music July 22, 2019
The best LGBT artists at your fingertips.
Over the last few years, music has slowly started to turn its back on being heteronormative; artists like Sam Smith, Frank Ocean, Hayley Kiyoko, Troye Sivan and Years & Years can be thanked for this shift! It is so refreshing to see LGBT artists openly discussing their truths in songs in order to help us move towards a more accepting society. Therefore, to celebrate these amazing people, here is a list of LGBT artists you may not know about!
Having wowed the judges on the last season of the British X Factor, Felix is a British singer songwriter merging alt-pop and RnB melodies. After his previous run in the UK indie scene, his new sound combines a variety of groove driven melodies and electronic textures. He is most notably influenced by artists such as Frank Ocean, Billie Eillish and Bazzi. He recently released his single ‘Gold’– go check it out!
Next, rapper Cae Monae is here to cause a scene with her new project, DICKGIRL. Impressively, it was all made on an iPhone. Crazy, right? A notable song of hers is “Cisphobia” which flips the narrative of patriarchy and transphobia on its head. Overall, although her songs are personal and speak openly about her experiences as a trans woman, she makes trap-inspired rap music which we can still dance and have fun to! Listen to Monae’s music here.
The singer-songwriter Zand is the pioneer of ugly pop and a powerful force who oozes self confidence and bad bitch energy. Same can be said for their music which is laden with dark, electronic textures. Their music is basically sticking its middle finger up to those who are misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic. Like all of the artists on this list, Zand is loud and proud about their non-binary identity on social media and always speaks their mind on issues that matter. If you keep up to date with Zand’s socials, you will know that they have recently just signed a record deal in Los Angeles, prooving that they are going to be huge in the near future!
As an unsigned artist, Leo Kalyan was one of the first South-Asian musicians in the world to publicly come out as gay. He is one of the most unique voices in the community right now! He infuses soft, soulful vocals and poetic lyricism with self produced RnB beats to create an easily identifiable sound. Furthermore, a special aspect of his music is his training in Indian classical music which adds further authenticity to his sound. He is paving the way for others in the LGBT community who identify with his story.
Meet Zebra Katz: a multimedia performance artist turned rapper and producer emerging from the same scene that produced the likes of Lana Del Rey and Azealia Banks. Hailing from Brooklyn, Zebrakatz first came to the forefront of the music scene with the song “Ima Read,” a minimalist banger released in 2012. But, most recently, he has continued to simultaneously release music through his own label- “ZFK Records”- and tour at the same time. Zebra Katz is a multi-talented genius to add to your Spotify playlist!
Previously known as Queen Zee and the Sasstones, Queen Zee are a DIY band from Merseyside, UK. Their live shows have been described as explosive and energetic and this same energy is portrayed in their music, which is an amazing blend of garage-punk chaos and queer glam. In addition, they recently made BBC history as the first ever female crew to be featured on a Maida Vale recording, reflecting how LGBT artists are totally making moves right now! Go check out their music on Bandcamp- you won’t regret it!
New Hampshire based Octo Octa has spent many years creating electronic, techno music that is fit for the club dance floor. Back in 2014, her song ‘Cause I love You’ was named one of the best dance songs of the year. Since then she has performed at festivals all around the world. Some notable festivals are Frankfurt’s Live At Robert Johnson and Barcelona’s Sonar Festival. If you love electronic dance music then Octo Octa may be the artist for you.
The rapper Le1f began his career in 2012 when he released his huge hit single “Wut.” Since then he has received major attention for his unique and subversive take on rap, a genre which we typically view as queer phobic. He explores a plethora of musical and performance styles. He is a man of many talents!
Last but not least: Mood Killer’s music can be described as confrontational synth-pop that is mixed with cyborg-horror-movie alter egos. These alter-egos reflect oppression in America as well as their own personal demons. Mood Killer challenges perceptions of gender and sexuality and uses costume and performance to do so, which is something that hasn’t been done before. If you’re into the weird and wonderful, why not give them a listen?
