Pride
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2024 is finally here, meaning there’s no better time to start filling this year’s playlists with songs from your favortie 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 Lil Nas X’s long awaited return single to Kali Uchis’ gorgeous new album, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Lil Nas X, “J CHRIST”
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With the amount of not-so-righteous fury Lil Nas X created for the release of his newest single, you would be forgiven for expecting a controversial, buck wild track. But what the rapper’s new song “J CHRIST” exudes instead nothing short of unbothered confidence. On this bouncing new song, Lil Nas emphasizes his return to music after a year away, proclaiming “b—h, I’m back like J Christ/ I’m finna get the gays hype.” The star employs what works for him — high-camp delivery, simple beats and lots of flexing — in service of his long-awaited comeback (complete with another stunning video).
Kali Uchis, ORQUÍDEAS
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We won’t mince words — Kali Uchis’s fourth stuido album ORQUÍDEAS is a masterpiece. Throughout this 14-track instant classic, the Colombian star weaves her own Spanish-language tale of luxurious self-actualization, ranging from raging revenge (“Te Mata”) to doe-eyed infatuation (“Tu Corazón Es Mío…”). That fact is only further assisted by Uchis’s genre-spanning vision, bouncing between heartfelt R&B and fiery reggaeton with reckless abandon throughout the LP. Perhaps the most stunning example of her flirtation with new styles comes on “Igual Que Un Ángel,” where Uchis drops the disco ball and dances the night away with the once and future king of corridos tumbados, Peso Pluma. Make no mistake, Kali Uchis is here for the long haul, and ORQUÍDEAS is just the proof of concept to confirm that fact.
Serpentwithfeet, “Safe Word”
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In times of crisis — which have become invariably more frequent in recent years — there is a safety to be found in intimacy. Serpentwithfeet takes that concept and runs with it on his lush new single “Safe Word.” The undulating song sees Serpent reassuring his lover that as long as they’re together, all will be well — a gently strumming guitar underlines his message, lulling the listener into a sense of self-security within moments. Sweet, tender and doting, “Safe Word” wastes no time fulfilling the promise of its title.
MICHELLE, “NEVER AGAIN”
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Once you start listening to Michelle’s “Never Again,” you’ll find yourself stuck in a dichotomy of opposing tones. On the one hand, the song’s delicate melody and soft rhythms will immediately put you in a place of placid comfort, like a warm hug at the end of a hard day. On the other, the lyrics will tell a very different story — one of regret and firm boundaries, where the band tells their former flame that they’re done for good. “So never again, never with you/ I wanna rewind and undo,” they sing. Putting those seemingly competing concepts together, though, makes for yet another excellent track from the rising New York sextet.
Aaron Lee Tasjan, “Horror of it All”
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Growing up queer is rarely a particularly fun experience, and Aaron Lee Tasjan is ready to reflect on the “Horror of it All” with his latest single. Taking an 80’s, glam-rock inspired look at the LGBTQ high school experience, Tasjan carefully illustrates a portrait of hormones, anxiety, fear, delusion and ultimately self-confidence. If you’re concerned about the song lacking more modern flair, don’t fret — Tasjan sprinkles in just enough hyperpop, synthwave flair to make “Horror of it All” feel like a breath of fresh air.
Bright Light Bright Light, “You Want My …”
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If you’re still in the mood for some ’80s flair, then Bright Light Bright Light is here to deliver. With his new single “You Want My …,” Welsh singer-songwriter Rod Thomas embraces a Pet Shop Boys-esque sonic sensibility — complete with sinister synths, bombastic drums and a flair for dramatic lyrics. Waving goodbye to another lover while entering the dancefloor, Thomas makes sure to throw a cheeky wink to George Michael in as well, referencing his classic single “I Want Your Sex” as the delectable chorus makes touchdown.
K.Flay, “Carsick”
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Let’s amp up the angst, shall we? K.Flay fuels up her latest release “Carsick” with a lethal dose of the stuff from the moment she opens her mouth. Vivid imagery and drilling production create a perpetual state of unease throughout the opening lines, before exploding into a fiery chorus kissing-off a toxic ex. Sure, the metaphor of a brutal car crash for a failed relationship may have been done before, but rarely to this visceral an effect — something K.Flay has always excelled at.
Sarah Barrios, “Teenage Rebellion”
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To every person who once exclaimed to a parent that they just don’t understand, this song is for you. Singer-songwriter Sarah Barrios infuses her thrilling new anthem “Teenage Rebellion” — which also serves as the official theme song for Fantasy High: Junior Year, the latest season of the extremely popular Dungeons & Dragons actual play show Dimension 20 — with every ounce of insurgency a good pop-rock track can muster. Guitars rage and voices chant as Barrios recounts the frustration of those final years of youth, while reminding herself that things will ultimately be alright. After all, “it’s our time, it’s our year!”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
He’s pole-danced to hell, he’s broken out of prison and he’s even eloped with his football-playing boyfriend. Now, Lil Nas X is ready to strut his way through the Pearly Gates.
On Friday (Jan. 12), the rapper shared his much-hyped music video for “J CHRIST,” taking the Biblical title to its furthest extent. The clip opens with a series of celebrity lookalikes — ranging from Taylor Swift to Kanye West to a moonwalking Michael Jackson — as they climb the stairway to heaven. Upon arrival, they’re greeted at the entrance by a dragged-up Lil Nas X, declaring he’s reading to “walk up in the club poppin’ s–t like it was Doublemint.”
The video — directed by Lil Nas X himself — then proceeds to show a series of callbacks to his hellish video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” showing the oft-discussed pole to hell and a demonic Lil Nas X stirring a cauldron of arms and legs. Flying back up to heaven, Lil Nas reunites with his former flame the Devil, this time in a one-on-one basketball game where the rapper soars over his head, dunks the ball, and celebrates with a personalized cheerleading routine.
For the remainder of the video, fans are treated to a host of Biblical vignettes — Jesus’ crucifixion, Nabal shearing David’s sheep, Moses parting the Red Sea — before the rapper transforms into Noah, ushering the denizens of Earth onto a massive ark to survive the flooding of the world. “Back up out the gravesite/ B—h, I’m back like J Christ,” he declares over a pounding beat. “I’m finna get the gays hype/ I’m finna take it yay high.”
As a storm subsides and Nas’ Noah survives, the screen declares that this is “Day Zero” of “a new beginning,” sharing a quote from 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
The “J CHRIST” video comes after Lil Nas X spent much of the week promoting his single the best way he knows how — trolling. Whether he was posting a fake acceptance letter to Liberty University or declaring that his new music would be released independently, the singer made sure that his name was on everyone’s lips throughout the week.
Check out the official video for “J CHRIST” below:
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After going to hell and back (literally) during his last album cycle, rapper and pop provocateur Lil Nas X is ready to walk through the Pearly Gates.
On Friday (Jan. 12), the singer unveiled his long-awaited new single “J CHRIST,” a pounding pop-rap track that sees the “Call Me By Your Name” singer reveling in his own comeback — much like the “MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME” Jesus Christ, as Lil Nas X described him.
Lil Nas X wrote and directed the official music video, which arrived at midnight and features the artist in various roles — playing hoops, as a cheerleader, in the gladiatorial ring, and strapped to the cross.
“Is he up to somethin’ only I-I know?/ Is he ’bout to hit ’em with the high-igh note/ Is he ’bout to give ’em something vi-iral,” he sings on the slick chorus, before later declaring that “B—h, I’m back like J Christ.”
“J CHRIST” marks Lil Nas X’s first official release in over a year — his last release, the League of Legends collaborative anthem “Star Walkin’,” released in September 2022.
The release comes on the heels of a major marketing push from the “Industry Baby” singer, who spent much of the week promoting the single through a series of viral posts. In one string of TikToks, Lil Nas X joked that he was releasing new gospel music independently, while threatening to “expose y’all favorite artists” with his new song. An Instagram post, meanwhile, saw the singer post a fake acceptance letter to Christian college Liberty University, telling his followers that “not everything is a troll” (representatives for the university have since said that they did not admit Lil Nas X for the fall 2024 semester).
The rapper drew intense criticism in the run-up to releasing “J CHRIST” for his use of religious iconography, with commentators claiming that he was “mocking” and “disrespecting” Christianity.
Lil Nas shut down the claims in a tweet, saying “Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of shit. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. stfu.”
Watch Lil Nas X’s “J CHRIST” below:
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Lil Nas X is continuing his teasers for his upcoming single, “J CHRIST,” and he took to Instagram on Thursday (Jan. 11) to share another teaser from the accompanying music video. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the clip, the 24-year-old star is seen portraying Moses […]
A few things are fundamentally true about the world: The sky is blue, grass is green and Lil Nas X is an expert troll. Now, the “Call Me By Your Name” singer is catching the ire of Twitch streamer Kai Cenat over the rapper’s latest string of posts.
In a stream on Thursday, Cenat went on a screaming rant about the rapper following the artist’s latest string of promotions for his new single. “No, f–k that! Yo, Lil Nas X, you could eat my whole d–,” he yelled, cutting himself off before finishing the last word. “I hate that n—a, bro. Now that’s just popping in my head, bro … God is going to handle you in the right way. I don’t even want to talk about that yet, bro. But, look — God is going to handle you, bro.”
When a friend on the stream asked Cenat to explain what he was upset about, Cenat refused to get specific, instead saying to “go to his page, bro. He disrespected God himself … he disrespected the whole culture, mocking it, making fun.”
Billboard has reached out to Lil Nas X’s reps for comment.
Over the last week, Lil Nas X posted across his social media, promoting his new single “J CHRIST,” dedicating his new track to Jesus Christ, “THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME.” Along with sharing teasers for the new song and video, the singer announced that he was entering his “Christian era,” joked that he’d release his gospel music independently and even shared a fake acceptance letter to conservative Christian college Liberty University, prompting the school to clarify that he had not actually been admitted.
But amid his persistent trolling, Lil Nas X also got real with his fans, explaining that the backlash to his use of religious themes throughout his music reeked of hypocrisy. When commenters lambasted the cover art of his new single — which features him being hoisted up on a black cross — as disrespectful to Christians, the rapper clapped back quickly. “the crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of jesus,” he wrote. “Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of s–t. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. stfu.”
In another post, Lil Nas addressed claims that he trolls Christians too often. “y’all judge everything at face value. i’ve never released a visual without an underlying meaning and y’all know that. but since i’m a troll y’all discount my art as just ‘pissing ppl off,’” he wrote.
In a later post, he elaborated further, saying he didn’t appreciate the comparisons he received to artists such as Madonna and Lady Gaga, who also used Christian iconography in their art. “the problem with a lot of yall gays is yall think im trying to be like gaga or madonna when in reality with all due respect idgaf what they did and im doing what i want with my career.”
As Lil Nas X ascends into his Christian era, one Christian organization is making it clear that it has nothing to do with the superstar — and that’s Liberty University. In a post to his Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 9), the “Industry Baby” rapper claimed that he had been accepted into the Christian school founded […]
Natalie Bassingthwaighte will deliver an exclusive performance at the 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras — her first since coming out.
The Rogue Traders singer and Australian TV celebrity is locked in for the first-ever Mardi Gras Debutante Ball for First Timers, hosted at Kinsela’s in Darlinghurst.
In addition to being guest of honor at the deb ball, Nat Bass, as she’s affectionately known in these parts, will perform some of her “all-time favorite hits” while “sharing her story,” reps say.
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As singer with Rogue Traders, Bassingthwaighte has landed silverware and international hits. In 2006, two of those Rogue Traders numbers cracked the U.K. top 40, including the club track “Voodoo Child,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Also, the dance act won an ARIA Award in 2003 for “One of My Kind” (best dance release) and two APRA Music Awards, for “Way to Go!” in 2006 (most performed dance work) and “In Love Again” in 2008 (dance work of the year).
“Being able to attend my first Mardi Gras as a new member of the queer community, surrounded with so much love, joy and acceptance is so special to me,” Bassingthwaighte says in a statement, “and what’s even more special is knowing that I get to share this memorable experience with other First Timers of diverse queer identities.”
LGBTQIA+ community trailblazers and Mardi Gras custodians will also be watching on, including LGBTQIA+ advocate Robyn Kennedy, who is an original first-timer having attended the first ever Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 1978, plus Making It Australia judge Benja Harney, and trans couture designer couple, Katie Louise Nicol-Ford and Lilian Nicol-Ford.
Johnnie Walker is a sponsor of the 2024 Mardi Gras, and is sponsoring the inaugural Mardi Gras Debutante Ball, which celebrates “those who have, up until now, been unable to attend.” The whisky brand is getting into the spirit of Mardi Gras with a competition, which invites first timers to enter for a chance at an all-expenses paid experience.
The colorful LGBTQI party, march and festival is typically attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and abroad, and is set for Feb. 16 to March 3.
Bassingthwaighte reunited with her Rogue Traders bandmates last year for “To The Disco,” the first release from Rogue Traders in over a decade. The dance act supported the release with a slate of performances.
Lil Nas X is continuing his teasers for his upcoming single, “J CHRIST,” and he took to Instagram on Wednesday (Jan. 10) to unveil a sneak peek of the music video. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the brief clip, celebrity look-alikes of stars including Taylor […]
After a quiet 2023, Lil Nas X is kicking off 2024 with a brand new song — and he’s dedicating it to the one and only Jesus Christ. On Monday (Jan. 8), the rapper announced that his new gospel song set for release on Friday (Jan. 12) is titled “J CHRIST.” The cover art for […]
Chely Wright, who was brought up in the lede of a Jan. 4 op-ed published by the New York Times that speculated about Taylor Swift‘s sexuality, has shared her thoughts after being named in the piece.
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“I was mentioned in the piece, so I’ll weigh in,” country singer Wright wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday (Jan. 7). “I think it was awful of @nytimes to publish. Triggering for me to read— not because the writer mentioned my nearly ending my life— but seeing a public person’s sexuality being discussed is upsetting.”
The op-ed is based on NYT opinion editor Anna Marks’ theory that Swift could be a closeted queer woman sending subtextual signals about her sexuality in her work. It weaves in discussion about progress that has been made around the LGBTQ community’s rights in the U.S. since the start of Swift’s career.
The piece references Wright’s memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. Wright, who came out as gay in 2010, has shared her personal challenges with going public about her personal life. As she wrote in an essay in 2011, “I didn’t know how to be me in this life that I’d carved out — this gay, Christian, farm girl from Kansas who sang country music. I just didn’t know how to make those pieces fit.”
Marks’ NYT article opens with this sentence: “In 2006, the year Taylor Swift released her first single, a closeted country singer named Chely Wright, then 35, held a 9-millimeter pistol to her mouth.”
Marks wrote, “Queer identity was still taboo enough in mainstream America that speaking about her love for another woman would have spelled the end of a country music career. But in suppressing her identity, Ms. Wright had risked her life. The culture in which Ms. Wright picked up that gun — the same culture in which Ms. Swift first became a star — was stunningly different from today’s.“
Since it was published, the NYT 5,000-word piece that goes on to make assumptions at length about Swift’s sexuality has faced criticism across social media for its open speculation about the Midnights singer’s private life and identity.
Wright, who had a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart with “Single White Female” in 1999, posted her comment in reply to music writer Chris Willman, agreeing with his take that “this was the least defensible op-ed I can remember ever seeing the NYT run.”
See Wright’s statement below.
Agree w/you, @ChrisWillman.I was mentioned in the piece, so I’ll weigh in. I think it was awful of @nytimes to publish. Triggering for me to read— not because the writer mentioned my nearly ending my life— but seeing a public person’s sexuality being discussed is upsetting. https://t.co/34uBwHwHaY— Chely Wright (@chelywright) January 7, 2024