Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Lil Nas X, Beabadoobee, Orville Peck & More
Written by djfrosty on May 10, 2024
With Pride season just a few short weeks away, there’s no better time to prepare with new tracks from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X’s flirty new collaboration to Beabadoobee’s dreamy new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Camila Cabello feat. Lil Nas X, “He Knows”
There’s nothing quite like a Friday night out after a stunningly bad week, so Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X decided to bring you an anthem for those unhinged evenings on the town. While “He Knows” continues Cabello’s divisive dance-pop release strategy, the new track takes a few small steps back from “I Luv It,” focusing on a laid-back groove and entrancing vocals rather than a turbocharged beat. And it turns out Lil Nas and Camila make for excellent collaborators, matching one another’s sultry energy with each passing bar to let the boys at the club know that they’re on the prowl.
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Beabadoobee, “Take a Bite”
Beabadoobee is back, and with “Take a Bite,” she’s sharper than ever. The introspective pop-rock ballad follows Bea Kristi through her own occasionally intrusive thoughts about the grass being greener on the other side of everything — relationships, careers, and everything in between. Her silky voice glides over a simple beat and some sumptuous guitar chords, making “Take a Bite” an excellent return for the singer-songwriter.
Orville Peck, Stampede: Vol. 1
For his third studio album, Orville Peck is throwing a celebration. On Stampede: Vol. 1, the country crooner is teaming up with stars from all over the spectrum of music to toast their game-changing contributions to country, rock, pop and Americana. Between his excellent duet with Willie Nelson on “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” and his rollicking rendition with Elton John to “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting),” plus collaborations with Allison Russell, Nathaniel Rateliff and plenty more, Peck proves that he’s more than just a singer with a mask — he’s a world-class curator paying tribute to the stars who helped pave the way for him.
Adam Lambert, “Whataya Want From Me ’24 (White Shadow’s HEmix)”
It may not seem like 2009 was all that long ago, but plenty has changed in the 15 intervening years. For starters, LGBTQ+ artists didn’t used to feel comfortable singing using their romantic interests’ pronouns. So, Adam Lambert decided to correct the record with a “HEmix” of his 2009 hit “Whataya Want From Me.” Along with bringing in White Shadow to update his classic power ballad with a crunchy EDM beat, Lambert updates one key lyric — instead of singing that “It messed me up/ Need a second to breathe,” the rock singer now declares that “he messed me up.” It might seem like a small update for 2024, but a two-letter word can make all the difference, as Lambert proves on this thrilling remix.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Love Hate Music Box
Since unveiling their debut album in 2013, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has made a career out of refining their familiar indie rock sound. But 11 years in, the band is ready for something different. Enter Love Hate Music Box, a sprawling 22-track LP that throws the band’s established sound out the window, aiming for bolder, brighter sounds in pop, rock, dance and Americana, all while maintaining some of the sharpest songwriting in the group’s history courtesy of frontperson Ela Melo. For just over an hour, Love Hate Music Box promises to make you feel just about everything — and we can confidently say that it delivers on that promise.
Remi Wolf, “Toro”
Remi Wolf has always excelled at taking hyper-specific, intimate moments and turning them into grade-A pop bangers. “Toro” is no exception to that rule, as Wolf transforms a last-minute, high stakes romantic encounter and turns it into a grooving, deliciously sexy alt-pop jam. With a bass line that refuses to stay still, Wolf lets the audience know exactly what’s up on the instantly-memorable chorus: “We’re waking up the people down the hall/ You’re a bull, and I can’t help but saying ‘Toro, Toro.’”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below: