Ballot Boxes in Orbit: Mike Sain't Louis Stages a Galactic Election in the Video for “Vota Malena Gracia”

MADRID, 25 October 2026 — Somewhere in the universe of Spanish indie alternative artist Mike Sain't Louis, a crisis has broken out. Two of the richest and most powerful men on Earth — in the story he tells, Donald Trump and Elon Musk — have decided they want to buy GAYFOLK, the planet of freedom and queer art at the heart of his work. The only way to stop them is democracy. Galactic elections are called, and two candidates step forward as symbols of a colourful resistance: Malena Gracia and Noemí Argüelles.

That is the premise of the music video for “Vota Malena Gracia” (“Vote Malena Gracia”), one of more than 280 videos that Mike Sain't Louis has directed for his project PLANETA GAYFOLK. It is satire, it is fantasy, and above all, as he describes it in his own notes, it is a tribute.

A Fable With a Campaign Poster

Mike Sain't Louis is clear about the intention behind the video. In his words, it is first and foremost a homage to Malena Gracia — to her spirit and to the fight for diversity, love and camp irony in the face of greed and power. The election is the plot device; the tribute is the point.

The image he uses to sum it up is a striking one. In this story, he writes, beauty becomes a political act: “a flower against steel”. On one side, money and the urge to own everything. On the other, glitter, humour and the stubborn refusal to be bought.

“Every planet like GAYFOLK has someone who wants to put a price on it,” says Mike Sain't Louis. “I thought: fine, let's hold an election. And let's choose candidates who would never, ever sell out. A campaign needs a face, and I wanted it to be a face that has always stood for joy.”

The tone, unsurprisingly, is camp. Mike Sain't Louis has never been an artist for whom seriousness and silliness are opposites. In “Vota Malena Gracia”, a sci-fi election becomes a way of talking about something very real — who gets to decide what happens to the spaces where queer people feel free — without ever losing its sense of fun.

There is also something pointed about the choice of an election as the weapon. In this fable, nobody fights the would-be buyers with lasers or spaceships. The resistance organises, campaigns and votes. The power of the planet's inhabitants lies in showing up together and refusing the cheque. It is a hopeful idea, and a characteristically theatrical way of expressing it: the title of the song is, quite literally, a slogan you could print on a placard and wave.

Directing Without a Film Crew

The video is part of an unusually large visual body of work. Across PLANETA GAYFOLK, Mike Sain't Louis has released 273 singles and more than 280 music videos in roughly two years. He is the lyricist, composer and music producer behind the songs, and the artistic director of everything that surrounds them, including the visual worlds of the videos. He runs his own independent label, MIKE SAIN'T LOUIS, as its CEO, with no major company and no intermediaries.

He describes himself as “the first AI singer-songwriter”. That means he writes all of his lyrics himself, while the music and the vocal performances are generated with artificial intelligence, which he treats as a production and arranging tool. He does not sing on his records and makes no claim to. What is his is the writing, the concept and the direction — and in a video like this one, the direction is everything: the choice of story, the casting of heroes, the decision to frame a planet's survival as a vote.

“For me, a video isn't decoration,” he says. “It's the second half of the song. The lyric tells you what I feel; the video shows you the world where that feeling lives. With GAYFOLK, I'm building that world piece by piece.”

How the Video Fits the Trilogy

GAYFOLK is not a single album but a trilogy conceived as one journey. The first part, “Descubierto un nuevo planeta llamado GAYFOLK” (“A New Planet Called GAYFOLK Has Been Discovered”), is the moment of discovery. The second, “Ojalá se pudiera viajar a GAYFOLK” (“If Only You Could Travel to GAYFOLK”), is about longing. The third, “El día de la liberación” (“Liberation Day”), is the arrival — the journey to a planet where every person can live exactly as they are.

Mike Sain't Louis's own notes on “Vota Malena Gracia” carry the heading of the first part of that story, the discovery of the new planet. It is a fitting place for a story about defending a world almost as soon as it has been found. A planet where people can finally be themselves is precious; it is also, inevitably, something that others will want to own.

Across the catalogue, the style moves from electropop to copla, the traditional Spanish song form, and from alternative pop to the ballad. The songs are mostly in Spanish, with others in English, French and Portuguese. The themes range widely: love and heartbreak, ex-boyfriends, gossiping neighbours, queer daily life in Spain, liberation and mental health. Some lyrics are explicit, by design. Many people first encountered him in 2024, when “Tan Cateto” went viral on TikTok.

Beyond the Glitter

The playfulness of a video like this one sits alongside a more personal motivation for the whole project. Mike Sain't Louis has spoken publicly about using music — with professional help — to work through years of relationships with narcissistic partners, and to give visibility to narcissistic and psychological abuse and the marks it leaves on mental health. His hope is that people who have lived through it will feel seen and believed.

Seen in that light, a galactic election is not just a joke. It is a story about a community refusing to let someone else take control of its home — a theme that echoes, in a lighter key, through much of his writing.

“I love making people laugh,” he says. “But I never make anything just to be silly. Under the sequins there is always something I need to say.”

Why It Speaks to British Audiences

British audiences have a long and affectionate relationship with camp — in comedy, in pop, in drag and in the theatre of a good protest. “Vota Malena Gracia” sits comfortably within that tradition: it treats politics as performance and performance as politics, and it trusts the audience to enjoy the joke while understanding the point.

For UK listeners who follow independent music from continental Europe, Mike Sain't Louis is also an interesting example of a different way of working. With no label, no gatekeepers and a catalogue built almost entirely on his own terms, he is closer to a self-publishing author than to a conventional pop act. And for anyone following the debate on artificial intelligence in the creative industries, he offers a clear position: the machine is the instrument, but the ideas and the words must come from a person.

The Photograph

The press image accompanying this release shows Mike Sain't Louis on a bridge at sunset, in a grey bomber jacket, with a river and the lights of a city glowing behind him. It is an image of crossing — fitting for an artist whose videos keep moving between worlds, from the streets of a real city to the orbit of an imaginary planet where elections are fought with flowers.

Watch, Listen and Download for Free

The music of Mike Sain't Louis, including “Vota Malena Gracia”, can be streamed and downloaded free of charge at https://mikesaintlouis.com, where every song is published with its complete lyrics. There is nothing for sale: the catalogue is meant to circulate freely. His songs are also on Spotify, Deezer and other major streaming platforms, and the world of the project continues on Instagram at @planetagayfolk.

About Mike Sain't Louis

Mike Sain't Louis is a Madrid-based indie alternative artist who describes himself as “the first AI singer-songwriter”. Lyricist, composer, music producer, artistic director and CEO of his independent label MIKE SAIN'T LOUIS, he writes every word of his songs and uses artificial intelligence as the instrument that generates his music and vocals. Over about two years he has released 273 singles and more than 280 music videos under the name PLANETA GAYFOLK — a trilogy charting the journey to a planet where everyone can live as they are. His work is queer, camp, uncensored and frequently funny, and it travels from electropop to copla. Everything he releases can be heard and downloaded for free, lyrics included, at mikesaintlouis.com.

Press Contact

MIKE SAIN'T LOUIS Email: info@mikesaintlouis.com Web: https://mikesaintlouis.com Instagram: @planetagayfolk