There’s no question that pop music historically belongs to the gays. The genre is dominated by women who go down as rainbow icons, from Cher and Dolly Parton to Christina Aguilera and Beyonce. But there have been very few openly queer women at the top… Until now. 2024 has seen a total takeover from the gay pop girlies, so it’s time to check out these top artists to listen to now!
Chappell Roan
Releasing her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess late last year, Chappell Roan’s recent run of the festival circuit alongside opening for Olivia Rodrigo has seen her grow exponentially beyond her wildest dreams.
Roan’s single ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ explores the perils of compulsive heterosexuality, through its sweeping Kate Bush-esque chorus and haunting lyricism. Cuts from her debut album like ‘Femininomenom’ and ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ cover Chappell’s gay awakening in full technicolor, whilst other tracks like ‘Pink Pony Club’ and ‘Hot To Go’ celebrate the magic of finding a community of likeminded people.
With her bold, honest storytelling, campy visuals and larger-than-life drag persona, Chappell Roan is changing the game as one of mainstream music’s first openly lesbian pop stars.
Towa Bird
Towa Bird’s out-of-the-box pop-rock sound is one for the ages. Rising to popularity on TikTok, Towa also featured as Renee Rapp’s lead guitarist on the Snow Hard Feelings tour. The two later made their first public appearance as a couple at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty!
Towa’s single ‘Drain Me’ is a quirky romp filled with sultry, suggestive lyrics, whilst her track ‘Wild Heart’ serves as a punchy ode where she plays “Indiana Jones”, “the cowboy who meets a girl and gets caught in her grip”. All this and more comes together on her energetic record American Hero, a flashy rockstar collection weaving themes of queer love and lust into stories of racial and sociopolitical identity.
Renee Rapp
Kicking her year off right as the star of Mean Girls, Renee Rapp shot to fame in January thanks to her stunning vocals and dry sense of humour. She played Regina George on Broadway for several years, as well as acted in Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s TV series The Sex Lives of College Girls for multiple seasons. But her musical breakthrough came with her first full-length album Snow Angel, released in late 2023.
Snow Angel’s glossy pop sound delivers gritty realism in its songwriting. ‘Pretty Girls’ tackles the struggle of finding a woman willing to commit to an honest relationship, whilst the album’s title track deals with a traumatic experience that shifted Rapp’s ability to connect with others. But her most exciting release yet featured on this year’s Mean Girls soundtrack. The Megan the Stallion collaboration ‘Not My Fault’ is a relentlessly groovy pop tune all about owning your identity. Can a gay girl get an amen?
Billie Eilish
Since recently coming out as queer, Billie Eilish’s artistry has undergone a dramatic visual and lyrical shift. Earlier songs and music videos embraced homoerotic undertones, like the slumber party vibe of ‘Lost Cause’ or the double entendres of ‘Wish You Were Gay’. But Eilish’s monumental third studio album Hit Me Hard And Soft opened up a new world exploring her sapphic identity.
Lead single ‘Lunch’ is a beautifully brash display of feminine sexuality, with its dark bouncing bassline and electropop sound. The emboldened lyrics are incredibly direct, ending with Billie panting over a shuddering dancefloor beat. Its follow-up ‘Birds of a Feather’, rumoured to feature in the upcoming third season of Heartstopper, is a gorgeously romantic narrative of long-lasting love. Not to mention Eilish’s recent feature on Charli XCX’s ‘Guess’ remix, where she teases the singer flirtatiously on top of a mountain of women’s underwear!
Since this public identity shift, the LGBT+ community have welcomed Billie Eilish with open arms. This newly defined performer is sure to deliver thrilling pop bangers for many years to come.
Kim Petras
In 2023, Kim Petras made history as the first openly transgender woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop/Duo Performance, alongside genderqueer artist Sam Smith for their collaboration ‘Unholy’. But Petras did not use this as an excuse to take a break. Over the past year and a half, she’s dropped three album-length releases, from her debut album Feed The Beast to the infamous shelved mixtape Problematique and 2024’s scandalous Slut Pop Miami.
Much of Petras’ work relies on taking a specific theme to the extreme. Released this past Valentine’s Day, Slut Pop Miami is an utterly filthy sexual celebration. Its unbelievable lyrics and hyperpop club sound pay tribute to trans legends before her, like Ayesha Erotica and SOPHIE. Every track is short and sweet, all about shock value and campy excess. It only makes sense that Kim’s idol Madonna, who changed the game with her notorious 1992 coffee table book Sex, is the person who awarded Kim her first Grammy, paving the way for her to go all out ever since.
Clairo
American singer-songwriter Clairo rose to prominence with tender sapphic tunes like’ ‘Sofia’ and ‘Bags’. Her soft voice and warm, cosy instrumentals have attained cult classic status. She began her career making bedroom pop on her computer before expanding to a more full studio setting in recent years. Clairo is also a major political activist, recording her viral track ‘Pretty Girl’ for the Transgender Law Centre, as well as speaking out against LGBT+ conversion therapy and the Israel-Hamas war.
This year, Clairo found a new style with her dreamy jazz folk rock collection Charm. The critically acclaimed record explores femininity, sexuality and domesticity through a 70s lens, featuring grooves like ‘Add Up My Love’ and the intimate number ‘Juna’. As an openly bisexual artist in her own musical lane, Clairo is such an icon for today’s queer community, you’ll know there’s a double meaning when you’re asked the seemingly innocent question, “Do you listen to Clairo?”
Peach PRC
Since her debut EP Manic Dream Pixie dropped in 2023, TikTok sensation Peach PRC has released a steady stream of singles that glitter with inherently queer emotion. Peach puts a modern spin on the works of gay classics before her like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. But her lyrics are deeply personal, delivered from behind the veil of the pastel pink fairy persona she takes on for the stage.
The 2000s house-infused feel of ‘Like A Girl Does’ melds theatrical spoken sections with a pumping, unapologetic chorus about the pleasure of connection between women. On the opposing end of the spectrum, sadder songs like ‘Secret’ tackle the pain of hiding a gay relationship from judging friends and family, and ‘Touchy Subject’ vividly depicts Peach’s difficult feelings about having children. There’s more to come with ‘Time of My Life’, which satirises queer prison narratives and dives into the complicated chaos of the gay party scene, executing a vision that could only ever belong to Peach PRC.
