before reading this, i’d like to recommend another article that accounts a brief history of LGBT+ social movements; enjoy!
Those of you who are as chronically online as I am have probably seen videos of Jojo Siwa proudly claiming that she is championing a new genre of music: lesbian pop. I hate to break it to her, but the term lesbian pop, or sapphic pop, has actually been around longer than she thinks. Since the success of artists like Hayley Kiyoko and twin-duo Teagan and Sara in the 2010’s, and as general understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community continues to progress, lesbian pop as a genre has come steadily to the foreground of music and the world has seen a continual rise in popularity of queer female artists such as girl in red and Phoebe Bridgers. These artists may not be out from the very beginning of their careers nor dedicate their lives to activism, but that does not stop the queer community from relating and identifying with their art.
great queer women throughout the decades
While I think it commendable that Jojo Siwa is so outspoken about her sexuality, it is unfair to call herself the “first in my generation” when many others have put their lives and careers at risk for singing about non-normative sexuality since the 1980’s. From the 70’s to 90’s, queerness manifested itself in music as glamour, over-the-top costumes and performances on stage coupled with grungy, heavy eye makeup. The great queer icons of the 80’s include David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Elton John amongst others; as a more marginalised group, queer women found smaller amounts of success and were often ostracised even more so than their male counterparts for singing of queerness. One of the first pop icons to come out publicly, Dusty Springfield’s romantic relationships with women was constantly scrutinised by the public and her career took a hit in the 70’s due to her refusal to live inauthentically. Homosexuality was still classified as a mental disorder during Springfield’s time, and many of her queer female counterparts, like Fanny and Madeline Davis, had to bear the brunt of ostracisation and the public eye as she did.
Many other people say I'm bent and I've heard it so many times that I've almost learned to accept it ... I know I'm perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don't see why I shouldn't. (Dusty Springfield for the Evening Standard, Sep. 1970)
Fast forward into the next millenium: the 2000’s marked a huge turning point for gay rights. Many laws prohibiting same-sex activity were struck down thanks to activists from the previous decades, who fought tooth and nail to be viewed at an equal position as their heterosexual peers. Heterosexual lawmakers still found it difficult to understand the nuances and diversity of the community, however; reversing the harmful preconceptions society had towards LGBTQIA+ groups and understanding the range in which queerness operated was a slow progress. Women were often left out altogether in this conversation (as Davis said, “I am a woman and a lesbian, a minority of minorities.”). Moreover, female queerness was always viewed as a phase or a fad, particularly in the early 2000’s. Yes, positive media representation for queer women increased during that decade, but many negative tropes remained pervasive in movies and TV shows. One-off kisses were allowed to be shown on television but full romantic relationships between women were prohibited. Often, the bisexual or gay woman was villainised or queerness as a whole was made out to be a comedic tool (see Figure 1). An example: Angelina Jolie’s bisexuality was often fetishised by men, her attraction to women viewed through a male gaze rather than validated as something authentic. Read this outrageous article about Paris Hilton sharing a “lesbian kiss” with a friend. The tone and phrasing of the article (an article with no factual evidence other than a few random quotes from “trusted sources”) says everything about society’s attitude towards “lesbianism” at the time. That is not to say queer female artists stopped creating during that era. Notable names include Janelle Monáe, Queen Latifah, Brandi Carlile and many more. They remained steadfast in their message: we are here, and we want to be seen.
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Things picked up in the 2010’s with Gen-Z icons like Hayley Kiyoko coming onto the scene. The diversity of queerness had become more understood since online activism with the rise of social media, television and early streaming platforms like YouTube; queer women were offered a higher degree of visibility than ever before and millions resonated with their art. Years of activism and authentic sharing since then has bridged the gap between the previously segregated “heterosexual” and “homosexual” camps. In 2024, queer female artists are creating astounding amounts of great music and telling their honest and unique stories. This summer, the Girls are coming out with banger after banger, belting and crooning their way through stories about female horniness, pining and rage. The list of queer names has never been so exhaustive: Jojo Siwa (yes, Karma was controversial but still…), Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Syd, Maren Morris, King Princess, St. Vincent, Arlo Parks to name a few. Lesbian pop in 2024 is hot, fun and spunky.
The queer artists of the modern age owe a lot to the courage and perseverance of the previous centuries’ activists, to be able to sing so openly about their sexuality. The themes of “lesbianism” in music have gone from subtle, underground pining to loud and unabashed want, a testament to the growing acceptance of non-normative forms of love in our society. At the end of the day, music is music just as love is love: it is a platform on which to tell our stories, be creatively experimental and to make people dance.
have i missed out on any queer female artists you know and love? let’s start a conversation in the comments, drop your best recs!