[CRACKS KNUCKLES] I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED
I listen to a
lot of music and specifically a
lot of queer music, so here are a few names w some basic info and a song recommendation linked
Against Me! - Punk band, lead singer is a trans woman who came out in 2012 when her band was already successful and transitioned publicly. (She's also a RLY COOL PERSON just like. all round and their music rules)
Amy Winehouse - Amy Winehouse was openly bisexual & wrote really gorgeous love songs to women.
Angel Haze - Content warning for the linked song, it deals with violent homophobia, self harm, and suicide. Angel Haze is a pansexual agender rapper, who's made a
lot of songs dealing with really heavy subjects, particularly around abuse and depression. Their music is beautiful and I definitely recommend it (especially the Same Love rewrite I linked) but you need to be in a good emotional space to listen because it can get
very heavy.
Anika Moa - KAHURANGI!! Anika Moa is a lesbian, and she makes really sweet, fun acoustic-pop music.
Axis of Awesome - An Australian comedy band (best known for the 4 chords song) their lead singer came out as a trans woman in 2016 and the linked song is their way of addressing that in their live shows, which absolutely kills me every time
CocoRosie - CocoRosie definitely isn't for everyone, their music is bizarre and haunting indie-folk. I absolutely love it, but I've heard other people say they find it grating.
Frank Ocean - Frank Ocean is a gay rapper, and I'll admit his music isn't so much my style but I do really vibe with this particular song, and his music might be more to someone else's taste.
G.L.O.S.S - Girls Living Outside Society's Sh*t is a trans-led hardcore punk indie band... they only have a couple of releases but they're AMAZING.
Guayaba - Guayaba is a queer indie musician who's dabbled in so many genres I don't know where to start. Her music is beautiful in any genre and I can't rec her enough.
Hayley Kiyoko - HARLEY!!! Hayley Kiyoko makes beautiful pop music, a lot of which is about her love for women and her journey to find herself.
Janelle Monáe - Janelle Monáe is a bisexual, nonbinary singer/rapper whose music is fun and thoughtful and all kinds of wonderful.
Japanese Breakfast - I haven't done a super deep dive on them but I'm including them here because this song and video is beautiful and it's a reminder to myself to actually check them out :V
Kehlani - I haven't heard much of their music, but Kehlani is a nonbinary lesbian pop musician, and they've done some really cute songs, including a collab with Hayley Kiyoko.
Kesha - I'm including her here because I haven't seen her more recent music get as much traction as her older stuff. She doesn't like labels, but Kesha has said she's "not gay or straight". If you've only listened to her older music, I
really highly recommend checking out her more recent work!
Kimya Dawson - Kimya Dawson is a queer nonbinary indie-folk musician, with a beautiful mixture of sweet, charming songs and very deep, heavy ones.
Lil Nas X - ok i really didnt need to include him like. u already knew but the montero video is a work of art everyone watch it
Mary Lambert - LIZZIE (yes I rly just mined my itunes library for PBs) Mary Lambert is a lesbian indie-pop musician with songs that run from cheerful and wholesome to heart-wrenchingly painful. The video I linked is particularly cool because its 360 rotatable and also makes me cry every time i watch it)
Michelle Chamuel - Another lesbian indie-pop singer, Michelle Chamuel's appeared on The Voice but I know her from her solo music, especially the album Insights & Turnpikes which is
beautiful.
Mika - Mika doesn't get NEARLY ENOUGH LOVE, he's a gay pop musician who had a couple of successful songs in the 2000s but MAN he is SLEPT ON all of his music is amazing. I could link something more obscure but uh. Grace Kelly.
My Chemical Romance - Mostly including them for completionism's sake, you know who they are already, but if you weren't aware, Gerard Way is nonbinary.
Namoli Brennet - Namoli is a trans woman and an indie folk rock musician. She's got an absolutely beautiful voice and way with words, and I always find her music really uplifting.
Nicky Flowers - To quote their Bandcamp bio, Nicky Flowers is a non-binary electronic music producer. I really like their music as ambient background sound, when I need to be focusing on something.
ONSIND - One Night Stand In North Dakota are a queer punk band from the UK and like. I can't even say anything about them they are so good and the linked song is
so good pls listen to it
Orville Peck - Orville Peck is a gay country musician and
man when country music is good it is
so good.
Panic! At The Disco - Another one I'm including for completionism's sake, you already know who they are and you know Brendon Urie is bi lol
Passion Pit - Passion Pit is an indie electronica band whose frontman is gay, their music always takes me to a headspace I can't quite describe. Contented and introspective? I dunno, it's good music
Purity Ring - I've seen people refer to this band as queer, but I haven't actually seen anything specific about the band members, so who knows. Their music is good anyway? Weird indie electronica, love it.
Queen - Another one I'm just including for completionism lol u know Queen
Radical Face - Gay indie-folk musician with really touching, heart warming music. Fun fact the linked song was part of my initial inspiration for writing Vivian :V
Rebecca Black - Yes, THAT Rebecca Black. Friday did her SO DIRTY, she actually has an amazing voice and she's released plenty of beautiful, fun pop music ever since. She's also queer and has a really good sense of humour about the whole Friday debacle, despite how terribly the internet treated her as a child. (It's not the song I linked above, but
Saturday does always make me laugh.)
Rina Sawayama - A pretty new face on the pop scene, she ids as bi/pan and her music is ALL AMAZING, this song especially throws me back to like. 90s/00s pop in a GREAT way
Sigur Rós - Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band, whose frontman is gay, and their music
always soothes me, no matter what's going on.
St. Vincent - She's one I
really need to do more of a dive into, I've only listened to a couple of songs. I really love her voice though. She's said she considers herself neither gay or straight, and doesn't like labels.
Sufjan Stevens - "Is Sufjan Stevens Gay Or Christian?" The age-old question. He's been quite private about his sexuality, so I don't want to presume anything, but he's written enough love songs to men that I'm giving him an honourable mention, even if the men turn out to have been Jesus. (Fun fact the linked song lives in pride of place in my Hogwarts-era Trivian playlist)
Tegan & Sara - its 2008 im in my girlfriends bedroom staring out the window at the rain this song is playing off terrible laptop speakers im thinking about next weeks lgbt youth group cafe meetup i cant wait to stop being 16 i never want to stop being 16 i think ill be 16 forever
Troye Sivan - HI LUCAS another one I included for completionism, I'm sure you know who he is haha
Utada Hikaru - A very well known Japanese pop musician who recently came out as nonbinary! They're best known for the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, but I highly recommend checking out the rest of their discog because they're
really good!
Virtual Intelligence - A gothwave dark industrial project by a trans woman musician, very very much throws me back to listening to a lot of God Module and :wumpscut: in my teens!
WASI - Just some good queer indie riot-pop, good vibes Only
Willow Smith - Again - yes,
that Willow Smith. If you haven't heard her post-whip my hair music, I
really recommend checking it out, she's got a beautiful experimental-R&B style that I've never really heard anything else like. She's bisexual, and has written several love songs to women over the years.
I skipped over people Kris mentioned, but I do also very much rec Studio Killers, WALK THE MOON, and oops i did double up on Janelle Monáe but she deserves it x
if i think of anyone else ill be back ur in my house now this took 3 and a half hours to write
