It’s February, which means it’s LGBTQ+ history month. But, as well as looking backwards at the musicians and artists who have shaped history as openly gay, lesbian and queer spokespeople, it’s important to shine a light on those who are around today, standing loud and proud and making music as part of an underrepresented and marginalised group of people.
With TJ. Osbourne coming out making him the first openly gay country music performer signed to a major label, music history has been made. In a statement made to TIME magazine, he said country music is about storytelling, and his identity is inextricable from his music. But it’s not just Osbourne calling it for the guys, the gays and the theys – pop and country have seen a whole host of queer artists take to the microphone in recent years.
Newcomer to the alt-pop scene, VISSIA, is a Canadian songstress who combines pop, soul, jazz and more. Her singles from her upcoming full-length album With Pleasure show her to be a shrewd and wise-beyond-her-years songwriter who doesn’t shy from honest confessions of emotions and outpourings of love in all its many forms.
Known primarily for winning the X Factor, Joe McElderry has recently returned to the world of mainstream music after years of releasing ballads and cover versions. This was with a bang, and with ‘Baby Had Your Fun’ McElderry captured the spirit of the dancefloors we all miss so much.
French Fries and Margarita is the non-binary performer whose pop act is about to drop its debut track, ‘CRIME AGAINST NATURE’, an indictment of those who make it hard for people to be themselves. It’s a slick track which maintains a DIY sensibility and fuses French culture and haute couture fashion in their one-of-a-kind take on pop.
