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Funnyman Randy Rainbow is set to co-host the Premiere Ceremony prior to the 2023 Grammy Awards, where the vast majority of the 91 Grammy Awards are presented.
The Premiere Ceremony will return to the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, which is adjacent to Crypto.com Arena, where the Grammy telecast will return. The Premiere Ceremony will stream live on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.Grammy.com.
Rainbow received his first Grammy nomination this year for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, which is competing for best comedy album. Fans of his wickedly funny song parodies know that he actually has a lot of both.
The opening number will feature a performance by Blind Boys of Alabama, La Marisoul from La Santa Cecilia and additional performers. Other artists scheduled to perform include current nominees Arooj Aftab, Madison Cunningham, Samara Joy, Anoushka Shankar and Carlos Vives. Joy is a surprise best new artist nominee this year. Aftab was nominated in that category last year.
Presenters include current nominees DOMi & JD BECK (another surprise best new artist nominee this year), Babyface (who received a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 2021), Myles Frost, Arturo O’Farrill and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, as well as five-time Grammy winner Jimmy Jam, a former chair of the board of trustees of the Recording Academy.
Additional talent and Rainbow’s co-host will be announced in coming days.
Tammy Hurt, chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees, will provide opening remarks.
This year’s Premiere Ceremony is produced by Chantel Sausedo, a veteran of Grammy Awards telecasts, along with three top Recording Academy executives — Branden Chapman, chief operating officer; Ruby Marchand, chief awards & industry officer; and Rex Supa, vice president, production and event operations. Greg Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and musical director.
Hosts of recent Premiere Ceremonies have included Margaret Cho, Shaggy, Jhene Aiko and LeVar Burton.
City National Bank has signed on as the first-ever presenting sponsor of the Premiere Ceremony.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET / 5-8:30 p.m. PT.
On Grammy Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the Grammy Live red-carpet special, and more via the Recording Academy’s digital experience on live.GRAMMY.com.
Sam Smith fans, lift your hands in exaltation. After three long years, the singer’s fourth studio album, Gloria, finally arrived on Friday (Jan. 27).
The new LP drops after almost a year of public preparations from Smith — the album’s first single, the tender “Love Me More,” arrived in April 2022. Smith then took TikTok by storm with their viral hit single “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras, marking Smith and Petras’ first No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Writing about the album on their Instagram back in October 2022, Smith shared that they were “feeling overwhelmed and emotional” about finally unveiling the set. “It has been magical in every way to make this piece of music, and by giving this record to you I am giving you part of my heart and soul,” they wrote. “Gloria got me through some dark times and was a beacon for me in my life. I hope it can be that for you.”
The new album charts Smith’s journey from heartbroken crooner to joyful pop superstar, with tracks detailing their self-image (“Perfect”), sex life (“I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” “Gimme”) and finally, learning to accept and love themselves (“Gloria”). Smith is joined on the album by Petras, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez and Koffee as featured artists, while long-time collaborators Jimmy Napes, Stargate and ILYA helped Smith write and produce the project.
Speaking to Billboard for the August cover story in 2022, Smith explained that they wanted Gloria to bask in “queer joy of it all,” which meant taking a risk. “Maybe the music I make in the future won’t sit as well on the radio. It takes a bit of courage to maybe try something that maybe people aren’t going to like,” they said. “But I like it, and that’s all that matters.”
Stream Gloria here:
Sam Smith stunned onstage for a moving performance of “Gloria” during Saturday Night Live, and the four-time Grammy winner surprised fans when Sharon Stone joined them for a cameo.
During the song, the Oscar-nominated actress lounged on a gold-covered couch. Surrounded by a group of darkly robed singers, Smith — who was draped in a gold sequin blazer — beautifully crooned the track while Stone slowly rose from her reclined position and gazed off into the distance.
Smith opened up about the decision to have Stone join them for the performance in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, airing on Thursday (Jan. 26).
“I wanted to do the hymn ‘Gloria’ that I wrote for the record, which is a wild one because I’m not even … I’m hardly singing on it,” they shared. “I sing at the end of it, but it’s a whole choir. On my tour, the stage is shaped like Aphrodite, so, like, the golden Aphrodite body. And that’s the shape of the stage. I was like, ‘How can we bring that vibe to SNL?’”
They continued, “Sharon Stone is going to be in the middle of the stage at SNL in gold as like a piece of life art. The whole performance is just the choir around her singing ‘Gloria’ to her in this golden light. Isn’t it so sick? … I was like, ‘It has to be Sharon Stone,’ and I messaged Sharon. She’s just such a powerful woman. But she’s a powerful woman, and she exudes vulnerability and beauty in a way that to me is real and authentic.”
Gloria, the follow-up to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Kim Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022 and is nominated for best pop duo/group performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Watch the full interview here at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday.
Janelle Monáe offered fans a sneak peek at her new single “Float” via social media on Wednesday (Jan. 25).
“No I’m not the same/ I think I done changed/ See, somethin’ not the same/ I used to walk into the room head down/ I don’t walk, now I float/ Float all of my/ Float all of this/ Float,” they sing in the 30-second clip posted to her Twitter account.
Monáe previously teased the themes of “Float” on her 35th birthday in December with a separate tweet from the recording studio that read, “Best way to describe how I’m feeling on this birthday. It’s float season for me baby. Floating in gratitude…feeling much lighter. F—ed around and got more FREE. I’m not the same n—a. I just … Float…Love you.”
Though Monáe didn’t share an official release date for the track along with the snippet, “Float” will mark the R&B star’s first new song since starring in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery alongside Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline and more. Earlier this week, the Netflix murder mystery sequel earned an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.
While the Screen Actors Guild Award winner’s most recent studio set remains 2018’s Dirty Computer, they released two singles in 2021: “Stronger” (from Netflix’s We the People) and protest anthem “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout).” Next, the nonbinary star will appear on Friday’s (Jan. 27) episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she’ll guest judge the season 15 queens on the runway in a fashion design challenge.
Hear a preview of Monáe’s “Float” below.
The library is officially open! Congressman George Santos found himself in a war of words with none other than Trixie Mattel on Monday (Jan. 23).
The Twitter feud began when the embattled junior Congressman (and alleged Brazilian drag queen) took to social media to complain about being skewered on late-night TV by everyone from Jon Lovitz on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to Bowen Yang on Saturday Night Live.
“I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far,” he tweeted. “Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 3 winner couldn’t resist hopping into the fray by replying, “Maybe the source material was weak.” Santos didn’t take kindly to the read, and decided to respond with some shade about Mattel’s Snatch Game impression of Mama Ru, writing, “Clearly you know all about weak acting skills” next to a gif of the moment.
“I am not an actor! I was young and I had fun at a festival!” Mattel responded, but Santos insisted on getting the last word by adding, “It’s all good! I won my race against the fan favorite too,” in reference to his 2022 campaign against Democrat Robert Zimmerman.
Santos’ knowledge of Drag Race culture seems worth raising at least one well-manicured eyebrow over, considering he’s been up in arms as of late denying allegations he used to perform under the drag name Kitara in Brazil. (As an openly gay Republican, he’s also been a vocal proponent of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which was signed into law by Ron DeSantis last year and inspired a rash of similar anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country.)
Check out Mattel’s Twitter feud with Santos below.
I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far. Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 23, 2023
It’s all good! I won my race against the fan favorite too. 💪🏼🇺🇸— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 24, 2023
The LGBTQ community has a long history of influencing music history for the better — be it through the creation of whole genres, the success of mainstream queer artists or otherwise. Now, Spotify wants to help amplify that influence.
On Tuesday (Jan. 24), the streaming service debuted their latest music program, GLOW. The project — much like fellow equity global music programs EQUAL and Frequency for female and Black creators, respectively — is specifically catered to LGBTQ artists, aiming to “elevate LGBTQIA+ creators, both on and off platform,” according to Spotify.
To fulfill that goal, GLOW will have a year-round hub on the platform housing LGBTQ-dedicated playlists for fans to discover new music from queer-identifying artists, with new playlists set to be introduced each month. One of these playlists is a global flagship playlist of the same name, featuring LGBTQ voices from around the world and refreshing each month with new offerings.
As with previous equity programs at Spotify, GLOW will also benefit from a “360 program,” which will provide opportunities for editiorial and marketing partnerships with other major brands as well as providing charitable giving to organizations benefiting LGBTQ arts causes, including QORDS, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (The BTFA Collective), It Gets Better and more.
GLOW will additionally shine a spotlight on different LGBTQ artists every month, with 11 — including Sam Smith, Arlo Parks, Tove Lo and Pabllo Vittar — showcased at launch. Future spotlight artists will be featured on Spotify’s For the Record editorial channel as well as on a Times Square billboard.
Cahleb Derry, an associate manager of music marketing at Spotify, said in a statement that the aim of GLOW was to provide needed support for a community that often doesn’t receive it. “The question we go back to is, ‘How do we tangibly influence the resources that LGBTQIA+ artists have?’” he said. “We know that a lot of artists only get hit up in June during Pride to do campaigns. And then July 1 hits and there’s no work to be found again … we, at Spotify, have a responsibility as the largest music audio platform in the world to fill in these gaps.”
The GLOW launch is a bright spot that comes amid Spotify’s announcement on Monday that they would be cutting 6% of their global workforce and that chief content & advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff would be departing her role. “I hoped to sustain the strong tailwinds from the pandemic and believed that our broad global business and lower risk to the impact of a slowdown in ads would insulate us,” Daniel Ek said in a note to employees posted on the company’s website. “In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth.”
Check out the official GLOW Spotify hub here.
Time flies when you’re having fun — and for the last two years, JoJo Siwa has been having the time of her life.
On Sunday, Siwa posted on Instagram to celebrate the two-year anniversary of her public coming out announcement back in 2021. Sharing the same photo she shared two years ago, Siwa wrote a short-but-sweet caption to commemorate the moment.
“2 years ago today,” she said next to a series of rainbow-colored heart emojis. “now looking back on everything…. I’m SO proud of 17 year old JoJo.”
Siwa officially came out on Jan. 22, 2021, when she posted a photo of herself with the caption, “My cousin got me a new shirt.” The picture shows Siwa smiling and looking down at the tee, which said in blue block letters, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”
In the time since then, Siwa has used her platform to try and elevate LGBTQ voices and stand up for her community. Most recently, the former Nickelodeon star called out Fuller House star Candace Cameron Bure for saying that she would not feature same-sex couples in movies she produces at the Great American Family Network.
Speaking to People, Siwa explained why she called Bure out for her “rude and hurtful” comments. “You not liking gay marriage, do your thing girl. You being religious, do your thing girl. Of course, I would want everybody to do what they want to do,” she said. “But to purposely exclude someone because of who they love, that’s sh–ty.”
Check out Siwa’s anniversary post on Instagram below:
It’s been over two weeks since Kevin McCarthy was (finally) elected speaker of the house after the longest contest to a speaker election in more than 150 years — and Internet sensation Randy Rainbow isn’t quite ready to move on from that bit of news.
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On Monday (Jan. 23), Rainbow posted his latest parody video “Speaker of the House,” in which the star lampoons the embattled GOP leader for his repeated failures to get elected — and the concessions he had to make to finally get the job done.
Starting off as many of Rainbow’s parodies do, the video opens with Rainbow conducting a fake interview with the leader, introducing him as “barely elected Speaker of the House, Kevin McF—head.” As the comedian begins to simultaneously question and roast McCarthy (including drinking from a mug with a piece of paper reading “you’re a dumba–” taped to it), the music begins to kick in, leading us to another song from the viral star.
Performing to the tune of “Master of the House” from the seminal Broadway musical Les Miserables, Rainbow holds nothing back when referring to McCarthy as a “slimy, climby man-boy” and a “power-hungry whore,” while making sure to rub the politician’s nose in his recent pyrrhic victory. “Speaker of the house/ Cunning little chap/ Covetous, conservative and full of crap,” he sings. “Thirsty as a fish/ Quick to compromise/ Only took the motherf—er 15 tries.”
But Rainbow’s barbs are not only reserved for McCarthy — the singer also takes time to go after some of McCarthy’s opponents, his allies and other much-discussed members of the GOP. “[Lauren] Boebert doesn’t even know what state she’s from/ Marjorie [Taylor Green]’s a mess/ Matt [Gaetz]’s a ticking bomb/ [George] Santos says he’s Ariana Grande’s mom,” he sings.
Finally bringing the song to its exacerbated conclusion, Rainbow delivers a final “toast” to McCarthy: “Girl, I give you one more week/ Everybody lift a cheek to the speaker of the house.”
The video comes just ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, where Rainbow’s debut studio album A Little Brains, A Little Talent is nominated for best comedy album against huge competitors like Dave Chappelle, Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan and Louis C.K.
Check out Randy Rainbow’s full video for “Speaker of the House” above.
RuPaul’s Drag Race has always prided itself on a good old-fashioned twist — but even the most prepared of queens couldn’t have predicted the latest surprise on the show,
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On last week’s episode (aired Friday, Jan. 20), the 14 remaining queens got the shock of their lives when RuPaul announced that they would be performing in the Snatch Game — a challenge usually reserved for when there are many fewer queens left. Splitting the faux game show in two, the show tested all of the girls on their comedy and impersonation chops with the iconic challenge a mere four episodes into the season.
Some girls managed to thrive — Loosey LaDuca (who had grown hungrier than ever for her first win) pulled out all of the stops for her spot-on Joan Rivers, cracking Ru and the judges up at every opportunity and winning the challenge. Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Marcia Marcia Marcia similarly slayed their gut-busting impressions of Rosie O’Donnell and Tim Gunn, respectively.
Sugar and Spice, however, had some difficulties. Both of the twins struggled in their Snatch Game performances; Sugar couldn’t nail down any jokes or even mild cracks as professional internet troll Trisha Paytas, while Spice made her Miley Cyrus a cartoonish country bumpkin hitting herself on the head with a sledgehammer.
Facing off against one another in the Lip Sync for Your Life, Sugar and Spice instead decided to make it a “twin-sync” as they called it, working together to make on cohesive number to Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run.” Yet, with Sugar tripping around both the words and her own feet throughout the performance, Ru announced that the sweeter of the twins would be leaving the competition.
Billboard caught up with Sugar following her elimination, where she talked about finding her voice on reality television, her time playing Paytas in the Snatch Game, and why she loves that she had a “Farrah Moan moment” on national television.
Sugar, how are you feeling after watching these first few episodes?
I’m feeling — I hate to be Miss America, but I am feeling so much gratitude. You sit on this for so long, and it’s not that I’m surprised, but I think when me and Spice got back from filming and were all done … we were on TikTok, we had our fans, but the Drag Race fandom had their preconceived notions about me and Spice, typically. I don’t think they knew how to perceive us. So to get the response we got, which was so much love, and for people to understand me as a drag artist and as myself, was such a blessing.
As you mentioned, you and Spice have a huge TikTok presence — what was the biggest adjustment you found yourself having to make going from TikTok to reality TV?
I felt like a doll stepping out of the box — this was my Life Size, honestly. I felt like I was stepping into the real world.
In this scenario, you’re Tyra Banks, yes?
Of course. I know people say what they want about her, but she has inspired me so much. My biggest takeaway from her has been that she redefined what it meant to be a model, and people were like, “Oh, you’re just this, stand still, look pretty.” And she built a whole empire.
But going to the competition, I was used to standing still and looking pretty on TikTok. I didn’t have to glue down wigs, I could just be my little creative artist self from the comfort of my own home. It was definitely an adjustment, but one I was very ready for.
In the episode before this, you and Jax had your little tiff, which has since been squashed. But you resolved at the top of this episode to stop caring what the other competitors thought of you — how present was that struggle with perception for you?
Yeah, I’m really grateful for that moment, because I think it’s such … a relatable human experience where you enter a situation — maybe you’re around friends, or co-workers, or wherever — and you feel like you have to step back. That thought entered my mind, “If I dim my light, people will like me better.” And that should never be the case! We should never dim our light for anyone! I definitely felt like I had to do that. I kept thinking, “Let me hold back.” There’s power in restraining yourself, but then there’s also power in letting your light shine. You gotta own who you are, that will get you way further in life. I’m still working on it, it’s a journey!
That brings us to the Snatch Game — you said in your confessional that there is an understanding that playing internet celebrities is not the best idea for this challenge. What made you decide to do Trisha Paytas anyways?
Looking back, I am like, “Why was I so convicted to do Trisha?” But she means a lot to mean — she was my comfort in high school, and she’s inspired a lot in my drag character. I just felt like … it was in the cards for me to do it. Now, maybe that was my demise, but I wasn’t doing anything to be liked in that moment, you know what I mean? I was doing what was going to make me the most happy. So, yeah, I was taking a risk with Ru not knowing who Trisha was and not understanding the crazy, troll personality. But at the end of the day, we’re all living for ourselves, so I’m happy I went out having the most fun I could.
Was there a backup character you were considering outside of Trisha?
Actually, yes, I did. It was Christina Aguilera — it would’ve been a full thing of me just going [*does an Xtina-esque vocal run*]. Just singing the whole time, but I guess we’ll just have to save that for a later date.
The thing I hope audiences understand is how hard Snatch Game really is — it’s improv and comedy and impersonation for a long time. In the moment, did it feel difficult when you were performing Snatch Game? Could you tell things were not going your way?
You know what it was? I haven’t seen the episode yet, so I don’t know how they edited the Snatch Game — but the irony is I felt the most comfortable I’ve ever felt. I was having the time of my life! I put on that breastplate and you could not tell me that I wasn’t Trisha Paytas. Something came over me, I swear I thought I was her in that moment — I was trolling, I was coming for Ru and asking what his body count was, and just having the time of my life. I feel like I’m the wrong person to ask about it being hard, and honestly, maybe that’s why I went home, because I was just living my fantasy.
Well, before you got sent home, you had the “twin-sync” as you two called it.
“Twin-sync,” yes, they kept it in! I’m happy, good.
This is maybe the first time we’ve seen two queens … work together in a lip sync for your life? What was going on here, what was your plan with Spice going into this?
[Laughs.] Girl, I blacked out after that performance. All I remember is I fell, a shoe came off, like it was wild.
We were too busy crying our eyes out in Untucked, and then we had like 10 minutes left before the main stage. So we were like, “Oh, we gotta come up with something.” I didn’t listen to the lip sync song, I didn’t know the words, because my delusional ass was like “I was giving in Snatch Game.” At that point, I basically knew I was going home from the critiques, so I was like, “Well, let’s go out with a bang.” I guess the success of that is to be decided by everyone else.
As you mentioned, there were a few stumbles that happened for you — walk me through what was going through your mind when you tripped.
I fully manifested that moment when we were doing the group numbers with the girls. First of all, I’m all about the height — I’m always needing more inches with my heels. So in that first challenge, the girls were like, “Babe, you’re gonna fall on the stage in those, you do not want your Farrah Moan moment.” And I was like, “Oh no, baby — I want the Farrah Moan moment.” Like, I’m the viral TikTok person; I want to fall on my face, because the meme possibilities will be endless. And sure enough, it happened.
I feel like, with the twins lip syncing, we had to make that as iconic as humanly possible. What makes a good lip sync? Someone falling; messiness; not knowing the words — we have all of the elements right there.
Has the weather got you feeling a little chilly? Let us help you warm up with some new tunes 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.
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From Boygenius’s surprise return to Arlo Parks’ stunning new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Boygenius, “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry” & “True Blue”
When fans saw that Boygenius — a queer indie supergroup made up by Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker — would be a featured act at this year’s Coachella, whispers of a new album began materializing on social media. But nothing could have prepared fans for the release of three new singles, alongside an album announcement from the trio. Ahead of the long-awaited new set The Record, Boygenius returned with a Baker-led soft-punk anthem of resilience (“$20”), a Bridgers-led lovelorn apology to an ex (“Emily, I’m Sorry”), and a Dacus-led coming of age ballad (“True Blue”). Providing something for everyone with the promise of more to come, Boygenius made sure that their comeback was as triumphant as fans could’ve hoped.
Arlo Parks, “Weightless”
Ever since the release of Arlo Parks’ critically-lauded debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, fans of the U.K. indie singer-songwriter have been waiting with bated breath for what comes next. This week, the singer delivered — alongside the announcement of the sophomore album My Soft Machine, Parks unveiled “Weightless,” a hypnotic, instantly thrilling new single off the project. Fans of Parks’ top-tier songwriting will be delighted to find it has only sharpened in the two years since Sunbeams; anyone eager to hear her sonic evolution will find themselves delightfully surprised by this chillwave, synth-pop dreamscape the singer has crafted around her. Put those together, and you have a song that magnificently reintroduces a must-listen artist to the world.
Kim Petras, “Brrr”
Time to dance, queers. Kim Petras is back at it again with “Brrr,” a hyperpop-infused pop track that sees Kim hopping back into the driver’s seat and begging her lover to prove why he thinks he’s “so cold.” With clattering production work from rising superstar ILYA, Petras sounds as good as fans would have hoped as she sings “You should pull me up closer/ Turn the heat up in your Rover/ Why don’t you take it out on me?”
Sam Smith, “Gloria”
With every new release off of their forthcoming album, Sam Smith has been giving fans a little taste of something new. With the album’s title song “Gloria,” Smith ditches the sweaty, club-ready jams that have come out of their last two singles, instead going for something soft and sweet. Joined by a full choir, this chorale of self-confidence sounds less like a pop song and more like a religious hymn to yourself, as Smith and their fellow voices resolve to “be yourself so loud tonight, they’ll hear you from the stars.” Glory to “Gloria.”
Kelela, “Contact”
With Kelela’s long-awaited new album Raven due out in a few short weeks, she wants to make sure that you’re ready for what’s coming. “Contact,” the latest single off the new project, simultaneously manages to hypnotize and fire up the listener all at once, as the pounding club beat plays perfectly off of Kelela’s sultry vocals. Things heat up quickly, as the songstress makes her intentions perfectly clear: “I’m floatin’ away, far and away/ You tryna stall and delay, but I wanna play.”
Mazie, “It’s Not Me (It’s U)”
There’s nothing worse than hearing your partner reach for the cop out when they try and end things, saying, “honestly, it’s not you! It’s me!” Turns out indie pop singer Mazie is sick of hearing it, too — on “It’s Not Me (It’s U),” the psychedelic singer dips even further into her hazy bedroom pop sound to tell her lover exactly where they can shove their fake humility. If you’re feeling a little bitter and need a song that’ll validate your anger, look no further.
Cub Sport, “Keep Me Safe”
Cub Sport has always thrived when it comes to front-facing, emotionally resonant indie pop songs. So it’s no surprise that their latest single, “Keep Me Safe,” is exactly what you want to hear from them and more. This tender, gorgeous love song immediately takes hold of your feelings with the opening chords, as a distorted voice sings about driving forever. By the time lead vocalist Tim Nelson comes in with a stirring story of forbidden romance, you’re already caught up in the song’s sonic web — and by the time it’s over, you’ll be reaching for the replay button.
Khai Dreams, “Panic Attack”
There’s something idiosyncratic about writing a song called “Panic Attack” and making it sound as calm and collected as Khai Dreams’ new single does — or at least that’s what you might think for the first few moments of the track. But as this delectable new single keeps chugging along, the production and the lyrics slowly pick up the pace, before eventually you find yourself in a chaotic chorus about bad dreams, irrational fears and intrusive thoughts — and you’re feeling exactly what Khai is talking about. “Panic Attack” won’t simulate the experience of a real-life bout with anxiety, but it will give you a fun and catchy insight into what’s flooding someone’s mind while it’s happening.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below: