LGBTQ+ and queer artists are releasing tons of great music, now more than ever. To help you with this extremely good problem to have, them. is selecting the best songs released by queer musicians every month. This October, we’re highlighting tracks by King Princess, Yvie Oddly, Basit, Omar Apollo, Trans Trenderz, Slayyyter, Julien Baker, Claud, Rostam, Arlo Parks, and Shygirl. Check them out below, listen along on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, and see earlier monthly music roundups here.
King Princess – “Only Time Makes It Human”
Since releasing her 2019 debut album Cheap Queen, a showcase of forward-thinking retro pop, King Princess has been relatively quiet. But this month, she broke her brief hiatus with a new disco-inspired song. Like we wrote when the track came out, “Only Time Makes it Human” is produced by King Princess herself with Mike Malchicoff, with co-production from Mark Ronson. It arrives alongside a video directed by Quinn Wilson (Lizzo’s creative director) and features a futuristic King Princess digital avatar designed by 3D artist Pastelae. In an Instagram post about the song, she thanked her collaborators for helping her create the “hot sim video” and left a message for her fans. “I hope this song brings the CLUB to your house during these unprecedented times,” she wrote. “Love you guys <3”
Yvie Oddly – “Watermelon Bubblegum”
Yvie Oddly, the champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11 and an inspiration to queer weirdos everywhere, released her debut album Drag Trap this month…. and it slaps. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched Yvie eat up musical challenges on the show, especially in the performance for “Queens Everywhere.” But Drag Trap proves that the Denver artist thrives when she’s the one calling the shots. The project is a showcase of party rap tracks that range from freaky (“Grind Me”) and upbeat (“Hype” ft. Vanessa Vanjie) to the politically-minded “Karen,” a cutting rap track about systemic racism in America. For the standout track “Watermelon Bubblegum,” Yvie delves into sweet and coy R&B, but still stays true to her eccentric style as she deploys “Peter Piper”-inspired tongue twisters and food-related metaphors.
Basit – “Fluid”
Ever since making their acting debut on the “sexually fluid” season 12 of MTV’s dating reality show “Are You the One?,” the artist monomously known as Basit has gone on to shine through their multiple creative practices. Last year, they modeled and provided choreography for Chromat’s New York Fashion Week presentation and earlier this year, they launched their own production company for Black, queer creatives called Legacy. This month, the multihyphenate released their debut single as a recording artist, “Fluid,” a beautifully haunting ode to the beauty of being queer and nonbinary. “My river flows out to the sea/You flow away/I flow you to/You swim to me,” they sing in tranquil, circular melodies, as if they aim to hypnotize the listener.
Omar Apollo – “Bi Fren”
Omar Apollo is one of those Gen-Z kids who (refreshingly) doesn’t care about labels. Recently, the 23-year-old Mexican American artist has politely declined to define his sexuality in multiple interviews. Instead, he’s been known to mention feelings of attraction towards men in his music and lets it speak for itself. His latest Apolonio project is his most queer yet, with songs like “Kamikaze” and “Hey Boy” that seem to chronicle same-sex romances. But the Frank Ocean-indebted track “Bi Fren” is a standout, if only for its clever double entendre that could either refer to a bisexual lover or just saying goodbye to a friend.
Trans Trenderz – “SPLASH” [ft. ft. Heather Hills, Lady Londyn, Jupiter Gray, Jæ & Blxck Cxsper]
Trans Trenderz, the label founded by and spotlighting Black transgender artists, has unveiled their new roster with a song and video called “Splash.” For the electronic hip-hop track, label founder Blxck Cxsper wanted to introduce the wide range of artists that were newly signed this summer, including the electro-pop artist Heather Hills, Columbus rapper/singer Jupiter Gray, Los Angeles rapper Lady Londyn, and New York singer-songwriter Jæ. Blxck Cxsper produced the brooding beat and appears on the songs chorus. The track “started off as a fun beat I made when I was bored one night and ended up becoming this showcase of Black trans femme badassery,” they told Paper.
Slayyyter – “Self Destruct” [ft. Wuki]
If you’re looking for something to put you in the Halloween mood, look no further. Slayyyter has dropped a new song called “Self Destruct,” marking her first new track since the release of her debut self-titled mixtape last year, and it’s a demonic hyperpop banger for all the hot girls who secretly want to be the horror movie villain. In the video for the track, the emerging pop star dresses up like a femme-fatale devil, horns and all. “I will try to kill you if you try to talk to me,” she raps over a maniacally blown-out trap beat, produced by frequent collaborator Wuki, proving that she shines even when she’s gone over to the dark side.
Julien Baker – “Faith Healer”
Tennessee indie folk artist Julien Baker is gearing up to release a new album called Little Oblivion, following her 2017 sophomore record Turn Out the Lights and the 2018 self-titled EP that she released with Boygenius, her supergroup with Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. This month, she dropped “Faith Healer,” a lead single she describes as a song about “vices” and “the obvious and more insidious ways that they show up in the human experience.” On the track, she beckons to a “snake oil dealer” who she says she’ll believe if they “make me feel something.” Her voice trembles when she starts singing the words. But as she sings the chorus for a second time, she throws out any sense of hesitation, releasing into a full belt that feels like she’s surrendering to the spiritual experience — or at least, the myth of it.
Claud – “Gold”
Claud’s new song “Gold,” their first single on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory records, is a jangly indie rock song that captures the dissonance of being in a relationship that’s not quite working anymore. Like we wrote earlier this month, the musician said the track was about a partnership that is like a “sinking ship” — one that’s “tired and so old” that it’s like a rusting piece of gold. The musician conveys this sense of push and pull between the two lovers, when they sing: “I like my peace/You like to fight/I like to reach/You hold on tight.”
Rostam – “Unfold You”
Rostam — the artist-producer known for his work with Vampire Weekend, Frank Ocean, Clairo, and so many more musicians — has returned with his first solo single since 2018. The new track “Unfold You,” which arrives with a video starring Hari Nef, possesses the dreamy wistfulness that Rostam has displayed in his 2017 album Half-Light. But it also sees the musician branching out into jazz, with saxophone player Henry Solomon contributing gorgeous, wriggling lines to the song’s production. As we pointed out when the song came out, Rostam said that the “recording of his song tracks an evolution and a metamorphosis” for him. He also revealed that he was finishing up his next solo record that “deals a lot with the subject of change.”
Arlo Parks – “Green Eyes”
Rising British musician Arlo Parks knows how to write about complex emotions with sincerity and grace. On the 20-year-old’s latest single “Green Eyes,” taken from her forthcoming debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, she writes about wishing the best for an ex-lover who seemed to be uncomfortable with being visible in a queer relationships. “Couldn’t hold my hand in public/Felt their eyes judging our love,” Parks sings in the chorus. Earlier this month, she told them. that the track (which features Clairo on guitar and backing vocals) was inspired by Radiohead, Frank Ocean, and the work of the Black lesbian poet-activist Pat Parker. “This song is supposed to be a call for self-acceptance and a celebration of love — everyone should be able to show affection without fear,” she said.
Shygirl – “SLIME”
The London club icon Shygirl is gearing up to release her new ALIAS EP next month.She teased the release with a new song called “SLIME,” which we called an experimental club banger that incorporates elements of early 2000s R&B and UK grime. The track, produced by SOPHIE, Kai Whiston, and Sega Bodega, is about turning up in the club and getting with fellow “baddies.” Shygirl also gathered a virtual party of sorts for the song’s video, which features cameos from her close friends and collaborators SOPHIE, Arca, Mowalola, Ms Carrie Stacks, and others.
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