Meet 7 Queer Musicians Who Are Changing the Game
04/28/21
Kaleena Zanders
Get lost in the raw power, angst, and soul of Kaleena Zanders. The eclectic pop artist channels EDM, blues, punk, rock, and more in her music, with a striking vulnerability. "Growing up, I've hidden behind a facade of not being myself, not being openly gay," she says. "I experienced a lot of despair and hopelessness -- very disconnected and feeling trapped inside my head." Music has become Zanders's "safe space" to express and let go of her feelings. "I am attempting to be even more honest with my upcoming songs to acknowledge some personal situations and heal from them." Her latest solo track, "Set Me Off," is a bluesy fight song, an electric guitar-driven warning not to get on her bad side. The song was "inspired by the rage one can feel when someone feels betrayed." She reflects, "When I was a young kid, like between 7 and 9 years old, at school I used to defend the kids that would get bullied" like a "kid vigilante fighting for the underdog." Her latest collab with Ray Garrison, "Remedy," is "emotional and thick," she says, a reflection about "the crazy music business and how it glorifies mental illness and drug abuse." @KaleenaZanders
Ethel Cain
"I feel like I'm aging against my will," singer-songwriter Ethel Cain says, "so I'm constantly trying to use my own artwork as an escapist fantasy to fling myself back into an age before I was even born." The emerging musician's tender and reflective songs are calm and quiet, yet blisteringly visceral. Take her latest track, "Michelle Pfeiffer," for instance, a haunting collab with lil aaron that yearns for someone (something?) from another lifetime. "I want my music to feel like a hot and sticky June afternoon somewhere in Mississippi," she says. "You're half-naked and plastered to the seat of somebody else's car. Life isn't perfect, but it's chill, and you feel sexy enough to get at least half of what you want." Cain's transness adds to her unique perspective but certainly isn't the entirety of who she is. "Being transgender is easily the most boring and human aspect about me," she says. "I want people to know there's a million and one ways to be a trans woman, just like there's a million and one ways to be a cis woman. We aren't following a blueprint; we're leaving our own." @MotherCain
Deb Never
Let's set the scene: A half-moon shines bright on a nighttime drive. The blurry lights of the city stream by. The windows are down, wind billowing through your hair. You're longing for someone. Deb Never is the soundtrack for moments like these. The bedroom-pop musician's latest single, "Someone Else," is about the "self-indulgent fear of losing someone," she says. The vibe reflects "classic London-influenced sounds, from the chord progressions down to the drum and bass," she notes. It's nostalgic, wistful, and brutally honest, which she loves. "All of the influences and inspirations that make my music the way it sounds is so deeply personal that it'll always come off real," Never says. As with Clairo or Soccer Mommy, it's easy to drown in the queer singer-songwriter's ennui. "Music is my diary and personal escape where I talk about my life experiences," the artist says. "If I can't be honest, why am I doing this?" @DebNever
Carlie Hanson
Carlie Hanson refuses to be anything but herself. "It's important to me that I always stay 100 percent authentic and true to myself," she says. "I just feel happier and less anxious this way, never having to worry about putting on a certain persona or hiding anything or whatever. I just wanna be me, no matter what." Hanson's music blends genres, combining pop choruses with hard hip-hop beats and glimmerings of the pop-punk era of the early 2000s. Add Hanson's distinctive lyricism and storytelling, and it's easy to see how the 20-year-old has garnered such a loyal following. DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy is her latest EP, a youthful, moody, and meditative glimpse of self-destructive tendencies. When asked to choose a song where her identity shines through, Hanson picks her 2018 track "Us." "I've always been very open about who I am, without thinking twice about what someone else might think. 'Fuck it if they don't like us, 'cause I think we're fucking righteous.'" @CarlieHanson
SNKT
"So, imagine Kate Bush and Sinead O'Connor are sisters. Well, I'm their gay nephew who's really into Robyn and Charli XCX right now," SNKT says. With songs that are shimmery, optimistic, and full of joy, the Irish dance-pop artist makes music for those who love love. "Something I've inherited from my family and my wider Irish roots is the gift of storytelling, which I love using in the context of a pop song because it can add so much more depth to a track," he explains. His latest, "Lost in Love," explores that feeling of spotting a babe across the room and falling for them at first glance. SNK T is ready to flex those storytelling muscles on his new album, out this May. "I love to write about boys who broke my heart, although my upcoming record, No Saints, is very much about how it wasn't only the boys' fault," he says. @snktmusic
Tony Pops
"The need to move is a primitive feeling," electronic musician Tony Pops says. "I've always loved electronic music, especially the immense amount of dancing that revolves around it." His latest track, "Feeling Good (What Needs to Be Done)," draws you into a trancelike state of being; the pulse vibrates through your toes, demanding you get up and groove. The stunning music video features Gravity Balmain, a dancer from the winning team of HBO Max's Legendary, voguing down alleyways and clubs to their heart's content. "When I discovered ballroom culture I became obsessed with it," says Pops. He hopes to honor "my queer ancestors and [show] other communities, like my hometown, something they've possibly never seen or heard before." That mission is especially important to Pops because he "wasn't so comfortable being 100 percent myself in the past," he says. "I'm first-generation American, and that's always affected my behavior around others and the way I project. Where I'm from, not everyone fully understands my queerness and how it relates to my identity. Now I'm staying honest with myself and my truths. I know who I am as a person and an artist more than ever before, and I want to show that through my music." @Tony_Pops
Reece
That boy you're crying over? He's not worth it. That's the mantra of "Boy, Don't Cry," the catchy pop song from rising musician Reece. The singer-songwriter shared the track last fall, marking the first time he discussed his queer identity in his music. "While there's been a lot more acceptance for LGBTQ people in general, we still have a ways to go," he reflects. "I think it's my responsibility as an artist/public figure to live my truth publicly, as that is the only way to help continue the normalization and acceptance of LGBTQ people in our society." With his slick, R&B-tinged choruses and easily relatable lyrics about lovers old and new, you'll quickly catch yourself singing along to Reece. Look out for his new song, "Generational Heartthrob." @ReeseMusic
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