaction inspired me so much to make this perfect, so thank you for that!

Ralph: Thank you really for all that you do. This shop, the community that’s formed around it, the philosophy that has rubbed off on all of us. It’s worked wonders in my life and has me believing in magic! And thank you, too, for making it so I can experience working with a queer boss. It has been really special.

Troupe!!! I’ve only been going to your bar for a few months, but it has truly been the most magical, inspiring experience. Gay bars can be a challenge for me as someone who has faced pretty tough shit at em before. Every time I’ve gone to a gay bar in the last few years, I’ve left triggered and upset. But that never happens at Troupe: The community you guys have built, the people you’ve attracted to your events, and the overflowing pride you all embody has inspired me in not only my creative pursuits, but in growing as a person, too! I’m more colorful, prouder of myself, and outgoing because of the home I’ve found in Norwalk. How crazy that I’ve been around CT all this time, and the place to be wasn’t even 20 minutes away. Lucky me!

Jessy! I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to support all of us at Bark & Vine. It’s been really nice to have a friend in the community who is as passionate about creating and bringing people together as us. I really hope that NewHavenIRL pops off and can’t wait to see what it blossoms into. Thanks for the advice with the site, too. Saved me hours!

Thank you for the experiences, the characters, the endless fun over the years, the friendships that have been colored by time spent playing your games, and of course: All the music!

Oh, and thanks for making that theme park. All the love for Mario Kart that I saw in person really helped inspire this whole project.

Thank you for inspiring me to always continue doing what I love even through assault, PTSD, and the experience of such a large part of your world turning on you for seeking help for the pain you lived through. I empathize with your story and look up to how bold your personality is in spite of all that. There’s a reason you’re all over this album.

We were supposed to listen to this album on Halloween: It was part of the creative process for me, a ritual for its success, and was what we agreed to do weeks prior. That’s not what happened that night.

I hope you enjoyed Mother Kart. Check out a few of the albums I made following that night… you owe me that much.