Celebrating Pride Month through music

During Pride Month it is incredibly important to promote the talents of LGBTQIA+ artists. These recommendations rightfully deserve a place in every pride playlist, through their ability to display the fullness of LGBTQIA+ culture.

Chappell Roan

With the release of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in 2023, Chappell Roan exhibits her queer identity alongside candid lyricism and 80s-inspired synth-pop. Roan unequivocally portrays the multitude of queerness carefully and flamboyantly. ‘Red Wine Supernova’ playfully displays desire and the anticipation surrounding intimacy. The lyrics, “fell in love with the thought of you / now I’m choked up, face down, burnt out,” provide a humorous but relatable depiction of catching feelings for someone, which always seem embarrassingly all-encompassing.

Despite the confidence Roan presents surrounding her sexuality, ‘Naked in Manhattan’ unveils a compelling insight into Roan’s first same-sex intimate encounter. Roan’s vulnerability is ever-present throughout the song, especially within the lyrics “touch me, baby, put your lips on mine / could go to hell, but we’ll probably be fine”. Chappell Roan is an important artist to any listener desiring a relatable queer experience.

Tracy Chapman

No pride playlist would be complete without Tracy Chapman, a pioneer for voicing queerness within popular music. Although Chapman has never publicly stated her sexuality, ‘Fast Car’ (1988) has implicit queer themes by delving into the necessity to escape the societal restraints which deny individuals from being themselves. The lyrics “I had a feeling that I belonged / I had a feeling I could be someone”, exude a hopefulness which involves Chapman finding a space in the world to be unapologetically herself. Chapman’s discography is essential to contemplate the roots of queerness within popular music.

Conan Gray

Despite preferring not to be confined to labels, Conan Gray’s interchangeable use of pronouns and tender introspection within his songs promote a relatable experience to straight and LGBTQIA+ audiences alike. ‘Crush Culture’ displays the complexities surrounding dating and its unpredictability which causes individuals to compare their ‘progress’ to others. This reality is common within the LGBTQIA+ community, as individuals have unique experiences when ‘coming out’ and dating.

Janelle Monáe

The nonbinary and pansexual singer notably uses a fusion of R&B, funk, and soul to confidently exhibit themes of sexual desire, relationships, and identity. ‘Make Me Feel’ presents an electrifying depiction of desire being addictive. Whereas ‘Pynk’ showcases Monáe’s tender vocals alongside a punchy synth beat to express a distinct euphemism to cleverly encourage a celebration of the body and sexuality through sex and self-love. Janelle Monáe utilises their undeniable talent to proudly portray their identity and encourages others to do the same.

The Aces

Indie-pop group The Aces presents niche LGBTQIA+ experiences through their evocative and unabashed lyrics alongside perfectly conducted instrumentation. ‘Bad Love’ explores the secrecy often found within queer relationships which is deemed necessary to love a partner to the fullest extent while escaping disheartening external expectations.

The lyrics “how could they call this bad love? When all I want is more?” effectively alerts listeners to listen to their own hearts surrounding whom they direct their love towards. Furthering this, ‘Waiting for You’ explores the patience and subtlety required in LGBTQIA+ relationships surrounding coming out, reciprocating love, and starting relationships.

Troye Sivan

As an openly gay artist, Troye Sivan’s discography encompasses a journey from discovering sexuality to coming out, and confidently owning an identity. Sivan’s earlier releases, for instance, ‘YOUTH’ signifies the normalisation of secrecy and escapism within queer identity, which involves starting again in a new place to openly love and be oneself. However, ‘Rush’ (one of Sivan’s newest releases) provides a full-circle moment as the song takes the form of a play-on-words referring to the popular poppers brand ‘rush’ (a drug often taken by homosexual men during sex). Through a catchy pop beat, Sivan compares the adrenaline rush from poppers to the fulfilling nature of sex. The transformative nature of Sivan’s artistry creates an ideal listening experience for many LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Reneé Rapp

After recently coming out as lesbian, Reneé Rapp’s music promotes a refreshing and honest component to queer experiences. Rapp’s catchy pop beats and confident yet clever lyricism provide a relatable insight into the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals, whether they have come out or not. During a song Rapp writes for her best friend, ‘I Do’ exhibits a tenderness when deciphering platonic and romantic love, a common experience for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as a historic lack of representation makes forming these distinctions exhausting and unnerving.

Additionally, ‘Pretty Girls’ notifies listeners to the disillusionment many queer women encounter from same-sex attraction. Rapp states “keep on pretending pretty girl,” to suggest the presence of the male gaze within the anecdote of ‘Pretty Girls’ consequently heightens the existence of compulsory heterosexuality, as queer women are forced to ‘pretend’ rather than understand their identity. The ambiguous themes which Reneé Rapp presents make her an excellent up-and-coming lesbian artist to acknowledge during Pride Month.

Pride month is a time of celebration; a time to learn the history, own your identity and be proud of who you are, and these music recommendations will help achieve just that.

Listen to The Boar‘s Pride Month playlist here: