The Ultimate A-to-Z Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Musicians and Bands, Pt. 2 (F–J)
This is Part 2 in our series on LGBTQ artists, bands and musicians. Click for “The Ultimate A-to-Z Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Artists, Musicians and Bands” parts One, Three, Four and Five.
For even the most seasoned music lovers and sound hounds, discovering LGBTQ artists and musicians can prove daunting.
Only a handful identify as “LGBTQ artists” themselves, as most identify simply as musicians, preferring not to box themselves into a set sound, lyrical set or target demographic. For the same reason, it’s rare to find a comprehensive listing of LGBTQ artists and musicians on online stores or streaming apps; all artists, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are typically grouped by genre.
But with a little research and a lot of listening, we’ve created this living encyclopedia of LGBTQ artists that can be used to discover new queer artists and give music-lovers an even deeper appreciation for those you already loved.
Below you’ll find our comprehensive encyclopedia of LGBTQ artists, musicians and bands, from F–J:
Mark Feehily / Westlife
Because Irish boys — and Irish boy bands — need gays, too. (“Swear It Again”)
The Feeling
Dan Gillespie Sells and his compatriots in this English rock band kicked around for nearly 10 years before unleashing their tuneful debut Twelve Stops and Home in 2006. Why “Sewn” and “Never Be Lonely” didn’t blow them up worldwide is a mystery. But they’re still an active concern — last year’s eponymous release was a rocking one, featuring “Wicked Heart” — and here’s hoping they catch a break.
Ferras
He hasn’t made his mark yet — though he had a moment with “Hollywood’s Not America” from his 2008 debut Aliens & Rainbows — but as far as LGBTQ artists go, don’t count him out. Signed to Katy Perry’s Metamorphosis Music, Ferras Alqaisi should have new music coming down the pike. And if his 2014 eponymous EP, featuring “Speaking in Tongues,” is any indication, he’ll have his finger on the electropop pulse of the moment.
Ferron
I should know more about this trailblazing artist than I do, though it’s enough to state how far her music reaches: Ani DiFranco, Mary Gauthier and Indigo Girls have all claimed her as an influence. You can hear it in tracks like 1980’s “Testimony” and 1984’s “Shadows On a Dime.” And young artists can learn a thing about sustaining: Ferron’s last record, Lighten-ing, was released in 2013 at the age of 61.
Fever Ray / The Knife
Karen Elisabeth Dreijer was one half of The Knife with her brother Olof, where their brand of combative electronica helped them win the Pop Group of the Year award in 2003 at the Swedish Grammis. On her own as Fever Ray since 2008, the gender fluid Dreijer, across two releases, has continued to shapeshift her electronic textures closer to the indie mainstream while fiercely remaining intellectually independent. And her videos to support 2017’s Plunge — including “To the Moon and Back” and “IDK About You” — make her seem less gender fluid and more interspecies flexible; a rogue from planet Björk or an elder star child who gave birth to SOPHIE.
Fifth Column
All-female Canadian post-punks were active between 1981 and 2002, though during that time they managed to release only three full-lengths and lots of standalone singles (“Like This” is one of their best). All three of the core members – Caroline Azar, G.B. Jones, and Beverly Breckenridge – have kept themselves busy as members of the Canadian counterculture, and participated in the 2012 documentary about the band, She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column.
K. Flay
Self-described tomboy, in a relationship with fellow pop artist Miya Folick, is no stranger to guitar hooks or big beats. (“Not in California”; “Bad Vibes”)
Florist
Emily Sprague’s Brooklyn indie pop band were last heard from with 2017’s If Blue Could Be Happiness, written and recorded before the passing of her mother, but in many ways about her (most definitively on the track “Glowing Brightly”). They’re decidedly low-key and tuneful, ambient, reflective.
Miya Folick
Unlike her partner K. Flay, Folick’s pop is more indie than flecked with metal guitars. And her voice rests somewhere between La Roux and Phoebe Bridgers. (“Stop Talking”; “Malibu Barbie”)
Hardy Fox / The Residents / Charles Bobuck
This former composer for San Francisco avant-noise collective The Residents is a solo concern now. And the man is busy. 2018 alone has seen four new albums, plus two compilations. Our favorite song by far, “Trump,” is on Egg Booty.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
First they asked us to “Relax,” then they gave us “Krisco Kisses” and then — like so many other one-night stands before them — they disappeared. Still, their videos are unforgettable.
French Vanilla
Having come to our attention with what became the number one LGBTQ+ album of 2019 (very subjectively, of course, as I was the one doing the choosing!), the L.A. quartet French Vanilla mix-and-match a number of punk and post-punk styles to land on their modern version of herky jerky indie that’s both an homage to the classic sounds of Martha and the Muffins, Lizzie Mercier Descloux and The Waitresses while refreshing its lyrical palette with identity politics (“Lost Power”) and odes to the menstrual cycle (the unhinged “Carrie”). All four band members – three of whom identify as gay – are fully in sync, which is nowhere better evidenced than live, wherein their jagged rhythms and the circuitous sax wailing of Daniel Trautfield fill a room with unbridled, joyful energy.
Ezra Furman
This gender-fluid singer-songwriter (and observant Jew) is a striking original. It’s hard to tell where Furman might end up — Brill Building hooks (“Lousy Connection”), classic rock (“Restless Year”) and political protest (“American Soil”) all end up in songs as pointed as they are passionate — but one thing is certain: the journey will be unlike any other.
Luis Gamarra
Bolivian indie rock artist who’s compelling tunes make me wish I had paid attention in Spanish class. (“LIBRE”; “No Cambio Por Ti”)
G.L.O.S.S.
Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit is the full name of Olympia’s trans-feminist hardcore punk band who lived amongst us for a mere two years (2013-2015). That’s the thing with righteous rage — it’s hard to sustain, though it’s noisy and joyful while it lasts. (“Give Violence a Chance”)
Chris Garneau
He could be Sufjan Stevens’ younger gay brother or a protégé of Rufus Wainwright, though those are just easy signifiers for this composer’s baroque traipses through pop’s leftfield. “Dirty Night Clowns” and “Fireflies” from 2009’s El Radio may give you a better sense of his sensibility.
Stephen Gately / Boyzone
Another boy band, another gay member. Gately’s 1999 coming out was trés public, followed by a ceremony to his partner in 2003 in Las Vegas and another in London in 2006. He passed of congenital heart failure in 2009, just months before Boyzone’s 2010 release of Brother (named in his honor) and the video for “Better,” wherein all the members sing to women, except for Gately.
Mary Gauthier
Though she’d been kicking around since 1997’s Dixie Kitchen, chances are most of us hadn’t heard of Gauthier until 2005’s Mercy Now (and its trenchant title track). Talk about a slow burn. Amongst artists, however, she’s always been well-known, and covered by the likes of Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton.
Teddy Geiger
Geiger, who now focuses on songwriting and production for other artists, began her transition in late 2017. (She co-wrote Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches”.) She also has two releases – 2006’s Underage Thinking (“These Walls”) and 2013’s The Last Fears (“Walking in the Sun”).
Tommy Genesis
Bisexual Canadian “fetish rapper” familiar with both the tease (“100 Bad”) and the climax (“Daddy”).
Giant Kitty
These Houston punks, featuring transgender guitarist Cassandra Chiles, have mobilized in the age of Trump, especially during the first phase of the Muslim ban, a pet cause for Syrian vocalist Miriam Hakim. They only have one release thus far, This Stupid Stuff, and while their politics are pointed, their songs tend towards the humorous. We’re particularly fond of their Keanu Reeves homage, “Don’t Stop That Bus.”
Billy Gilman
He started as a country child star (“One Voice,” “There’s a Hero”) who confronted his budding sexuality and reinvented himself – with some help during his 2016 season on The Voice – into a pop act (“Fight Song”). Still no post-country debut, however.
Girl in Red
Norwegian Marie Ulven Ringheim dba girl in red is fast becoming a future gay icon with her bedroom indie songs about teenage queer romance and mental health. (“I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend”; “Bad Idea”)
Girli
Milly Toomey dba Girli is a U.K. queer feminist who peppers her pop jams with grime, attitude, and fun beats kind of like Le Tigre, etc. (“Hot Mess”; “Deal With It”)
Girlpool
Before the World Was Big, the 2015 debut from this Los Angeles duo (now trio), was a subtle indie rock keeper — reminiscent of similar bands such as Beat Happening and Moldy Peaches. The selling point, as witnessed on the title track, are the harmonies of Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad. I spend less time with the follow-up, Powerplant, which has less to do with the quality of the work than my own interests elsewhere, though no doubt when I need a dose of gentle navel-gazing indie, as on “123,” I’m certain I’ll put it on.
Glass Battles
Sean Augustine, the mastermind behind the electropop phantasmagoria of Glass Battles, is both absolutely of this moment and a throwback to an earlier era when artists with this much talent, ambition, and vocal prowess were more – how does one say? – performative. As we’ve mentioned here before, he’s a singer in a class that includes both Freddie Mercury and his de facto replacement Adam Lambert. And he doesn’t lack for ideas – his release Glitchcraft, Vol. 1: Temptation in the Garden at Dark is high concept and brimming with delicious melodrama. (“Septilizine”; “Crocodile”)
Tyler Glenn / Neon Trees
God Is My Co-Pilot
Sharron Topper and Craig Flanagin have steered this queercore band since 1992’s I Am Not This Body (“Kissing Frenzy”). All of their albums have been released on independent labels, so undying adulation and commercial success was never the end game. Their last album was in 1998, though they recently reunited for a UK tour. Maybe they’re gearing up to release new material?
Ari Gold / Sir Ari / GoldNation
This singing child star (Pot Belly Bear: Songs and Stories, anyone?) has been a fixture on the club scene since his eponymous debut in 2001 and has been releasing music under his own name, as Sir Ari, and GoldNation (“Sex Like a Pornstar”) since.
Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have released fascinating electro since 2000’s surreal Felt Mountain. They’ve pivoted between whiplash dance music (“Strict Machine”) and pastoral explorations (“Clowns”) nearly every other album. Both iterations make magnificent use of Gregory’s rich melodies and Goldfrapp’s malleable soprano. And 17 years in, they’re still making music worth hearing. This year’s Silver Eye — with the Teutonic “Systemagic” — is one of their best.
Lesley Gore
A chart-topping solo artist for a brief run in the ’60s — “It’s My Party” and the proto-feminist “You Don’t Own Me” have stood the test of time — Gore co-wrote songs with brother Michael Gore for 1980’s Fame, and co-hosted PBS’s LGBT issues-oriented In the Life. As was the way, she kept her sexuality close to the vest until later in her career. In retrospect, however, isn’t it a rich irony that the voice of (white) teenage girls belonged to one of our own?
Laura Jane Grace / Against Me!
Before she transitioned, Laura Jane Grace was tearing up the alt-rock world fronting Against Me!, confronting the powers that be with the same scalpel she was using on her own emotions. So what a gift that she’s doing the same thing now and has blossomed into a forthright and powerful spokeswoman for the transgender community. The title track of 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues was notice to the transphobes and homophobes that it would be business as usual. And if you were too stupid to hear it, then feel free to fuck off.
Steve Grand
It’s hard to talk about Steve Grand and not focus on his looks. I mean, the man is fine, as you can tell from every picture he’s ever taken (and his side career as a model). So let’s not make the mistake of thinking that’s all he is — another pretty face or set of abs — but let’s also admit that he has yet to prove himself as an artist. His one and only release, All American Boy, is good, not great. But he has talent — as “Stay” and “All American Boy” itself attests. Let’s hope his fame doesn’t distract him from the business at hand.
John Grant / The Czars
Six or so albums in and his Denver-based band The Czars were going nowhere. So John Grant took some time off, lived his life and came back strong with 2010’s Queen of Denmark. Sure, you could have guessed there was something gay going on back in The Czars (their cover of “Where the Boys Are” from 2005’s Sorry I Made You Cry — duh!), but Grant hasn’t been pussyfooting around the subject on his own. He’s become a bear icon (much to his delight, no doubt), and he’s one of the best songwriters in the world today. “Queen of Denmark” (either his or Sinead O’Connor’s cover), “Glacier,” “Guess How I Know” — each a great song from each of his three solo releases, and not the only ones. He’s making up for lost time and creating a modern classic canon in the process.
Grayson / Neu Youth
Raised in the Mormon Church, this non-binary indie artist just dropped a preview of their forthcoming EP with the song “Brother.” It’s such a weird, catchy earworm we’re excited for their pending extended play.
Green Day
Though their breakthrough hit, “Longview,” was about the glories and boredom of masturbation, who knew that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong could have been jacking off to boys as much as girls? He declared himself bisexual in a 1995 interview with The Advocate — somehow we missed that issue — and has touched on it many times since (claiming that Dookie, the band’s massive 1994 album, touched on bisexuality a lot, especially in the song “Coming Clean”). And while Green Day is often derided for not being pure enough as a punk band — whatever the hell that means — the band has left behind a lot of great and forward-thinking material, from “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” which became the go-to wedding song for ’90s kids, to the future Tony-winning American Idiot (about the Bush years, but even more prescient now).
Gregory Gray / Mary Cigarettes / Rosetta Stone / Perfect Crime
This Irish musician, born Paul Lerwill, began in the ’70s as guitarist for Rosetta Stone, fronted the ’80s band Perfect Crime, then released three records as Gregory Gray between 1986 and 1995. (Good luck finding them, though.) Proto-electro, before it was the rage; gay-specific without irony or distance or faux importance: he captured a moment in his life as an ex-patriot on foreign shores with some catchy tunes and thoughtful lyrics. And he wrote one of the best songs about AIDS ever, “Three Minute Requiem.” Do yourself a favor and seek it out.
Chelcee Grimes
Having written for some high-profile pop divas such as Kylie Minogue and Dup Lipa, the U.K. singer-songwriter (and footballer for Fulham Ladies) has ventured out on her own. (“Time to Talk”; “Tryna Not Fall in Love”)
Grizzly Bear
Singer-composer Ed Droste is the openly gay one, and his songs tend to be more romantic and emotional, but just in degrees, as it’s often hard to tell his compositions apart from his bandmate Daniel Rossen. Their 2004 debut, Horn of Plenty, was demo ephemera; 2006’s Yellow House was experimental and uneven, though its high points were huge; and since then it’s been modest commercial success and a move closer to the center. Their cover of “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” from their Friends EP caused some controversy, though more than anything it pointed the way towards their mix of classic girl group sounds and alt-rock. Their fifth release, Painted Ruins (due August 2017), adds electro-elements (at least on the first single, “Three Rings”).
Marika Hackman
English indie rock artist Hackman had one of our Top 5 records of 2019, Any Human Friend, and if the quality of her work stays at the same high level, nothing will stop her from taking her place in the pantheon of gay icons like Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett. (“hand solo”; “the one”)
Halestorm
Pennsylvania hard rocking combo, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Lzzy Hale, does things the old fashioned way — non-stop touring, releasing a record every two years or so, and keeping the heavy metal-ish fires alive for headbangers and rock fiends everywhere. (“Uncomfortable”)
Rob Halford / Judas Priest
As one of the (very) few out frontmen in heavy metal, Halford gives extra meaning to the phrase “rock out with your cock out.” Additionally, given the buggery laws in the U.K., it’s a kick to know in retrospect exactly what law this classic metal screamer was breaking when he was “Breaking the Law.”
Halsey
Young, bi, still finding her footing artistically, but promising, promising, promising. Her sophomore release, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (featuring “100 Letters”), is ambitious and overreaching, but unlike some of her more underachieving contemporaries, at least she’s trying. And for her efforts she just scored a U.S. number one.
Mark Andrew Hamilton / Woodpigeon
Active since 2006 and fronted by the openly gay Mark Andrew Hamilton, this Calgary outfit — which is basically Hamilton and anyone who plays with him — gets compared to nearly any indie rock outfit of note. Last year’s T R O U B L E has some lovely work on it — “Faithful” and “Whole Body Shakes” — that is similar to Sufjan Stevens (but only because of the softness of Hamilton’s voice).
Carlie Hanson
Don’t let anybody tell you that your love for Zayn Malik is a waste of time. This sexually fluid U.S. artist came to prominence when she posted an Instagram video of herself performing his “Pillowtalk” in order to win tickets to a concert, which led to her discovery by a talent agent. (“Daze Inn”; “Numb”)
Debbie Harry / Blondie
She’s been an icon longer than many of us have been alive, and the proof is in the music. Not sure why we’d never known she was an out bisexual, but that’s one of the beauties of putting together a list like this: discovery. Oh, and remembering her great songs both with her primary band (“Call Me”) and on her own (“French Kissin’ [In the USA]”).
Sophie B. Hawkins
She’ll always be known for her 1992 debut, Tongues and Tails, and its inescapable hit “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover,” though there are good songs scattered throughout her other records. She’s been quiet since 2012’s The Crossing.
Darren Hayes / Savage Garden
Though Hayes has been recording solo four times as long as his work with the group Savage Garden, it’s “I Want You” and “Truly Madly Deeply” we’ll all remember.
Angel Haze
Detroit-born, New York City-based rapper Angel Haze is both pansexual and agender. Hitting the scene fast and hard in the early 2010s, Haze took the arguably queer-baiting Macklemore and Ryan Lewis hit “Same Love” and gave it an authentically queer presence. (Though let it be known the featuring act in the original song, Mary Lambert, is indeed a lesbian). Haze’s latest mixtape, Back to the Woods, has received critical acclaim.
Nona Hendryx / Labelle
As one-third of Labelle back in the ’70s, she helped to make “gitchy gitchy ya ya da da” into an inescapable hook (“Lady Marmalade”) and got us reprimanded in French class when we showed our mastery of the language by singing “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” (But at least we knew the most important thing to ask a Frenchmen when we finally got to Paris.) She wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s best tunes and — inspired by New York’s downtown no wave scene, not to mention New Wave — had a fine solo career in the ’80s. She’s still active and a fierce fighter for LGBTQ rights. So, you know, respect.
Hercules and Love Affair
With a new release on the horizon, it’s time to praise this music project started by DJ Andy Butler that turned into a real, rotating rainbow coalition of artists. Their eponymous debut featured vocals by Anohni on club smash “Blind,” and subsequent tracks have included the protean John Grant (“I Try to Talk to You”) and, on the current single “Controller,” Faris Badwan.
Ty Herndon
Dogged by rumors about his sexuality following an alleged public exposure incident in Fort Worth in 1995, Herndon — after struggles with drugs and alcohol — finally came out in a 2014 People interview. Along with the crop of younger out artists (Steve Grand, Brandon Stansell), he’s making inroads for LGBTQ people within the straitjacket of a fiercely traditional genre. (“House on Fire”)
The Hidden Cameras
Their second album and first major label release, The Smell of Our Own, featured a song about the glories of piss (“Golden Streams”) and, well, you’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Actually, you’re in the Canada of mastermind Joel Gibb, who has steered what began as, in his words, “gay church folk music,” through numerous genres and subject matters (the bullying “Gay Goth Scene” from 2014’s Age is a standout).
Kristian Hoffman
No doubt you’ve known Kristian Hoffman in some iteration or another: as a member of The Mumps (which also featured Lance Loud); as Loud’s friend in the PBS documentary and ’70s cause célèbre An American Family; his numerous collaborations with — amongst others — James White and the Blacks, Ann Magnuson, and the much missed Klaus Nomi; or his ongoing solo work. Both & (2003) and FOP (2010) are worth your time, especially &’s Matthew Shepard homage “Scarecrow ft. Rufus Wainwright.”
The Hotelier
Worcester’s finest indie outfit, with open and outspoken front-man Christian Holden, and three fine releases under their name. One day — we shall see — they might become as big and beloved as The National. They certainly have the talent. (“Piano Player”)
Brittany Howard / Alabama Shakes
The Alabama Shakes front force of nature went solo and came out in short order. She’s more experimental and unfettered by restraints on her own; and though her recent music wasn’t written in response to the racial inequality that’s manifested in significant protesting across the globe, she has the gravitas and honesty (not to mention a killer set of pipes) that could make her the voice of an activist generation. (“He Loves Me”; “Thirteenth Century Metal”)
Human People
Female foursome with a just minted debut, Butterflies Drink Turtle Tears, and snotty attitude to spare. (“California”)
Hunx and His Punx / Seth Bogart
Exactly as advertised (“Cruising”), and even funnier when Seth Bogart — that would be Hunx — goes solo among his fellow LGBTQ artists (“Lubed”).
Hurray for the Riff Raff
This New Orleans rock band representing for sexual outliers and Puerto Ricans released its best record after a decade, this year’s The Navigator (“Hungry Ghost”). And though it’s taken some time, Alynda Segarra has become a forceful and necessary presence in the age of Trump.
Janis Ian
Though not out until 1993, Ian’s best known songs — “Society’s Child” (interracial romance in the ’60s) and “At Seventeen” — understood otherness from the inside. She’s still writing and recording, with a Grammy win for 2013’s Best Spoken Word Album of her autobiography, also called Society’s Child.
Imperial Teen
Boy-girl queer alt-rock, but you take away the “queer” and this quartet is just a great indie band. Featuring Roddy Bottum of Faith No More, they release sporadically, about every five years, so it’s about time for new music to join the ranks of classics like “You’re One,” “Yoo Hoo,” “The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band,” and “Ivanka” (about you know who, and I wonder how they feel about her now?).
Indigo Girls
A bit too serious for some, but it’s no wonder legions of young lesbians have flocked to them since “Closer to Fine” was a modest hit in 1989.
The Irrepressibles
Beautiful art rock, European division, with the quivering vocals of Jamie Irrepressible (né Jamie McDermott) and provocative videos (“In This Shirt,” “Two Men in Love”).
Maja Ivarsson / The Sounds
These New Wave-loving Swedes, fronted by the bisexual Ivarsson, have been bringing their love of Blondie and Missing Persons to a new audience since 2002 (“Shake Shake Shake”).
Mila Jam
Her métier may well be the sweet spot between dance and pop, but this transgender singer/songwriter/dancer/actress doesn’t mince words, especially when it comes to abusive douchebags who may not have got the memo that all black lives matter. (“Bruises”; “Faces”)
Loraine James
This queer London electronic producer is nearly as unhinged as Sophie; a lover of garage and R&B as much as indie and math-rock, her songs are rhythmically inventive, jagged and confrontational; amazingly of the moment and futuristic as hell. (“London Ting // Dark as Fuck feat. Le3 bLACK”; “Glitch Bitch”)
The Japanese House
Indie pop one-woman show Amber Bain followed a handful of EPs over three years with a 2019 debut that escaped our ears at the time, but that won’t happen again. (“Something Has to Change”; “Maybe You’re the Reason”)
Joan Jett / The Runaways
We’ve loved Jett since she power-chorded her way through The Runaways’ punk hit “Cherry Bomb,” but it wasn’t until the band imploded that she conquered the world. She made something of her cover versions — Tommy James and the Shondells’ pronoun-specific “Crimson and Clover,” Gary Glitter’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” among them — while adding classics of her own to the history of a rock and roll she’s always loved and still embodies as one of rock’s leading LGBTQ artists (“Bad Reputation,” “Any Weather”).
Jobriath
The first openly gay rock star to be signed to a major label, and if you didn’t know how that was going to end, then you weren’t alive in the ’70s. The man born Bruce Wayne Campbell came and went in a flash, and though glam rock encouraged all kinds of androgynous experimentation, the real thing was too much to take. He’s a legend among LGBTQ artists now — as much as he wanted to be in his lifetime, cut short by AIDS in 1983 — in part thanks to Morrissey’s involvement in a 2004 compilation release, Lonely Planet Boy, and, of course, due to some songs that are both quite of their time and also timeless (“I’maman,” “Inside”).
Elton John
Sure, he could have come out earlier, but then would the world have actually paid attention to this formidably talented piano player and hit machine? Or would generations of people — straight, gay, whatever — have seen the fashion-forward showman at his peak, making the world safe for platform boots and feathers and whatnot? He was something — still is — and his advocacy has no end. So thank him for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Your Song” and “Tiny Dancer” and, hell yes, “The Bitch Is Back” and too many more to mention. And find the wealth of great songs he’s been putting out in his late period renaissance (“Home Again”) because — admit it — we owe him.
Jolivi
This Hawaiian-born, Los Angeles-based up-and-comer has one EP out (Just for You) and the type of buzz money can’t buy. Her latest single, “Love Who You Wanna Love,” should put her on your radar, and once she takes off into the stratosphere — and she will — we can all say, oh, I knew about her back in the day.
Janis Joplin
She’s the female rock singer all other female rock ‘n’ rollers will be compared to, and not simply because she was the first; she was also the best. Her bisexuality seemed a byproduct of her hedonism, but she was in full formal flower during and after the Summer of Love (“Summertime”), so it was as much part of who she was as that freakish voice that knew pain and pleasure in ways we could only imagine (“Piece of My Heart”). She inspired the greatest rock movie thus far (The Rose). And her legend continues apace because she died young, before she really had the chance to, you know, suck.
Head here for “The Ultimate A-to-Z Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Artists, Musicians and Bands” Part Three.
This article was originally published on August 30, 2020. It has since been updated.
