New Queer Music

It’s been a minute since we’ve shared new LGBTQ+ music recommendations, but as this year comes to a close, we’d be doing a disservice not to highlight some of the fantastic new queer music that’s come out. There’s no way for us to highlight every new release. Instead, we are focusing on some favorites, mainly focusing on lesser-known artists that you might not know yet (but that you should start listening to).

Hannah Jadagu - Describe

Hannah Jadagu’s sophomore album is a beautiful pop record that showcases both Jadagu’s excellent songwriting abilities as well as her vocals. Dork’s review explains it perfectly: “This is an album that reveals itself slowly, each listen peeling back another layer of melody or mood you hadn’t noticed before. It finds strength in uncertainty and beauty in restraint, striking a balance between curiosity and care.”

MAVAOTIC - Wonderland

MAVAOTIC is a Dutch artist who combines clown pop with deeply resonant lyrics about identity. This new single includes the line, “Love is love, not a sin, you can be anything.” It’s a song about queerness, transness, and accepting yourself. If you’d like to hear more about the story behind this song, check out our podcast episode with MAVAOTIC.

McKenna Esteb - Fall Butter

This new single from McKenna Esteb is the perfect fall song, as she sings about the change of seasons and the changes of life with vulnerability and intimacy. Her jazzy style and incredible voice are truly on display in this new song. 

Piper Toohey - everybody loved me and then I died 

I am blown away by what Piper Toohey accomplishes with no label, management, or investors. This new EP is intimate, DIY, and really encapsulates indie music at its best. This is a project that embraces the simplicity of life, which melds perfectly with their stunning stripped-back DIY production. 

Molly Grace - Blush

This is Molly Grace’s debut album, and she’s truly found her sound. If you’re into queer pop funk, this album is for you. While most of it is upbeat and danceable, there are tender moments in this record, like ‘Soft (Voice Memo).’

Cat Burns - How To Be Human

This is Cat Burns’ sophomore album, and it’s a deeply relatable record about grief and loss—the loss of a family member as well as the loss of a romantic relationship. This acoustic pop album is vulnerable; it has tender moments and moments of grief, but make no mistake, it’s not all going to make you cry. For example, ‘GIRLS!’ is joyful, a celebration of queer identity. 

Orville Peck - Appaloosa 

Following Orville Peck’s Broadway debut in Cabaret, he is back to releasing music, and you can certainly hear the Broadway influence in all the best ways. This EP expertly blends Americana and Country influences, creating a masterful project filled with emotion and impressive vocals. 

Emma Andersen - FTSG

If you like Indie-pop and folk music, you’re going to love Emma Andersen’s entire discography. This catchy single is incredibly well written, and the chorus, “You call me ‘baby.’ Fuck, that’s so gross. Tripping over words, wearing your shirt, It’s the worst. It’s crazy How disgusting I’m in love” will get stuck in your head. 

Joy Oladokun - I’d Miss the Birds ft Sheryl Crow 

‘I’d Miss the Birds’ was one of my top songs off of Joy Oladokun’s ‘OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM’ released last year, and the addition of Sheryl Crow somehow makes the song even better. If you’re curious to learn more about Oladokun and what she has coming next, check out our Q&A with her.

Leith Ross - I Can See The Future 

If you enjoy indie folk and indie rock music, you’ll love the latest project from Leith Ross. The lyricism is phenomenal; it’s raw and vulnerable in all the best ways. Range’s review sums it up perfectly, saying, “ Throughout, the constant is their voice and perspective, offering compassion, optimism, and faith in the goodness of others, a reminder that hope is what keeps us moving forward.”

Boyish - Gun

‘Gun’ is a conceptual album that takes place in a surreal fictional town called ‘Gun’, and it’s about a queer love story. This timeless and deeply resonant record is a story of love and loss. It includes songs like ‘Jumbos’ which includes the lyrics “My Girl’s a real smoke show I’m barely keepin’ up.” The tone changes in ‘Doing It Behind The Marching Band’, which has the line, “Don’t ignore me, I showed up hours ago.” We attended Boyish’s New York City show and interviewed the creative duo creating the music. Read more about it here.

Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You

This brilliant project is by Hayden Anhedönia. Since 2019, Anhedönia’s work has told the story of the fictional Ethel Cain, who grew up in Alabama in the 1990s in a religious household. Eventually, she flees her abusive home with the hope of a better future—but she dates a series of abusive men before tragically being killed (and later cannibalized) by one of the men. This latest album takes place approximately five years before the aforementioned events, focusing on Cain’s high school relationship with Willoughby Tucker. It’s just as beautiful and devastating as the first record, ‘Preachers Daughter.’

Here is a playlist if you want all the songs in one singular place. What LGBTQ+ music did you most enjoy this year? Did you discover any new music from the above list?