6 Queer Musicians to Choreograph to This Pride Month
With Pride celebrations around the world canceled due to COVID-19, we’re all trying to find ways to celebrate the incredible queer community this June. So this #NewMusicFriday, we rounded up a few of our favorite queer musical artists, in the hopes that they’ll provide some choreographic inspiration to all you dancers stuck at home.
Janelle Monaé
Do we even need to introduce Janelle Monaé? She’s famous for her talent as a singer/rapper/songwriter/producer, and for collaborating with pretty much all of your fave singers. Monaé’s music is perfect for some softer, more fluid hip-hop choreo. Plus, if you’re looking for aesthetic inspiration, there’s no one better—just check out a few of Monae’s Met Gala looks or any of her music videos.
Kim Petras
If you’ve spent months obsessing over Billie Eilish’s creepy-cool musical aesthetic, may we introduce you to Kim Petras? Her most recent album, “TURN OFF THE LIGHT” is filled with spook-tastic tracks like “There Will Be Blood,” “Tell Me It’s a Nightmare,” and “TRANSylvania”—aptly titled, since Petras is a trans icon and activist. Her music is perfect for your scariest, most spine-chilling choreo.
Big Freedia
You might recognize Big Freedia’s voice from a little, lesser-known work: Beyonce’s “Formation” video. But while the New Orleans-based artist came to slay in Beyonce’s vid, she’s better known as the resident queen of bounce music. If you’re not familiar with bounce, think hip-hop, but even more upbeat, featuring lots of call-and-response lyrics. Perfect for your next piece of hip-hop choreo—and Bey-approved.
Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko is a prominent figure in the LGBT+ music community, with refreshingly honest songs like “Girls Like Girls” and “Curious.” Her music is poppy perfection—think Ariana Grande meets Dua Lipa. TBH, we’re more than ready for a TikTok challenge set to one of her tracks.
Tash Sultana
For all you contemporary phenoms looking to soundtrack your next solo, Tash Sultana is the artist for you. The Australian artist writes, sings, and soundtracks all of their songs, which creates an incredible, cohesive sound that we can’t get enough of. They’ll have you all in your feels in all the right ways.
Blood Orange
Dev Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, is the R&B artist of your dreams. He’s produced and written for tons of iconic musical artists—including Carly Rae Jepsen, Solange, FKA Twigs, and Haim. And he brings that expertise to his own music, producing intense tracks that mix beats and sounds in ways that are sure to inspire interesting choreography. Plus, Hynes is a huge fan of dance, as evidenced by his music video “I Know” featuring none other than Maria Kochetkova.
