Pride
Page: 47
This Pride Month, Billboard asked artists to write a series of love letters to their LGBTQ fans, highlighting what the community means to them, as people and as artists. Below, Isaac Dunbar breaks down a lifetime of being “inspired by queerness,” and offers a message of encouragement to his queer fans: “Don’t mind the commentary, […]
After giving the world a taste of the “Unholy,” Sam Smith is ready to deliver something even dirtier with their new song — and this time, they’ve got pop icon Madonna on board to help. On Wednesday (May 31), Smith and Madonna confirmed the release of their upcoming collaboration, “Vulgar.” Madge shared some artwork across […]
Sam Smith may have declared that “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” — but that doesn’t mean they can’t work with rising Latin superstar Anitta. In a new cover story on Anitta for Harper’s Bazaar, Smith confirmed that the pair are working on a new song together. “Anitta’s energy is amazing,” they said. “We connected […]
With Pride less than a week away, freshen up your playlists with some new songs 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.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From Arlo Parks’ long-awaited new album, to Demi Lovato’s rocked-out version of a fab-favorite track, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Arlo Parks, My Soft Machine
For all of the talk of your 20s being “the best years of your life,”rising alternative star Arlo Parks has a slightly different take. With My Soft Machine, her sophomore album, the UK artist floats between existential dread over the ending of relationships (“Weightless,” “I’m Sorry”) and introspective musings on self-worth (“Impurities,” “Devotion”), all done with an eclectic blend of dream-pop and rock to form a singularly fascinating project. It’s a further testament to Parks’ inimitable talent and vision that My Soft Machine stands firmly as a distinctive, moving body of work, even in the wake of an album as lauded as Collapsed in Sunbeams.
Demi Lovato, “Cool for the Summer (Rock Version)”
After reimagining her much-beloved song “Heart Attack” as a rock anthem earlier this year, Demi Lovato is ready to give you more. This time around, they’re taking their warm-weather ditty “Cool for the Summer” and amping up the intensity. With raging guitars, pounding drums and an all new set of vocal tracks, the song is radically transformed into an edgy, gritty pop-punk single worthy of Lovato’s latest musical era.
Hayley Kiyoko, “Greenlight”
Hayley Kiyoko is tired of waiting for permission to live her life — so she’s giving herself the “Greenlight” on her latest single. Co-written with pop luminary Jesse St. John, the new track from Lesbian Jesus keeps her streak of life-affirming pop singles alive, playing with delicious falsetto while accompanied by stacked synths and a steady bass line. Be warned, though; once you press play, you’ll “wanna keep goin’ and goin’,” as Kiyoko says.
Towa Bird, “Boomerang”
Living in a long distance relationship is maddening, as rising singer-guitarist Towa Bird can attest. On her latest single “Boomerang,” Bird agonizes about the “separation anxiety” of being in L.A. with a girlfriend in New York — sure, she knows she’ll see her soon, but that doesn’t make the time in between any easier. Punctuated with some excellent garage-rock sounds, and you’ve got a theme song for the frustration of loving long distance on your hands.
Miya Folick, Roach
To say that Miya Folick’s new album Roach is about any one thing in particular is to largely miss the point of its construction. With this wide-ranging, often-chaotic sophmore album, the alt-pop singer instead takes a scattershot approach when it comes to subject matter — whether that’s serene self-reflection (“So Clear,”) bitter anger (“Cockroach”) or familial dynamics (“Mommy”). The most consistent thing about this extensive project is the top-tier quality, keeping you invested for the entirety of its 42-minute runtime.
Cat Burns, “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”
There are a plethora of reasons why a relationship might end — Cat Burns is simply asking her ex to give her one. On “You Don’t Love Me Anymore,” the UK up-and-comer begs her former lover to “list all my baggage,” or “drag my ego to the floor” rather than use the song’s dreaded title when describing why their relationship has to end. It’s a heartbreaking song made even more gutwrenching by how endlessly relatable it is.
Royal & the Serpent, “One Nation Underdogs”
If you’re planning on protesting the seemingly endless onslaught of anti-LGBTQ bills being proposed around the country this Pride Month, then Royal & the Serpent has just the song to soundtrack your demonstration. “One Nation Underdogs” speaks directly to our current dark moment in history, throwing a defiant middle finger in the face of right-wing politicians, offering this grinning kiss-off in response to their attacks: “There’s more of us and less of you/ We’re the future where you fell off.”
Jeffrey Eli, “Sleeping Beauty”
If you somehow haven’t heard Jeffrey Eli’s haunting voice on TikTok, now is the time to remedy that situation. With his latest release “Sleeping Beauty,” Eli claims his space and plays with the fluidity of his ridiculous range to drive home a point. Examining his own childhood, Eli deconstructs the gender binary right before our eyes — and the moment he’s done so, you’ll realize that the music followed perfectly along the journey, building into a glorious explosion of sound. Seriously, if you haven’t listened to Jeffrey Eli, stop reading this and go listen.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Leave it to Lil Nas X to find the most hilarious way to smack down the conservative freakout over Target’s Pride Month products. Days after the mega-retailer removed or moved some Pride merch following backlash from conservative activists and media — which reportedly included some threats against the safety of its workers — the “That’s What I Want” rapper clowned the criticism with a hysterical tweet of his own parodying the tempest in aisle 20.
“Can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not ‘too cool for school’ these shirts are ridiculous,” Lil Nas joked in a post that did not specifically mention the backlash, but instead alluded to it using the his signature arch comedic voice. “He is going to school and he WILL learn.”
In the midst of a wave of conservative legislation targeting the LGBTQ community — from bills restricting attendance at drag shows to laws banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults — Target became the latest business to come under scrutiny after outrage from right-wing media over some of its pride products. According to NBC News, some Target customers posted TikTok videos showing Target Pride merch displays that had been moved to less visible locations, including in the back of some stores.
On Tuesday (May 23), a Target spokesperson told NBC News the company had “offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month” for more than a decade. But since rolling out this year’s collection, “we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work.”
“Given these volatile circumstances,” the spokesperson added, “we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”
After Target rolled out some of this year’s products for June’s Pride Month — which includes rainbow tops, tees that read “Trans People Will Always Exist” and more — it reportedly began to get pushback on items from the LGBTQ brand Abprallen, which offers items featuring “spooky, gothic imagery, such as skulls and Satan, in pastel colors.” The AP reported that among the items conservatives were outraged about was a “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuit that allows adult trans women to hide their genitalia.
One tweet showed a man tossing a Pride display to the ground and stomping on it. Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson reacted to the latest culture war firestorm with a tweet featuring a dire warning: “Extremist groups want to divide us and ultimately don’t just want rainbow products to disappear, they want us to disappear.”
In April, transgender actor-activist Dylan Mulvaney reacted to a Fox News story over Bud Light sending one-off, not-for-sale commemorative cans to Mulvaney that spurred musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich to swear off the popular brew.
“I think it’s OK to be frustrated with someone or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I just, I don’t think that’s right. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever,” said Mulvaney, 26, in a video to her 13 million followers. After describing her childhood in a conservative family and in the church, Mulvaney said she still had faith, but that it’s been a struggle to hold on to it in the midst of attacks that reminded her of similar criticism she faced as a child for being “too feminine.”
“Now I’m being called all those same things, but this time it’s from other adults,” she said. “And if they’re going to accuse me of anything, it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp. But this is just my personality and it always has been.”
See Lil Nas’ tweet mocking outrage over Target’s Pride Month products below.
can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not “too cool for school” these shirts are ridiculous. he is going to school and he WILL learn.— pussy (@LilNasX) May 25, 2023
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
We don’t know when Cardi B will release new music, but we do know who she wants to be behind the cameras for her next video.
At a private party at The Bungalow in Santa Monica, Calif., on Monday night, Cardi B introduced a new summer-ready lime flavor to her Whipshots boozy whipped-cream line — and she wasn’t alone behind the bar. The superstar rapper invited RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Violet Chachki (season 7 winner) and Gottmik (season 13 runner-up) to mix some cocktails with her, including a Cardi-rita topped with lime Whipshots.
‘We Just Went Double Platinum’: Cardi B Celebrates Vodka-Infused Whipshots…
05/23/2023
Cardi took the opportunity with the queens to do a little business. “Can I ask you guys something?” Cardi said to the pair. “Can you guys direct my music video?”
The pair were definitely game. “Bi—, I would pay you to direct it!” Chachki shot back. “That would be my dream job!”
“Are you kidding me?” Gottmik chimed in, grabbing on to Cardi’s Pucci-bodysuited waist. “The way we’re going to cinch this little waist even smaller!”
“I love you guys,” Cardi added. “You guys are so creative, so amazing. And I really want you to direct my music video.”
“Y’all heard that, right?” Chachki confirmed, making sure the moment was captured on video.
When Cardi first joined the Bungalow crowd, she explained why she decided to team up with Starco Brands on Whipshots, which celebrated selling 2 million cans of the alcoholic whipped cream back in March.
“I remember when we were discussing this product during the pandemic, I just knew it was going to work,” she said. “I mean, who doesn’t like whipped cream? I thought it was sexy and fun like me. I’m just a fun-ass bi—.”
About the new lime flavor, Cardi added: “I hope you guys enjoy this flavor. It’s really cute. It tastes like Fruity Pebbles to me. But it’s strong, don’t get it twisted. This ain’t your f—ing Fruity Pebbles!”
It remains to be seen when Cardi will release her next album — which will be her first since her debut project, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy. Since then, she dropped the four-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, plus her solo chart-topper “Up” in 2021. She also teamed up with GloRilla on the Hot 100 top 10 “Tomorrow 2” late last year.
Watch Cardi make her way through the Bungalow crowd below:
Fans, rejoice: You’re going to get to see a lot more than just Megan Thee Stallion and Mariah Carey at this year’s L.A. Pride celebrations. On Thursday (May 18), Christopher Street West Association (the organization that produces L.A. Pride) shared with Billboard the full slate of performers set to take the stage at this year’s […]
With a few hit songs and a headline-making Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover under her belt, Kim Petras is ready to make her next big move. On Tuesday (May 23), Petras unveiled the album artwork and tracklist for her forthcoming debut album, Feed the Beast. In the new art, the “Coconuts” singer can be seen […]
Janelle Monáe spoke out about bucking expectations of being a queer icon in a new cover story on Monday (May 22). “I’m not obligated to share my story,” the proudly non-binary artist told Rolling Stone for the magazine’s June 2023 issue. “Nobody’s obligated. But I do think it’s powerful for me to talk and give […]
Just hours after the Nebraska senate voted to further restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming care for minors, pop superstar Lizzo had something to say about it. Performing at Omaha’s Chi Health Center on Friday (May 19), Lizzo paused the show for a moment to talk about the news of the day, according to a […]