Whether you spent your 20gayteen campaigning for your rights, wearing face paint and glitter to pride parades, or safely in the closet, you deserve to celebrate it with some good queer music. All the following music artists are openly LGBTQ+ and have written songs that reflect their struggles, triumphs, and experiences as human beings as well as queer people. Many of these singers have released new music this year, and the rest always deserve praise for their iconic songs and pride. These eleven songs may have an LGBTQ+ theme, but they are for everyone and anyone!
“Make Me Feel”: Janelle Monáe (explicit)
“It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender”
20gayteen is the year Monae came out as pansexual. How does that make you feel?
“Strawberries and Cigarettes”: Troye Sivan
“Long nights, daydreams/Sugar and smoke rings, I’ve been a fool”
Troye Sivan’s addition to the Love, Simon soundtrack will make you think of ferris wheels, iced coffee, and first loves.
“Curious”: Hayley Kiyoko
“Been looking through the texts and all the photos/But don’t you worry I can handle it”
Nicknamed “Lesbian Jesus” by her fans, Hayley Kiyoko is a former Disney channel star and current gay icon. This song is just one of her many queer anthems.
“Girls/Girls/Boys”: Panic! At the Disco
“But girls love girls and boys/And love is not a choice”
A song that makes you want to dance around your bedroom waving a pride flag like you’re Brendon Urie.
“girls”: girl in red
“No, this is not a phase/Or a coming of age/This will never change”
Think back to your pride month and 20gayteen as a whole to the sound of girl in red singing about girls.
“Honey”: Kehlani (explicit)
“’Cause I’m a beautiful wreck/A colorful mess, but I’m funny”
Sweet, light, and impossible to listen to without smiling.
“She Keeps Me Warm”: Mary Lambert
“She says that people stare ’cause we look so good together”
A sapphic essential, this song feels like cuddling in warm sweaters.
“I’m Not the Only One”: Sam Smith
“Your heart is unobtainable/Even though you don’t share mine”
Bless Sam Smith’s soulful voice and gender non-binary identity.
“Only a Girl”: Gia
“I’ve never felt this way before/He never called me beautiful”
A vocally impressive celebration of girls who like girls, “Only a Girl” doubled as Gia’s debut song and coming out as a lesbian.
“Diamond”: Jake Zyrus
“Keep on tellin’ me it gets better/It’s hard to see when all I get is bad weather, no”
Since appearing on the television show Glee, the Filipino singer has come out as a transgender man and released songs in both English and Filipino.
“If I Had You”: Adam Lambert
“There’s a thin line between the dark side and the light side baby tonight”
Also a Glee alumnus, Adam Lambert has released more than ten albums and is currently touring with the rock band Queen.
Honorable mention: “Kiss the Boy”: Keiynan Lonsdale
“’Cause love is a game we deserve to play out loud”
The loveable star of 2018 drama Love, Simon came out as bisexual while filming the movie, which is a blessing to our year of 20gayteen.