15 Queer Artists To Add To Your Next Playlist by liz bertorelli

If you're a music nerd like me and enjoy making playlists for everything, you will want to add these artists to your "Might Cry In The Shower" and "Predrinking Songs If You Actually Want To Go To The Bar" playlists. These incredibly talented artists will make you want to cry and or party your queer heart out.

Get ready to hit that repeat button.





1. MUNA

2. KELELA

to pursue her career as a musician. I am so happy she did and your ears will be too. Blue Light is the second single off her Debut album Take Me Apart. Follow your dreams y'all.



3. KING PRINCESS

4. ST.VINCENT

5. SHAMIR

The Los Angeles based electronic pop band consisting Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson all identify as queer and unconsciously kept gender-based pronouns out of all their lyrics, how amazing is that? If you're looking for a uplifting and powerful song to add to your list of Pride anthems? Hit play, this is it.The inspiring second generation Ethopian American, Kelela, quit hertelemarketer jobI just need to let you all know that King Princess turned down her first record deal at the age of 11. ELEVEN. Her debut single 1950 is about the singers' unrequited love and acts as a tribute to the queer community. She had me at unrequited love, patiently waiting to see what comes next for this Brooklyn born badass.I am always in awe of any human that can play multiple instruments, write songs and sing them too. Annie Clark is one of those humans. I could write a full blog post about this incredibly fascinating artist but really, you should be spending your time listening to every song since her debut album Marry Me, in 2007.Las Vegas born Shamir is known for having a countertenor voice and recently (March 2018) released his fourth album called Resolution. The album marks a continuation of Shamir's indie rock style. You know by now I love fun facts; he began writing music at the age of NINE.

6. MYKKI BLANCO

Rapper, performance artist, poet and activist, meet Mykki Blanco. Mykki places a lot of emphasis on her music videos and art performances, often taking complex and fresh new takes on her ever-moving aesthetic, and is constantly trying out new looks and performances just as genre-defying as her musical style. See for yourself:





7. LYON HART

Oh look, another multi-instrumentalist! Lyon Hart was formerly known as Senadee (Sena Verdi) and hails from Iran. When he initially started writing music, he was not tied to a specific genre or style but I'm soooo happy with where he has landed today.





8. YEARS & YEARS

9. FRANK OCEAN

British artists mixing electropop, 90s house and R&B? What? Sign me up! Their biggest hit single in the video below, "King" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. Good news is they are coming out with a new album called Palo Santo THIS summer, check it out here

I don't even know where to start with Frank Ocean, he's one of my favourite artists. The one thing I do want to share is his coming out letter on Tumblr JUST incase you haven't seen it before. It's from 2012 but it still matters, it is still inspiring to many. Read it here.





10. LP

The first time I saw LP perform live, I fell in love especially when that ukulele hit the stage. LP aka Laura Pergolizzi has released four albums to date but has also written songs for other artists that you may know...like uhm, CHER, Rihanna, Backstreet Boys. No big deal.





11. HAYLEY KIYOKO

Okay real talk, if it wasn't for my Twitter followers I would have no idea who the hell Hayley Kiyoko was. Since discovering who she was, not a day goes by where I do not see her name somewhere. After watching every Kiyoko music video, all I can say is lesbian visibility for the win.





12. LE1F

Khalif Diouf is known by his stage name Le1f. He is an American rapper and producer. He runs the hip hop label Camp & Street, a subsidiary of Greedhead Music in New York City . As a gay rapper, Le1f garnered attention for his unique and subversive musical and performance styles.





13. TROYE SIVAN

The South African born singer, songwriter, actor and YouTube personality has been winning awards all over the place. The most notable being Time's 25 Most Influential Teenagers....while I was busy making cootie catchers in detention. Pst, he's got a new album called Bloom coming out soon so keep your eyes open.





14. HALSEY

You know who Halsey is right, RIGHT? Good, I thought so. Here's a fun fact about her then; Ashley Nicolette Frangipane's stage name is a reference to the Halsey Street station of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn and an anagram of her first name.





15. SASSYBLACK

This psychedelic electronic soul songstress & producer from Seattle, Washington has been traveling the world singing, performing and speaking since 2008. With a foundation in jazz, her energy is unlike any other, providing a deep unique concert experience.







Who are some of your favourite queer musicians right now? Let me know in the comments below, I'm always looking for more queers musicians!