BY: Alexis Eichelberger

Historically, music has been an industry where artists have freely explored sexuality and gender through their art, pushing boundaries and helping others find comfort in their identities and fluidity. It’s taken time for out musicians to be freely accepted, and of course, the fight is not over today. But from our favorite glamorous rockers of the 70s and 80s to modern icons who are constantly reinventing their genres, we celebrate all of the brave and brilliant LGBTQ+ artists who have given us some of our favorite songs.

To celebrate Pride, we at PROVOKR decided to compile a list of some of our current favorite LGBTQ+ artists. We’ve also included a playlist of some of our favorite tracks from these phenomenal musicians. Happy Pride!

Hayley Kiyoko

Hayley Kiyoko is a singer, actress and fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Her fresh, fun pop music often explores her lesbian identity, and she’s been vocal about using her art to normalize non-heterosexual relationships.

Frank Ocean

In 2012, Frank Ocean came out publicly as bisexual through an essay posted on Tumblr. His cool and creative fusion of new-age R&B and pop has earned him seven Grammy nominations, including one Album of the Year nod for his stunning studio debut Channel Orange.

Janelle Monae

A woman of many talents, Janelle Monae is one of our favorite entertainers in all mediums. AS a musician, she’s earned eight Grammy nominations and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist. Monae identifies as pansexual and has been vocal in her support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Troye Sivan

The young Australian crooner started as a YouTube personality and is now a leading voice in the pop genre. Troye Sivan came out as gay in a Youtube video he posted in 2013. He has a number of film and TV acting credits to his name, along with two full length albums and a third on the way.

Kim Petras

Kim Petras was thrust into the spotlight as a trans rights advocate when she was just 13 years old. Now, she’s a rising star in pop music who’s released an impressive number of danceable singles since her debut in 2017. She was nominated for this year’s GLAAD Media Outstanding Artist Award for her debut album Clarity.

Lil Nas X

The biggest song of 2019 came from a relatively unknown artist, but everyone knows his name now. Lil Nas X became a household name last year when “Old Town Road” became the world’s favorite song. He came out as gay on the last day of Pride Month last year by tweeting and asking fans to listen closely to his song “C7osure (You Like).”

Sam Smith

We’ve been anxiously waiting on the third album from this multiple Grammy award-winner since they announced its postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sam Smith came out as gay in 2014, the same year as the release of their celebrated debut album In the Lonely Hour. In 2017, they also came out as genderqueer.

King Princess

The 21-year-old rose to prominence in 2018 after the release of her sweet indie pop single “1950.” King Princess, who identifies as gay and genderqueer, released her debut album Cheap Queen in 2019. The record was listed as one of the best of the year by a number of prominent media outlets.

Kevin Abstract

Kevin Abstract has pushed the boundaries of genre and expression since the release of his debut album in 2014. He is one of the founding members of the prolific hip-hop collective Brockhampton, and he has been openly gay in his music and otherwise since coming out in 2016.

Christine and the Queens

In 2016, Vanity Fair named Christine and the Queens France’s most influential person. The 32-year-old identifies as pansexual and genderqueer, and is one of the most innovative artists currently rocking the world of pop music. She has three full-length studio albums, and last year collaborated with Charli XCX to create one of the year’s best pop singles and music videos.