The rising popularity of queer music has taken the world by storm and from big-name artists to local talents there are so many songs to choose from. We’re sure that everyone has been keeping up with all of the amazing new LGBTQ+ releases that keep coming out, but just in case, this list will give you a few more queer anthems to add to your playlist.
This chock-full list of incredible new songs should give you a small sampling of both the existing and up-and-coming queer talent reaching audiences this summer.
Abe Soare – ‘An Muilte’
This pop ballad reached listeners in March as the first of several songs Abe plans to release throughout 2024. The unique and vulnerable voice of this Limerick songwriter captures the ups and downs of life and the quest for self-discovery.
Abe wrote this song during a period of growth as they wondered about the future. The songwriter hopes this track resonates with listeners, reminding them that it’s okay to feel lost: “I hope this song reminds anyone who listens that it’s ok to not have things figured out, because rarely anyone does. So be nice to yourself.”
Stream the track now on Bandcamp or Spotify.
Amiss Tori – Sequins & Steel
Coming out with her debut album, drag queen Amiss Tori showcases a track list incorporating country, roots, blues, and folk. The record includes six original songs penned by Amiss Tori while the other half are her interpretations of classic country music hits.
This queen hails from the UK and you can listen to one of her hit new songs ‘23 Chords and a Lie’ below.
Calvyn Cass – ‘Tethered to You’
The Vancouver-based songwriter’s new track ‘Tethered to You,’ from his first project Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars, has proven to be a quick success. Cass released ‘Tethered to You’ as the third track on the new EP, one of five tracks inspired by his love and devotion to his husband.
JD Kelleher – ‘Dance On Ur Own 2 Feet’ (Shanghai Surprize Remix)
The remix of Irish actor and singer JD Kelleher’s hit pop single ‘Dance on Ur Own 2 Feet’ astonished dancefloors with its release on April 5, 2024.
Kelleher announced: “I’m thrilled to have my song reinterpreted in this way, especially as a dancing queen myself who has spent many a night on the dance floors of London and beyond. I love the idea of connecting with the younger generation of clubbers and pop fans…especially the queer clubbers.”
Lúnasa – ‘Intifada’
Dublin-based DJ and producer Lúnasa released her latest breakbeat single on June 7. ‘Intifada’ is available to purchase on Soundcloud and Bandcamp with all profits donated to PAL Humanity, a global support initiative specialising in delivering aid in Gaza.
Lúnasa commented on the release: “I’ve been listening to a lot of introspective ambient music and soundscapes the last few months, this track is very much inspired by that music. I am totally lost for words at the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people on their land that has been stolen from them. I encourage everyone to engage rigorously with the BDS movement, attend as many marches and solidarity protests as you can and keep disrupting.”
Find out more about Lúnesa’s upcoming show at Izakaya Basement on June 28 here. But if you can’t make it, she will also be performing at the HONEYPOT Pride party in Wigwam on June 29.
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Lyra – ‘Queen’
‘Queen,’ comes from the Cork-born star’s self-titled studio album Lyra. The single is a reminder to everyone that we don’t need validation, empowering women to reclaim their power and take back control.
This Irish pop ‘queen’ reflects on her work: “This song is bad-ass. It presents a version of myself that I was always scared to be. It’s a reminder that you need me and I don’t need you, and I can be my own Queen.”
Martina and the Moons – ‘Omnibus Boners’
The all-female Dublin-based band released their second single on April 17. Following the success of their first track, ‘Emigrate,’ this new pop anthem is one to shout along to this summer.
You can see Martina and the Moons perform their new single at the We’ve Only Just Begun Festival from August 8-10.
Roubix feat. Ollie King – ‘In Your Head’
The Brighton-based star of queer dating show I Kissed a Boy and UK Eurovision runner-up Roubix teamed up to create this new song ‘In Your Head.’ Released on April 8, the song serves as King’s response to his boyfriend on the show Dan Glendinning after their amicable split in September 2023.
King said: “The lyrics are all about getting over an ex who is stuck ‘in your head.’ … What better way to do that than with a total banger you can scream along to with your mates at Pride? I can’t wait to experience that energy live with crowds all over Europe.”
Naoise – ‘Stare’
Naoise, a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who grew up in North Dublin, is all too familiar with stares. In their new song, Naoise captures the discomfort of being stared at as a visibly queer person in public spaces.
The music video portrays the code-switching familiar to many queer people. The ‘double life’ of the video’s main character, switching from a postal worker by day to a wrestler by night examines this disconnect in identity.
Pastiche – ‘Forfeit Control’
Following an intense year of medical struggles in 2023, the Irish pop powerhouse returns with her single ‘Forfeit Control,’ written about the loss of her youth to chronic illness. The Dubliner received a life-changing surgery for her stage four endometriosis and has come back after writing over 30 songs in just two months.
Pastiche tells fans: “‘Forfeit Control’ is escapist for me. Singing it, I feel like the old me. It makes me dance in a way I have not danced in a year. It brought ‘Pastiche’ back to life. That is why it had to be my first release after this entire experience. We need to let go sometimes and just let life happen to us, because you really cannot fight what is going to be. This song is a reminder to ‘Forfeit Control.’”
Róisín Nic Ghearailt – ‘An Maighdean Mhara’
The second song from the collaborative electronica project Birthday Problems, ‘An Maighdean Mhara’ is a queer Irish love tale.
Róisín tells fans about the importance of finding an opportunity to focus on identity in songwriting: “It was something I had wanted to explore before but it took moving back to Ireland and hearing Irish in its natural setting again to actually do it. I absolutely love the rise in music as gaeilge from kneecap to Selló to Sexy Tadhg to Róis.”
Sive – ‘If I Must Die’
Songwriter and activist Sive released a poem written by Palestinian writer and professor Tefaat Alareer, who was killed in an airstrike in December 2023. Following the message of the song, which asks the reader to continue telling its story, the County Kildare native set the words to music.
The song was released exclusively on Bandcamp in May 2024 with all funds being donated to Doctors Without Borders Gaza Emergency Regional Fund.
Sive says about the song: “When I came across this poem, which literally asks the reader to tell its story, I knew this was what I had to do; to find a way to sing Refaat’s words, to help them to travel further in my own small way. The poem is so powerful in how it captures both the tender beauty of hope and the utter darkness of despair, and so I wanted the music to reflect and meander between both of those things.”
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The Irrepressibles – ‘Yo Homo’
UK-based band The Irrepressibles are set to release their new album later this year. Ahead of that, the music video for ‘Yo Homo’ shows the celebration of queer identity in a punk and alt dance.
The lead singer Jamie McDermott described the new single: ‘Yo Homo is a punk-rock track of homo & queer rebellion, and of course a bit of fun too ;)’
Wallis Bird & Spark – Visions of Venus
Irish queer icon Wallis Bird collaborates with the German classical quintet Spark on her new album Visions of Venus. The album released April 19, highlights the work of 1,000 years of female composers and music history as Bird provides the voice to the baroque sound of the quintet.
The tracks span from ‘O Virtus Sapuentie’ by Hildegard von Bingen, a saint and composer who lived during the Middle Ages to more recent tunes such as ‘A Natural Woman’ by Aretha Franklin. The album draws on the definition of femininity itself, creating a uniquely cheerful, melancholic, and upbeat feeling.
This is just a small selection of many fantastic new and upcoming queer songs to hit streaming platforms this summer. If you’re still searching for more recommendations, look no further than right here!
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