5 Black Queer Musicians You Should Be Listening To
Unless you’ve succeeded in avoiding all forms of pop culture and social media for the entirety of June, you know that it’s Pride Month.
Through all the blatant corporate commodification of the month’s significance, many forget the Black heroes that paved the way for the LGBTQIA+ community to survive. Despite this, there is still much to be celebrated and remembered, and what better way to do that than to celebrate some Black, queer womxn and non-binary musicians that resist society’s expectations of them to give us the gift of their talent? From the Janelles to the Kehlanis, there is something inherently beautiful about musicians using their craft to celebrate their Blackness and sexuality. Here are are a few artists who do just that:
1. Victoria Monet
Though many pop music fans know the singer through her friendship with Ariana Grande, there’s a lot more to her than most know. The bisexual songstress has had a low-key, but fruitful songwriting career since 2010, writing tracks for Grande, Fifth Harmony, and Kendrick Lamar just to name a few. However, she has since transitioned to focus on her own music, like Monopoly, for example, where she utilizes a double entendre to playfully elaborate on her sexuality (“I swerve both ways dichotomy.” Get it?)
2. Ivy Sole
From the churches of North Carolina to the Ivy League, Ivy Sole puts all of her defining moments into her music. As a result, listeners get a divinely intimate look into the queer rapper’s life from her sexuality to her mental health. The 25-year old storyteller has already performed with fellow R&B musicians Estelle and Mahalia and with songs like, “How High”, her visibility is surely on the rise.
3. Kelsey Lu
Cellist and singer Kelsey Lu gives a refreshing twist to pop music by with her genre-bending and exquisite music. The singer, who prefers to be called “Lu” due to it’s androgynous nature, makes music that defies the norms placed on her by society as a Black, bisexual woman form the South. The classically trained singer recently released a stunning cover of 10cc’s classic, “I’m Not In Love” for her debut album Blood, which was released this April.
4. Shea Diamond
As a Black trans woman, Shea Diamond knows that, for her, the personal will always be political and her music is a testament to that. With her beautifully soulful voice and gospel background, the singer and activist delivers songs packed with themes of classism, transphobia, and racism. In her latest single, Don’t Shoot, Shea brings us on the harrowing journey of life as a Black trans woman in America, while also giving a powerful message against gun violence in this country.
5. Chika
Whether it’s her viral covers of J-Cole or Cardi B on social media or her recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel where she called out the governor of Alabama for her archaic views on abortion, there is a pretty good chance that you’ve seen or heard of Chika somewhere. The queer rapper, who expresses herself as nonbinary, has used her talent for songwriting to speak out about issues important to her and others from police brutality to Kanye West’s unexpected, yet unwavering support for President Trump. She recently released her debut single, “No Squares,” this April to critical acclaim.
Photo of Victoria Monet provided by Monet for Teen Vogue
Photo of Ivy Sole by Jade Parker
Photo of Shea Diamond by Ira Chernova
Photo of Kelsey Lu by Eric Chakeen
Photo of Chika by @notalents
