Queer Cafe

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MUSIC

LGBTQ Music and Musicians

LGBTQ music is more than just disco dance music for shirtless men and brooding folk music for feminist women. Gay rappers, gay rockers, gay country singers, and gay hip hop stars are on the rise. Transgender performers are also going public. Previous decades of music that included groundbreaking pioneers like David Bowie, the Village People, George Michael, Joan Jett, Boy George, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury have given way to today's young, openly gay musicians like Mary Lambert, Le1f, Troye Sivan, Brandie Carlisle, Adam Lambert, Sam Smith, and Olly Alexander (Years and Years).

LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) music is music focusing on LGBTQ issues performed by LGBTQ artists and performers. The lyrics are largely about empowerment, same-sex relationships, love, acceptance, freedom, gay pride and the courage to come out to the general public. Starting in the 2010s, it became more popular among American performers, as when openly-gay artist Adam Lambert (from American Idol) topped the 2012 Billboard 200 chart.

The One I Love by Ellen Krauss

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

YMCA by Boy George

These Are the Days of Our Lives by Freddie Mercury

People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson

Official Coming Out Song by Ally Hills

It Gets Better by Broadway Stars
Modern Love by Matt Nathanson

True Colors by Cyndi Lauper

I Was Born to Love You by Freddie Mercury

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Burning by Sam Smith

Stranger in This World by Boy George

You Need to Calm Down by Taylor Swift

Make You Happy by Mika

It Was by Chely Wright
I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor

Afterlife by Ingrid Michaelson

Neverland by Korean Pop Star Holland

While popular music has always included LGBTQ artists, the increasing social tolerance of the late 20th and early 21st century allowed such artists to come out publicly. Early examples of this arose with the sexual liberation movement, with artists such as Elton John, Village People, Sylvester, Tom Robinson, Indigo Girls, KD Lang, Melissa Etheridge, Queen, David Bowie, Little Richard, Billy Preston, and Marc Almond (Soft Cell), among others.

In the 1980's, the exposure of openly LGBTQ artists became richer, with artists such as Boy George (Culture Club), George Michael (Wham), Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Michael Stipe (REM), Sylvester, Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys), Dead or Alive, Adam Bell (Erasure), and the B52s as well as artists who are openly LGBTQ allies, such as Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Donna Summer, Jessica Lowndes and Gloria Gaynor, among many others.

The 1990s saw a start of a fair introduction to pro-LGBTQ laws, and artists condemning homophobia in their music. Groups such as Placebo, Alcazar, Right Said Fred, and more joined the ranks of allies and LGBTQ musicians. The 1990s also introduced Ani DeFranco, Sia, Rufus Wainwright, Ray Boltz, Two Nice Girls (Gretchen Phillips), Skin (Skunk Anansie), Sophie B. Hawkins, Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Kaia Wilson, Carrie Brownstein, and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend).

The 2000s saw LGBTQ music branch off into its own genre in some cases, and new artists like Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Will Young, The Scissor Sisters, The Gossip, Jay Brennan, RuPaul, Jeffree Star, Blood on the Dance Floor (duo), Lady Gaga, Patrick Wolf, Mika, Dario, Brandi Csarlile, Adam Lambert, Sam Sparro, Billy Gilman, tATu, Kent James, Dawnstar, and Troye Sivan.

Scarecrow by Melissa Etheridge

Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Girl in the Kinks Shirt by Matt Nathanson

Dancing in the Living Room by Cameron Hawthorn

Stay With Me by Sam Smith

Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae

Like Me by Chely Wright

Aftermath by Adam Lambert

Karma Chameleon by Culture Club

True Colors by LA Gay Men's Chorus

Galileo by Indigo Girls

Blame It On the Girls by Mika

Sleepover by Hayley Kiyoko

Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

Django Jane by Janelle Monae

I Was Born to Love You by Freddie Mercury

When She Loved Me by Sarah McLachlan
Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls

I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross

In the 2010s, openly-gay artists such as Sam Smith, Azealia Banks, Mary Lambert, Matt Morris, Frank Ocean, Tegan & Sara, Troye Sivan, and rapper Le1f (Khalif Diouf) gained popularity. Well-established country music singer Chely Wright came out as gay in 2010. Another country singer, Ty Herndon, came out as gay in 2014, after three number one hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs. Currently, the country music genre also includes Cameron Hawthorn, Brandon Stansell, and Lil Nas X. 2012 also saw Laura Jane Grace (lead singer of the punk band Against Me!) come out as transgender.

Current popular LGBTQ musicians include Angel Haze, Shamir, Who is Fancy, Perfume Genius, Double Duchess, Lowell, Against Me!, Devouring Mothers, Kindness, Joshua Thomas, Years & Years, Hurray for Riff Raff, Panic! At The Disco, Hayley Kiyoko, Boytoy, Kehlani, Sizzy Rocket, and Janelle Monare.