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By J.D. Stevens-Jones
WARNING: This list does not contain songs by Troye Sivan or Sam Smith. Nope. You won't find them here, but you will find a group of lesser-known artists who are churning out the jams left and right. Hardly any of these artists are on radio stations, therefore some maybe you've never heard. But a bop is a bop, and when you hear it, you know. Add the fact that they're queer, well, we're moving into HIGHLY DESIRABLE territory. The older I become, the more I want music that truly feeds MY soul. Here are eight songs from queer artists I can't stop listening to:
1. Icy
Kim Petras is a QUEEN we stan. The openly trans pop artist delivered this jam back in June 2019 as part of her full-length debut album, Clarity. TBH, we were hoping for more Elvira jams, but this will do. If you're on Twitter, give her a follow. She is CONSTANTLY tweeting, and they're hilarious.
2. I Love It When Hot Guys Cry
This song came into our mix a few weeks back (even though it, too, came out last summer) after a recommendation from a friend. BIG THANKS. We've had this song on repeat since we heard it day one. Link Lauren is from New York and is a relatively new artist. Here for it! Big fan of 57.
3. Gone
If you've never heard of this song (or either of these artists), shame on you. First off — MAJORLY gay. Christine and the Queens is legendary, and they are quite honestly one of the most underrated artists out there. WHICH, also, yes, so is Charli XCX. She's a HUGE queer ally and we stan her, but Christine is the French queer icon we never deserved. Their voices together are perfection. Go listen to everything by Christine now.
4. Haunted House
Give us a non-binary artist any and every day! Haunted House is true, bubblegum pop...but like, dark? This song is from over a year ago, but there have been a few musical updates along the way. If you just want something to dance around in your undies to, go give this a listen.
5. Green Eggs & Ham
This video is from about a month ago, though Princess Nokia JUST dropped the vid for Gross last week. They've been on our radar since 2016 with the album 1992 Deluxe. Favs from that album include Brujas and Tomboy. This song is super catchy and the video is a spoof on Matilda, and we are HERE for it.
6. Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)
The first song I heard by Rina Sawayama was Cyber Stockholm Syndrome, and to be fair, I wasn't into it. Music can sometimes take WEEKS or even MONTHS to grow on me, but after some time I realized I was just being hard-headed. This is one of her newest songs out right now and has a vibrant, 1980s feel to it. Other songs to check out include Valentine and STFU!, plus her new single, Chosen Family.
7. Immaterial
Again, another artist it took me a minute to warm up to. I'm not a fan of overly distorted vocals, but when it's the entire point of the music, you sort of have to let your preconceived feelings take a backseat. SOPHIE is one of the most interesting trans artists I've heard, and her lyrics are just something else. If you want some fun, upbeat (albeit different at times) pop music, this is the artist for you. Plus I hear she's making a song with Lady Gaga and HELLO, here for it.
8. Daddy Like
So Dorian Elektra tweeted today to TEXT THEM with their phone number and I totally did. Was I expecting a response? I don't know, but I think I'm signed up for something with them and I THINK they saw my most recent TikTok video. REGARDLESS — Daddy Like gives us the genderqueer daddy we have been looking for our entire lives. If this doesn't make you feel something, let me know. Dorian looks FLAWLESS with their signature stache and eclectic fashion. Other favs include Career Boy and Guyliner.
So yeah! What are you listening to these days? Add to our list of ever-growing music by tweeting us @queerport or via FB/IG @queerport.
J.D. Stevens-Jones is a co-creator of Queerport. You can usually find them at The Korner Lounge or out and about documenting Shreveport's queer history.