Happy pride month to all of my fellow el gee bee tees :) I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite music artists + ones i would like to listen to in the future who are LGBTQ+. As you know from my annual Spotify Wrapped chapters, I listen to a LOT of music every year and am always excited to try something new.
Some of these artists have made music specifically about issues that LGBTQ+ people face, like Chappell Roan's "Good Luck Babe!" which is about a woman suppressing her sexuality for a heteronormative life, or Conan Gray's "Found Heaven", which is about choosing your happiness as an LGBTQ+ person even if it disappoints people in your life. Some are just LGBTQ+ people who make music.
I encourage you to check out these artists if you're interested, and I would love to hear some of your own recommendations at the end :)
* Some popular artists are not included due to behavior of theirs that I don't want to support, such as condoning Israel's genocide of Palestine, abuse, ableism, etc.
GAY ARTISTS — Elton John — Ricky Martin — Boy George (Culture Club) — Troye Sivan — Lil Nas X (may be bisexual; if he confirms this, I will update the list)* — George Michael (WHAM!) — Leonard Bernstein (a music composer, but still)
LESBIAN ARTISTS — Reneé Rapp — Hayley Kiyoko — girl in red — The Aces
BISEXUAL ARTISTS — Tyler, the Creator — Janis Joplin — Halsey — Frank Ocean — Ethel Cain (also trans) — Lady Gaga — David Bowie — Freddie Mercury (Queen) — Mitski — Daya — Clairo — Billie Eilish — Lauren Jauregui — Megan Thee Stallion — Jason Mraz — Sinéad O'Connor — Ice Spice — Doja Cat — Green Day (all members) — mxmtoon — Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) — Willow Smith — Maggie Lindemann
PANSEXUAL ARTISTS — Miley Cyrus — Janelle Monáe (also non-binary) — Yungblud
ARTISTS WHO HAVE NOT CHOSEN A SPECIFIC LABEL, BUT ARE NOT STRAIGHT — Joshua Bassett — Kesha — Conan Gray
* The reason I put this is because he posted on X (Twitter) last year saying, "be fr would y'all be mad at me if i thought i was a little bisexual" but hasn't followed up or confirmed if he actually is bisexual, so I am tentatively still leaving him in the "gay" category as he explores.
If you guys have any more LGBTQ+ music recs, please put them in the comments here!
I wanted to make this list because the media loooovveeess to erase the sexualities of celebrities to fit them into an exclusively straight mold. These artists' sexualities are so valid and deserve to be treated as such!!! Especially the late artists on the list who fought for their right to be seen during their times and were dismissed. Or they were closeted for most of their lives due to fear.
Now I'm going to talk about some of the artists on here that I listen to and rant about their music teehee
I've listened to The Aces since, like, 2020 I think? Their album, Under My Influence, had just come out, and I'm still obsessed with it. I love that it's an all-girl band and I think they're all so cool!! Plus they're all friends and two of them are sisters which I love. Cristal Ramirez, the lead singer, has a beautiful voice! (Song recs: Girls Make Me Wanna Die, Kelly, Cruel, Thought Of You, I've Loved You For So Long).
I only recently started listening to Chappell Roan (like, as in, since the end of April) and ??? WHY DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG??? I think her inspiration coming from drag queens is so interesting and I love that she brings local queens up on stage with her at her shows. Her voice is gorgeous— she hits both high and low notes beautifully. Plus she makes absolute BOPS!!! And she's hilarious. Definition of queer pop. (Song recs: Good Luck, Babe!, HOT TO GO!, Coffee, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, Femininomenon).
Frank Ocean is relatively sporadic with his music releases, but his work is truly wonderful and I hope he decides to release a new album soon. His album channel ORANGE is Grammy Award winning and for a REASON!! It's so good. (Song recs: Lost, Bad Religion, Pink + White, Novacane).
Ethel Cain has really great music that also focuses on religious trauma. As the daughter of a deacon in a Southern Baptist family, she grew up surrounded by the church. Similarly to Chappell Roan, "Ethel Cain" is not only her stage name, but also a character. nocturnalamp is actually the one who introduced me to her music when her Preacher's Daughter album came out in 2022, and I have been thinking about her screaming "STOP!" in "Ptolemaea" ever since. It struck me so hard the first time I listened and has stayed buried in my gut. (Song recs: American Teenager, Ptolemaea, A House in Nebraska, Crush).
I hope you've discovered some new artists from reading this, and again, happy pride!
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