I really, really love music.
Some of my happiest moments are lying on my bed with my headphones in or reading reviews of upcoming artists, despite being a terrible singer and an even worse musician. I also am very queer, something I’ve known since I was twelve years old. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered that, besides popular artists such as Girl in Red and Hayley Kiyoko, there is a definite lack of queer women or femme individuals in the mainstream. So, with the help of my adviser Emily, I made a playlist of queer women singing about love (of other women). My criteria was artists who seemed more underground or that others might not necessarily have heard of, with songs with queer themes. You can listen to the playlist here.
‘Green’, Kera and the Lesbians – Named Kera and the Lesbians despite only Kera herself identifying as lesbian, the band defies what you might expect from the get go. Their song ‘Green’ is a great example of this, with the lyrics covering a relationship that always keeps the narrator guessing. The instrumental suits the themes well, with what seems like a typical folk song until about halfway through, when it turns into an amalgamation of kazoos, guitar, and distorted vocal samples, with frontwoman Kera’s almost country twang making it the perfect song to sing to your mountain love.
Marika Hackman – Marika Hackman was born in Hampshire, England, and raised in Devon. Only allowed to watch a little television, she turned to artistic pursuits. Hackman learned piano at age 4, bass and drums at 10, and she taught herself to play guitar at age 12. Her first release was a mini album of covers in 2012, and she also released a mini album produced by alt-J’s Charlie Andrew. In 2015, she released her debut album We Slept At Last. Her following albums were 2017’s I’m Not Your Man, and 2019’s Any Human Friend. She is well known for the understated yet unsettling nature of her instrumentals and the sapphic representation in her lyrics.
Melissa Etheridge – Melissa Etheridge was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, and began to play for country music groups in her teen years. In 1981, she moved to LA to pursue a career in music. She was discovered at a bar in Pasadena after performing in clubs and lesbian bars. Her debut album in 1988 was nominated for a Grammy, and she has also been nominated for Grammys fifteen times, winning twice in 1993 and 1995 respectively. She came out as lesbian in 1993 and has been a vocal activist for LGBTQ+ rights ever since, as well as being extremely popular in the underground country music scene.
‘sometimes’, Be Steadwell – From the artist’s album Queer Love Songs, the song is a narrator’s gentle affirmation towards their lover, telling them it’s okay to questions themselves but “you can just be you and me/we can just be in love”. With a soft acoustic and piano accompaniment and Be Steadwell’s soft vocals, this song feels like a warm hug from someone that you love very much.
Syd – Born in Los Angeles and related to internationally known music producer Mikey Bennett, Syd has been doing music production since age 14. She joined Odd Future and was a part of the collective until 2011, when she left to form her own band The Internet. She released her debut album Fin in 2017 and has featured on songs with artists such as Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, Zayn, Snoop Dogg, and Thundercat. Syd has been very open about being gay, although she prefers not to use the term ‘lesbian.’
‘Moon Like Sour Candy’, The Ophelias – The song is slow and begins almost ominously at first, then goes into an almost lofi beat, like wandering into a dark wood and finding a candy house. The lyrics are equally pretty, using metaphor and turns of phrase (“tongue like bubbles floating down my rotten skin”), sounding like a mysterious fairy tale story.. The soft guitar and overall indie vibe of the song mixed with the high, clear voice of the singer paints the picture of a relationship gone bittersweet, but the song is as addictive as the sugariest candy.
‘Bailey’, Suzie True – The band describes themselves as “the Powerpuff Girls meets Blink-182”, and this is apparent in the song from the get-go. The Valley Girl, little girl-esque vocals of the singer are reminiscent of grrrl vocalists such as Bikini Kill and Poppy, and the pop-punk of the drums makes for an addictive mix as the singer waxes poetic about wanting their best friend to “love me more than you expected”. The song has the perfect energy for going to a skate park with your best friend, getting the courage to confess or simply enjoying time in each other’s company.
Dizzy Fae – Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dizzy Fae grew up as the child of a biracial couple, something she says influenced her identity greatly. At age 16, she released her first single “Color Me Bad”, and released her first mixtape, Free Form, in 2018, followed by mixtape No GMO in 2019. Dizzy Fae has opened for Lizzo and has also shared a stage with Kehlani, Jorja Smith, and the band The Internet. She is very vocal about her queerness and has performed and headlined at NYC Pride.