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PRIDE is all about self-empowerment and self-determination. It's about not just being comfortable with who you are but showing the world that there is pride to be found in being unapologetically you. And that's why, this PRIDE and every PRIDE, we want to take a moment to shine a light on a small handful of our favorite LGBTQIA+ artists. These are 17 artists you should be listening to this PRIDE and every month.  

Ethel Cain

Ethel Cain makes music in her own image. Inspired by religious fanaticism and the American dream captured in backwoods Americana dream, Cain’s music flows out with all the mysticism of an ethereal pop sermon. Equally bewitching and otherworldly. And with the release of her debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, Cain embraces her role as a beguiling storyteller, unveiling a sprawling tale of love, violence, religion, and more. 

Isaac Dunbar

Despite his tender age, Isaac Dunbar has spent the better part of his nascent career establishing himself as a veritable pop auteur. Nowhere does this sentiment ring true than in his latest EP, Banish the Banshee. Over the course of eight sonic parables, Dunbar tells the story of his alter-ego Banshee and what led him to this point. Bursting at the seams with ‘70s psychedelic funk, ‘90s alternative rock, and the pop of the early aughts, this exploration of sexuality, self-expression, and eventual acceptance is a sight to behold. 

Jazmin Bean

Jazmin Bean’s aesthetic may be intense at first glance but look underneath the fascinating blend of Harajuku and kawaii goth and you’ll find an artist in every sense of the word. A nonbinary multidisciplinary artist, specializing in film and music, Bean’s genre-defying music exudes a cinematic quality, lulling you into its hypnotic juxtaposition of chaotic, thrashing production and instrumentation and saccharine sweet vocals that build to a feverish roar at a moment’s notice. Few artists feel as poised to lead Gen Z’s genreless subculture as Bean.

jamesjamesjames

jamesjamesjames makes house music to slay the house down (sorry). Having grown up in the land of fame, fortune, and botox aka Beverly Hills, the now Melbourne-based producer “makes sexy Y2K techno music for anyone who is skinny, rich, blonde, and a little bit of a bitch, or all of the above.” The painfully self-aware producer and DJ who worships at the altar of Charli XCX is more than surface-level glitz and glamor, crafting hypnotic, emotional works of dancefloor catharsis that beg you to lose yourself in them, even if for just one moment. 

Orla Gartland

Indie Irish artist Orla Gartland’s music is unassuming yet undeniable; it’s unfiltered honestly retaining all the beauty of fresh dew on a brisk morning or a kind remark from a passing stranger. Balancing unrelenting vulnerability with a self-assured determination, the Dublin-born musician’s music feels like staring directly into Gartland, flaws, triumphs and all. And with her 2019 single “Why Am I Like This?” seeing a renewed fervor thanks to being featured in Netflix Heartstopper and subsequently taking TikTok by storm, it seems like there’s never been a better time to embrace the profound honestly of the heartfelt Irish artist.

Rebecca Black

For better or worse, few artists have the musical pedigree of Rebecca Black. With the release of “Friday,” a then 13-year-old Black became one of the first viral stars, simultaneously lauded and ridiculed. And yet, she has never shied away from it all, instead, using her newfound fame to become a prominent advocate for anti-bullying and the LGBTQ+ community. And with the release of 2021’s impressive Rebecca Black Was Here EP and a string of high-profile collaborations with artists like bbno$, Slayyyter, MØ, and more, it feels like we’re witnessing a whole new era for the rising pop star. 

Omar Apollo

Omar Apollo feels like an artist who needs no introduction. The 24-year-old Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter is a genre shapeshifter, exploring the fertile creative wellspring of sultry R&B, traditional Mexican sonnets, to dizzying amalgamations of Latin pop and hip-hop on tracks like the Neptunes-produced “Tamagotchi.” The aforementioned appears on Apollo’s acclaimed first official album, Ivory, an expansive 16-track effort that saw the inevitable star broaden his creative horizons like never before.  

Dua Saleh

Before they were creating otherworldly feats of R&B, soul, hip-hop, and pop, Dua Saleh was known for their activist work—protesting against the school to prison pipeline—and their arresting spoken word poetry. Now, the Sudan-born nonbinary artist is earning praise in equal measures for their series of EPs—Nūr, ROSETTA, and CROSSOVER. Equal measures fantastical and somber, Saleh’s genre-defying work explores everything from queer love to complex concepts of the self and the world at large.  

Chapell Roan

Chapell Roan has a voice sure to stop you dead in your tracks. Her spellbinding vocal range comes alive in tracks like “Pink Pony Club” and “California.” Yet, before she was lighting up the pop world with her jaw-dropping vocal feats, Roan found herself lost after packing everything from her hometown in Missouri and embarking to Los Angeles. It wasn’t until a transformative night at The Abbey—an iconic gay bar in West Hollywood—that Roan felt inspired again, resulting in the release of her breakout single, the aforementioned “Pink Pony Club.”

Ray Laurél

Ray Laurél may only have a handful of tracks to his name, but his promise is undeniable. In his debut single, “Hunter Schafer,” the British Asian singer-songwriter and producer delivers not just a velvety smooth ode to the hit show Euphoria and one of its leading stars but a dexterous exploration of queerness and self-acceptance. Written while watching the show, Schafer’s character and in turn, the song itself helped Laurél feel comfortable with himself as he explored his newly realized sexuality. Then there’s “Manic Pixie Dream Boy,” an indie UK rock-soaked tour de force that further cements the artist’s clear potential.   

Lava La Rue

UK artist Lava La Rue is the very definition of a multi-hyphenate. As a founding member of creative group Nine8, they have curated projects that span the worlds of fashion, art, and music, most notably Men’s Fashion Week and a Tate Modern “LATE” takeover. And when La Rue isn’t busy experimenting with fashion and art, they’re busy flexing their musical dexterity. Building the foundation of a genre-defying discography over the course of a number of stellar projects, including 2021’s Butter-Fly, a collection of queer love songs, La Rue is proving that there is no limit to how far they can fly. 

dhruv

Raised in India, with roots in Singapore and the UK, dhruv had already amassed over a hundred songs long before he began sharing his bedroom demos with the internet in 2017. Maybe that begins to explain the polished nature of the dhruv we witness in his 2021 debut EP rapunzel. A smoldering coming-of-age story told over the course of eight tracks that make the most of the artist’s influences, which range from Frank Ocean, 2000s pop radio, and an eclectic mix of Bollywood music, dhruv’s early efforts have established himself as an undeniable one to watch. 

KALI

17-year-old artist KALI’s passion for music has existed for as long as they can remember. Before delving headfirst into their ethereal solo project, the Los Angeles-based artist grew up playing recitals, covering The Beatles, taking songwriting masterclasses, and even forming their first band The Big Wednesday—an indie surf outfit that became a local favorite in the city’s DIY scene. All that and more leads us to KALI of today, whose dreamlike fusion of indie rock and the dreamier elements of bedroom pop flourish on their 2021 debut EP, Circles. 

Moore Kismet

The youngest artist ever to perform at booth Lollapalooza and Electric Daisy Carnival, it feels like an understatement to call Moore Kismet one of the most promising emerging artists in the electronic space. The 17-year-old nonbinary wunderkind is currently gearing up to release their debut album, UNIVERSE, set to arrive June 24. Teased by a number of singles that are equally apt for festival stages as they are for dance-induced moments of personal bliss, including the Tate McRae-cowritten “Parallel Heartbreak,” we cannot wait to see what Kismet has in store for us this summer. 

Leith Ross

Emerging from a small town outside of Ottawa, Canada, Leith Ross’ music plays out with all the tender warmth of sharing secrets with a dear friend. Equally inspired by Lucinda Williams, Dolly Parton, Disney movie soundtracks, High School Musical, and their dad’s terrible renditions of the aforementioned, there is a saccharinely sweet quality to it all, even when Ross is singing about unrequited love with strangers or weaving together a heartfelt bit of sonic poetry in “We’ll Never Have Sex.” Currently busy working on a new project, Ross’ story is just unfolding, and we are eagerly awaiting the next emotional chapter.  

Boyish

Failure isn’t the end, it’s merely the beginning of something unknown. Or at least that’s the case made by New York-based queer duo Boyish. Comprised of India Shore and Claire Altendahl, the two met after a failed audition attempt for a Berklee College of Music songwriters showcase in which the judges encouraged them to work together more. The result of this being two striking albums in the form of 2018’s Carnation and 2020’s Garden Spider and a budding discography that spans the gamut from catharsis-driven indie rock and lucid dream pop.

Bren Joy

Born and raised in Nashville, Bren Joy was no stranger to hiding his blackness and queerness but no longer. Fully embracing the two, the rising star crafts intoxicating bouts of R&B, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, and pop. It can be heard in full in his standout debut project, Twenties, an eight-track exploration of the highs and lows of young adulthood. And while the project certainly doesn’t shy away from the trials and tribulations of coming of age, Twenties is a story told with an unrelenting sense of hope and self-love.