Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Lady Gaga, SASAMI, Doechii & More

Happy Mayhem day to all who celebrate! In between streams of Gaga’s new album, allow us to provide a few other new songs from queer artists to fill your ears with this weekend. 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 Lady Gaga’s long-awaited new album to Doechii’s surprise single drop, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:

Lady Gaga, Mayhem

“Choke on the fame and hope it gets you high,” Lady Gaga growls on “Perfect Celebrity,” an early standout from her bombastic new album Mayhem. “Sit in the front row, watch the princess die.” It’s a fitting line for the rest of Mayhem, an album where Gaga deals face-to-face with the reality of her own stardom nearly 20 years after her debut. The project shifts constantly between genres, whether she’s crafting disco-inspired club bangers (“Zombieboy”), earnest ballads (“Blade of Grass”) or ’80s glam-pop-rock (“Vanish Into You”). Some will call it a “return to form”

Doechii, “Anxiety”

Doechii is ready to have her big solo moment — after appearing on Sleepy Hallow’s 2023 rendition of the Gotye-sampling single, the swamp princess offered her own take on the songs fiery rap verses. Employing her top-tier flow and some acrobatic lyrics, Doechii continues to prove why she’s one of the hottest emcees currently in the game, even when she’s spitting bars about her own crippling apprehension.

SASAMI, Blood on the Silver Screen

In a recent statement, pop singer-songwriter SASAMI said that her new album is all about “learning and respecting the craft of pop songwriting.” By that simple standard, Blood on the Silver Screen is a masterpiece. Throughout this sweeping, dynamic new album, SASAMI toys with convention, genre and persona through some of her most detail-oriented songwriting to date. Combine that with the project’s high-octane, maximalist production, and you have one of the most thrilling albums of the year on your hands.

Elton John & Brandi Carlile, “Swing for the Fences”

Isn’t it nice to see two icons just having a blast together? That’s exactly the vibe on Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s “Swing for the Fences,” a raucous, joyful new anthem that sees the pair encouraging those listening to take their shot instead of fading into the background. Carlile and John’s voices blend naturally into an uplifting soft-rock anthem, and one that’ll make you want to try your hand and whatever you’ve been holding yourself back from ASAP.

yeule, “Skullcrusher”

After the glitchy, dark masterpiece that was 2023’s Softscars, fans of ambient synth-pop darling yeule have wondered what their next project might sound like. With her second single “Skullcrusher,” the artist is letting their fans know exactly what’s to come. On this brooding, spooky new single, yeule ratchets up the tension with each passing moment, only to unleash her pent up angst on the fiery chorus: “All I want to do is love you,” they pine. “But all you want to be is in a dream.”

Bob the Drag Queen, “Queen of the Underground”

In his forthcoming novel and on his stunning new single, Bob the Drag Queen asks what may seem like an odd question: if Harriett Tubman came back to life, what would she have to say about her legacy’s impact on the world today? On “Queen of the Underground,” Bob seeks to answer that very question, filtering the abolitionist’s voice through the lens of pounding hip-hop as she lambasts the state of affairs in America today. With bar after bar redifining Tubman as an American icon of our current moment, Bob delivers one final message to drive the point home: “No one is more hopelessly enslaved than the one that falsely believes he free.”

Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:

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