Queer Musicians To Support This Pride Month
No matter what music genre you’re into, there’s guaranteed to be at least one queer icon you can listen to this June.
June is Pride Month, and that means you need a playlist full of LGBTQ+ musicians to vibe to! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Whether you need a playlist for a Pride party, or you just want something to listen to while you chill out on the back porch with a cool glass of lemonade, this list will include some fan favorites, and introduce you to some new musicians as well!
For The Sapphics
Julien Baker
A lesbian indie rock guitarist and singer, Baker doesn’t pull her punches with her style of music. For her solo career, she’s been nominated for the Grammy Awards six times. She is also a part of Boygenius, along with Phoebe Bridgers (don’t worry, she’s on this list too).
Mary Lambert
If you’re looking for a heartfelt musician with an angelic voice, look no further than Mary Lambert. Authentic and raw, Lambert is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and it shows through her music. Perhaps her most famous song, She Keeps Me Warm, is sure to tug at your heartstrings.
Left at London
Trans icon Left at London is a jack-of-all trades; she’s funny, she’s beautiful, and she’s talented. She first gained attention from her viral videos on Vine, and has since blossomed into a full-on musician. At the moment she only has one album out, but her second album, You Are Not Alone Enough, will hopefully come out soon!
Reneé Rapp
Her name is Reneé Rapp, and she is a massive deal. As you probably guessed (if you’re as much of a Broadway nerd as I am), Reneé Rapp started her music career as Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway, going on to star as her in the musical movie adaptation as well.
Syd
Formally known as Syd tha Kyd, this musician initially gained fame through the alternative hip-hop group Odd Future, which Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean were also a part of. After disbanding from Odd Future, Syd co-founded The Internet. She has two solo albums, Fin and Broken Hearts Club.
For The Boys (Who Love Boys)
Adam Lambert
He hardly needs an introduction, but I’ll give him one anyway! Lambert rose to fame by coming in second place during the eight season of American Idol; later that year, he released his debut album, For Your Entertainment, which debuted at number three on Billboard 200.
Trixie Mattel
If you thought I wasn’t going to include possibly the most iconic drag queen (other than RuPaul, but we’ll get there) in history, you thought wrong. A queen, a performer, and a musician, Trixie really does it all. She is over-the top in her personality and her music (and her Pride!), and we all love her for it.
Ben Platt
Known as both the lovable geek from the Pitch Perfect series and his Tony-award winning performance as the titular role from Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, listening to Ben Platt sing is like floating in a tube down a lazy river. I still can’t stop listening to his debut album, Sing to Me Instead.
RuPaul
What hasn’t RuPaul done? Well, he’s a drag queen, a TV personality, an actor, a singer, a producer, and a writer. He’s also probably royalty, but he stays humble and doesn’t want to make it public. Dubbed the “Queen of Drag”, his show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, has given fame to countless deserving drag queens.
Lil Nas X
If you’re reading this and you haven’t heard of Lil Nas X, you might want to get out from that rock you’re living under. Taking the world by storm, Lil Nas X came out as gay while holding the world-record of the longest-running number-one song (Old Town Road, of course) on the Billboard Hot 100.
For Those Who Want a Little Bit of Both
Phoebe Bridgers
See, I told you she’d be on this list! Four-time Grammy-award winner Phoebe Bridgers is an iconic bisexual indie folk music artist, and has collaborated with artists such as SZA, Kid Cudi, and even the queen herself, Taylor Swift. She’s also in a relationship with comedian and fellow singer Bo Burnham, so check out his music too.
Fergie
Fergalicious, definition makes them boys (and girls) go loco! First achieving success through the Black Eyed Peas, her debut solo album, The Dutchess, cemented her talent as a musician. She’s an actress, she has her own fragrance line, her own footwear line; she’s Fergie!
Halsey
Known for her unique singing voice, Halsey has received several awards for her music, as well as being named one of the most influential people in the world in Time‘s magazine. She has sold over one million albums and received over six billion steams.
Melanie Martinez
The babydoll queen herself, Melanie Martinez’s unique style is what caught the attention of the judges of The Voice. After appearing on the third season of the popular talent show, she release her debut single Dollhouse and her debut studio album Cry Baby, both of which launched her successful music career.
Willow Smith
She may have been born into fame due to her parents (Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, of course) but she earned her music career through sheer talent alone. At age ten she released her debut single, Whip My Hair, which peaked at number eleven on Billboard Hot 100.
For Those Who Live Outside The Binary
Frances Forever
Not to be confused with Francis Forever by Mitski (although we do love that song and we do love Mitski), their name is Frances Forever. Best known for their song Space Girl, which went viral on TikTok, Frances Forever is dropping their debut album on June 28th (just in time for Pride!)
Demi Lovato
I’ll keep it simple: Your Demi Lovato playlist needs to include This Is Me. I don’t care if Camp Rock is corny, it’s still iconic and it is where Demi Lovato showed us what it means to be a true pop artist. Wildly successful, Lovato has sold over 24 million records in the United States.
Janelle Monáe
Another multi-talented star, Janelle Monáe is a singer, a rapper, and an actor, receiving multiple awards for all of their many, many talents. They identify as both bisexual and pansexual and non-binary, stating that their pronouns are “free-ass motherfucker”. Please leave some crumbs for the rest of us, Monáe!
Jinkx Monsoon
This list didn’t have enough drag queens, so say hello to Jinkx Monsoon! Like all great drag queens, Jinkx is multi-talented. She’s a performer, an actress, a singer, and she is wickedly funny. Her celebrity impressions and witty banter are always on point, just like her fashion!
Lil Uzi Vert
Philly rapper Lil Uzi Vert gained recognition with their commerical mixtape Luv Is Rage, and was signed with Atlantic Records because of it, leading to his mainstream success. They’ve collaborated with fellow rappers Gucci Mane and Future, and yes, they really did implant a diamond into their forehead.
Now you’re all set to make your queer-coded playlist to listen to during Pride Month! You can share it with your friends or keep it to yourself; however you celebrate Pride is valid, and we’ll be celebrating right along with you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go listen to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan for the millionth time.
Looking for LGBTQ+ books to read this Pride Month? Check out this article!
