“We are on the cusp of a revolution” says Blanca in Ryan Murphy’s show ‘Pose’. It is a dinner table conversation filled with the dichotomy of optimism and hopelessness. Blanca is hopeful that Madonna would elevate the LGBTQIA+ community and make the queer people mainstream. Whereas, Pray Tell proposes a counter-argument that the community has a long way to go. He says, “Every generation thinks that they’re gonna be the ones that are finally invited to the party”. Optimism was bleak, protest was the answer. They amalgamated and there was a revolution!
Homosexuality, trans identities, and other sexualities were often a target of church sermons. The state aided their attack. They refuted homoeroticism, but it is the LGBTQIA+ community that went against the grain. They enriched the culture whether it was literature, arts, or music. The androgynous act of Prince was an act of defiance, while Freddie Mercury wore no qualms about his sexual orientation. Despite their strong presence, there was and still is a resistance to the community. But, the forefathers and mothers paved a path for children to string in the hearts of the music heads. There are artists for whom the act to be is the revolution. We have brought to you a list of the ten of the best LGBTQIA+ music artists.
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10) TJ Osborne
The Nashville community of the country musicians is quaint. It is literally. Country music can be a bedrock of the conservative and church values. There is little to no space for disobedience. In an interview, Taylor Swift said, “You’re always one comment away from.being done”. But, the Deale native, Thomas John Osborne, who is a part of the duo ‘Brothers Osborne’, is an out and proud gay country musician. Along with his brother John Thomas, he is signed to Capitol Records Nashville.
They have produced the smashing hit ‘Stay A Little Longer’ from their 2016 album ‘Pawn Shop’, which earned the RIAA Gold status. They have released three studio albums and two of them are in the Top 20 Billboard 200 list. In an interview, Osborne said, “I’m very comfortable being gay. I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange”.
9) Kim Petras
It is a difficult industry when one has to come on its own terms and live one’s truth. Kim Petras is living her truth and the dream! The German singer was the part of one of the most popular songs of 2022. She featured alongside Sam Smith on ‘Unholy’ which charted on the No.1 position on Billboard 100. It is exhilarating to see the artist gain prominence. She dabbled into EDM, electronic pop, and dance pop.
Petras has been making music since 2008 with various collaborations including Charli XCX. But, the artist was very much aware of her gender identity. She was the youngest person to go through a gender affirming surgery. She is still an independent artist, because the labels are interested in the gender more than the talent as per her admission.
8) Steve Lacy
The Funk artist Steve Lacy had an unfathomable 2022. The release of his second studio album ‘Gemini Rights’ to the song ‘Bad Habits’ hitting the No.1 spot in the US, everything happened in a split second. Lacy was earlier part of the Grammy nominated band ‘The Internet’. They dabbled into the alternative R&B and Soul. But, when their fourth studio album went live and earned a Grammy nomination, they split.
Steve is a prolific producer. He worked with Kendrick Lamar on his 2017 album ‘Damn’. He has also worked with J. Cole. In 2019, when he released his debut album ‘Apollo XXI’, he touched upon his sexual identity in the song ‘Like Me’. He identifies as a bisexual. But, he doesn’t want one of his identities to encroach his whole personality.
In an interview, he said, “I’m not really that bothered by it honestly. I don’t like to look at it [sexual orientation] as a big part. Um, and I think, who we’re fucking, shouldn’t matter in the world. It’s kind of silly to me”.
7) Holland
Holland in Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. This is how the K Pop star Go Tae-seob got his stage name ‘Holland’. The South Korean resident is one of the handful artists in the industry to be openly gay. But, he faced the repercussions for being who he is. Due to the stringent entertainment industry, Holland decided to go solo. He released his first single ‘Neverland’ in 2018 and shot up to success.
The conservative nature of politics in his homeland made the video song 19+ rated. Then in the same year, he released ‘I’m Not Afraid’ and ‘I’m So Afraid’, where he chronicled his early days when he came out of the closet. He released his first self-titled EP in 2019. Unfortunately, a mob attacked the pop star in his home country due to his “flamboyant” outfit, but he continues to advocate LGBTQIA+ rights in the country.
6) Saucy Santana
Everyone wants to be a ‘Material Girl’ and Saucy Santana is to be credited for the same! He took the internet by storm with his single ‘Material Girl’ in 2021, which became a TikTok hit. But, the gay rapper has had humble beginnings. Santana always felt like a star, so to become one, he started to be a makeup artist for the rap group ‘City Girls’. He garnered attention in 2019 when he rapped Chrisean Rock boyfriend’s song ‘Thotiana’.
The clubs and bars took notice of the confident chap. In the same year, StreamCut released his breakthrough single ‘Walk ‘Em Like A Dog’ . Then, it was the Madonna moniker ‘Material Girl’ that got him recognition, landing collaborations with Latto and Madonna herself! He also performed his unreleased collaboration with Lil Nas X during the latter’s ‘Long Live Montero Tour’. He said, “I want to leave behind a legacy where if another gay boy comes after me, they get the same acceptance and warm welcome that I had to work hard to get”.
5) Kehlani
The soul and R&B artist Kehlani took the music space by storm with their mixtape ‘You Should Be Here’. They were a part of the group in 2011 ‘Poplyfe’, who appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’. Post the competition, they left the group and became broke. But, Kehlani hustled her way releasing her first single ‘ANTISUMMERLUV’ to their first mixtape.
When they released their second mixtape, the artist got a wider recognition and landed them their first Grammy nomination in ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ category.
The artist went to produce her own music and collaborated with artists like Cardi B, TY Dolla $ign, Justin Bieber and others. They identify them as ‘queer’ and have underlined their “cisgender-presenting, straight-presenting” individual.
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4) Sam Smith
How can one resist a heart break hour with a Sam Smith LP playing! One of the most influential personalities, who have not only touched millions via music, but also their strong identity of self. They have been on the music scene since 2008 releasing singles. But, they broke out in 2014 with their debut studio album ‘In the Lonely Hour’. It debuted at No.2 on Billboard 200. Since then, he has given us ballads, melodic records, lovelorn singles like the Normani feature ‘Dancing With the Stranger’. Sam has won Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. In 2019, Smith came out as genderqueer and non-binary.
3) Lil Nas X
One of the most successful internet sensations emerging out of the pandemic is Lil Nas X! The 23-year-old artist is the epitome of the quote “If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself”. He paved a way for himself. The comic relief that soothes the audience, the music consolidates the rebellion against the religious and some state powers. Whether he slid down the poll and slithered on Satan’s lap or dancing naked in a prison bathroom was a strong, fitting statement. When he released the Billy Cyrus collaboration ‘Old Town Road’, he changed the social structure of the genre confluencing Hip Hop and Country Music. The genre has been homophobic and strictly masculine, Lil Nas X went against the tide and mainstreamed the idea that there is a person ‘I do not f***k b****es ’cause I am queer’.
2) Elton John
It was Elton John who walked, so that Lil Nas X and Sam Smith could run! He was there and still is the leading voice in the industry for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The UK artist has been musically inclined since childhood. He walked in bars and clubs to deliver his music. But, one Liberty Records advertisement changed his life forever and in 1969, he released his debut album ‘Empty Sky’. He initially came out as bisexual. John married his friend Renate Blauel in ’80s. But, he eventually came out as gay. During the 1990s, when the USA was plagued with AIDS and deemed as a ‘gay virus’, he strived to eradicate the disease and help the Health and Research department. Today, he has retired from touring. But, Elton is still supporting and pushing young queer artists.
1) Queen Latifah
The ‘Heartstopper’ star Nick Nelson came out as ‘bisexual’ due to pressure from people. Queen Latifah, for the first time, acknowledged her sexuality at the BET Awards 2021 giving a shoutout to Eboni Nichols. The artist was one of the pioneers who came into the rap scene as a woman. Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, and she patronized the presence of women in the rap scene. The presence of women and queer artists was lacking in the scenes and the legends were pushing for very myopic themes in their storytelling. Latifah changed it with her third studio album ‘Black Reign’ which became the first album in the history of genre to receive a gold status from RIAA. She went against the grain to bring forward the Black women, their feminism subculture, and became a trailblazer for Queer and Black women despite her concealed sexual orientation. She has won the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Emmy.
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