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After years of touring around the globe, Bob the Drag Queen is gearing up for her biggest tour yet — and this time, it’s with pop icon Madonna.
In a new interview with Billboard, the drag superstar dishes on her upcoming special guest slot on Madonna’s 40 year-retrospective world trek, the Celebration Tour. “You ever think about how lucky you are to be alive at the same time as someone else?” Bob says. “We get to be alive at the same time as Madonna.”
The pair were first introduced when Bob served as host for Madonna’s New York Pride show at Terminal 5 in 2022. “Her daughter recommended me to host, and Madonna just really took a liking to me after that,” she says. “She sang me ‘Happy Birthday,’ she’s bought me cupcakes, I talk with her kids, and we just became really fast pals.”
It wasn’t until November of last year that Madonna officially asked Bob to join her on her expansive tour — or at least, Madonna thought she was officially asking Bob. “She DM’d my mom on Instagram, because she thought it was my Instagram,” Bob says with a laugh. “My mom texted me like, ‘Madonna wants to work with me!’ I was like, ‘Mom, I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re me.’ It came so close to being my mom on tour with Madonna instead of me.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner teased that fans can expect “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” with the queen “there to help facilitate the journey” throughout the show’s run.
Fans spotted Bob in Madonna’s tour announcement video, in which the star had a series of her celebrity friends — including Diplo, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jack Black and Lil Wayne — join her for a game of Truth or Dare. As Bob tells it, no one in the video knew what was supposed to happen until the cameras started rolling.
“I was the first one there, and then all of these people began streaming in. I was like, ‘Wait, Amy Schumer? Jack Black? What is going on?’” Bob recalls. “We all thought that we were individually going to be taking some photos with Madonna, none of us knew about this. Only Madonna could get us all to show up like that.”
When it comes to personal impact, Bob says she’s been moved by Madonna’s grace and trust in her. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” she says. “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘What?!’”
The Celebration Tour kicks off July 15 in Vancouver, B.C. Get your tickets to see Bob and Madonna on tour here.
In trying to list out everything that she’s been up to as of late, drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen finds herself at a loss.
Sitting out of drag in a small podcasting studio, the star quickly lists off her HBO series We’re Here, her podcast with Monét X Change Sibling Rivalry and her stand-up comedy career with ease — it’s only once she gets to her extensive touring history that she begins to falter.
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“I’ve done ‘Werq the World,’ ‘Drag Queen Christmas,’ ‘Christmas Queens,’ the [Drag Race] season 8 tour, ‘In the Dark,’” she tells Billboard via Zoom, before suddenly going quiet. “I know there’s more. You name a Drag Race tour, I’ve probably done it. A girl had to make a dollar.”
It would be unreasonable for Bob to remember everything she’s been up to — in the almost seven years since being crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8, the dexterous performer has been hard at work creating her own drag empire. Spreading her talents out through comedy, reality television, podcasting, touring and internet virality, Bob has made herself one of the most sought-after drag queens in the world.
Today, though, Bob’s focus is on her music career. After taking a five-year hiatus from releasing original tracks, Bob is returning with their long-awaited debut EP Gay Barz (out Friday, Feb. 10). The 6-track project sees the queen taking on sounds from hip-hop and house and infusing them with what Bob calls her own “campy” sensibilities.
“There’s always an innate sense of humor in what I do,” she explains. “Even on a song like ‘Black‘ [Bob’s fiery ode to Black excellence], I’m still using my sense of humor to make my point — like with the line ‘If Rosa Parks could see you now/ She’d be beatin’ that ass.’”
It certainly shows throughout the project. On the late-EP ode-to-backsides “Booty,” Bob spits that you ought to “put that ass on trial/ Burn the booty at the stake”; the hard-hitting titular cypher contains some of the queen’s hardest bars, including “I don’t speak spanish/ But I will top-a-tío.”
But Bob is not the only one to spit fire on “Gay Barz” — the title track served as something of a freestyle session between Bob and three other queer rappers; Kamera Tyme, Mikey Angelo and Ocean Kelly. On “Black,” Bob and Kelly are joined by nonbinary singer-songwriter BASIT who adds a delicious vocal hook to the fiery anthem. “I call us the GGT; the girls, gays and theys,” Bob quips, grinning.
It’s no accident that most of the four featured artists were discovered by Bob through TikTok, a platform she adopted just before the start of COVID and where she has since expanded her reign with a massive following of 2.8 million. “It kind of occurred to me when I saw people being made famous on TikTok that we don’t have to take the celebrities you hand us. We get to hand you celebrities,” Bob says. “So it was really important to bring these amazing artists on this journey with me. Hopefully this will lead people to going and checking out their stuff individually, because they are all so talented and prolific.”
While the project is focused on providing the laughs and featuring deserving, up-and-coming LGBTQ talent, Gay Barz also doesn’t shy away from the politics of it all. Even the cover art for the album, showing a younger Bob being escorted away by police, comes from the star’s political activism, where she was arrested in 2011 for protesting for marriage equality near New York’s Bryant Park.
“They would do these things called ‘field mugshots,’ where they take a picture of you right there in the streets with a Polaroid. When I was getting out of jail, I had the audacity to swing by the front door and say, ‘Can I have my picture please?’” Bob recalls. “It’s been one of my favorite pictures of myself since that day.”
On “Black,” for example, when Bob isn’t asking if you’re “ready to gagatron,” the star is calling out the inequity faced by Black and queer folks on a regular basis, underlining the point further saying “multiply by 10 if you’re black and trans.” The video takes the concept even further, showing Bob taking over a police cruiser and taking (literal) shots at Klan members.
Bob doesn’t fault any artist who’d rather focus on escapism in a time of political turmoil — “Not everyone needs to be political,” she says. But for her, not speaking on what she thinks is ultimately not an option. “I have a big, loud mouth, I’m an opinionated bitch,” she says. “That’s why I was in the streets shouting that ‘New York demands marriage equality now,’ because I had a voice and I wanted to make sure people heard it.”
It’s a quality Bob shares with one of her pop idols, Madonna. Now, Bob can call the star not only an inspiration, but a collaborator; for her highly-anticipated, career-spanning world tour later this year, Madonna tapped Bob as a special guest for every performance.
Their relationship started when Bob was asked to host Madonna’s New York Pride show in 2022 — upon rehearsing and meeting with the “Material Girl,” Bob says the pair instantly hit it off, with Madonna taking a keen interest in her career. Eventually, she asked Bob to join her on her world tour, to which the queen excitedly agreed.
Bob remains tight-lipped about what to expect for the tour, stating only that the show will be “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” and adding that “I’m there to help facilitate that journey.” But the drag star also makes clear that her inclusion on the tour feels like a genuine acknowledgement of her talent. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” Bob explains. “She doesn’t tell me, ‘You need to show up in full drag at 8:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning.’ She says, ‘Show up however it feels best for you.’”
The star even got Madonna’s input on parts of her new EP — Bob sent the video for “Black” to Madonna for any advice, and the “Like a Prayer” singer let her know that the clip was “phenomenal.” “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘what?!’” Bob says.
Still, on the eve of her EP’s release, Bob can’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach at work. “I feel like I’m supposed to say, ‘Bitch, I’m ready for the EP to f–king take over the world!’ But in all honesty, I’m nervous,” she says. “I want the world to like my music.”
Whether or not they do, Bob also acknowledges that she’s done all that she can and more to put her everything into the new project. “I’m really happy with the work,” Bob says. “It says a lot about who I am, it says a lot about my journey. It feels like I’m doing this in a way that feels very true to me.”
While many on the Christian right were left clutching their pearls following Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ supposedly “satanic” performance at the 2023 Grammys, one organization closely familiar with the subject matter found it a bit boring.
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In an interview with TMZ, David Harris, a magister of the Church of Satan, said he thought Smith and Petras’ performance was “all right” and “nothing particularly special.” In the performance, Smith sported a red leather outfit with horns sprouting from a top hat, while Petras danced in a cage surrounded by fire and backup dancers dressed as devils.
However, when it came to the real-life people who were offended by the performance — especially public officials like Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene — Harris called them “delicate snowflakes,” while also turning their own criticism back on them. “It’s sad when politicians on a national stage use someone’s religion as a punchline,” he said.
Harris’ comments came after a wave of criticism for both Smith and Petras online following their performance. Cruz called the number “evil,” while Greene said the production was “demonic.”
Petras spoke a bit more about the performance after making history as the first transgender woman to win in the best pop duo/group performance category, arguing that those getting upset about it were also the ones who directly inspired it. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion, and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live,” she said. “I think a lot of people have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool.’ I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it.”
Check out Petras’ acceptance speech for the award below:
Along with celebrating the queer community at large, the GLAAD Media Awards make sure to give vocal allies their flowers for supporting the LGBTQ community — and this year, the organization is recognizing two massive stars for their unyielding efforts.
On Wednesday (Feb. 8), GLAAD announced that recording artists Bad Bunny and Christina Aguilera would be the recipients of two allyship awards at its annual ceremony in Los Angeles taking place March 30. The organization also announced that out actor Jeremy Pope would receive the Stephen F. Kolzak award for his work in raising visibility for LGBTQ media professionals.
Bad Bunny is set to receive the annual vanguard award, which is presented to “allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Past honorees include mega-stars such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Cher. Speaking on Bunny’s inclusion, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said that the star’s consistent advocacy — whether through live performances, music videos or elsewhere — “redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”
Aguilera will receive the advocate for change award, given to “a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” The only two past recipients of the award are President Bill Clinton and pop superstar Madonna. Ellis said that through the dedication of her hit song “Beautiful” to the queer community, her work in raising money for HIV research and her staunch opposition to anti-queer policies in the U.S., Aguilera “loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today.”
GLAAD previously announced their official nominees for the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards, including LGBTQ artists such as Demi Lovato, Kim Petras, Anitta, Fletcher and many more for their work in creating queer art in 2022.
There’s two things RuPaul’s Drag Race has always excelled at — creating memorable musical moments, and being deeply weird.
On last week’s episode (aired Friday, February 3), the gaggle of remaining girls were tasked with doing both of those things at the same time. The queens were split up and asked to create three Golden Girl-groups — a.k.a. dressing in old lady drag while performing a musical number — around the genres of country, heavy metal and hip-hop.
Aura Mayari finally earned her first challenge win of the season for a truly unhinged performance as a death metal-loving grandma, while Jax and Robin Fierce found themselves at the bottom of the barrel for a pair of fine-but-forgettable performances as twerking nans. Lip synching to The Bangles’ 1988 power-pop hit “In Your Room,” Jax managed to dance her way out of an elimination, leaving Robin to get the chop.
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Billboard chatted with Robin following her elimination about becoming a Twitter meme following the season’s premiere, what she thought of the judges’ critiques, and why she was “playing Switzerland” in this episode’s work room battle between the queens.
Congratulations on making it to episode 6! How have you felt about watching your run on the show?
I’ve loved it! We’re drag queens, we watch ourselves through Instagram all of the time. But it’s been interesting watching myself out of drag, that was the weirdest part for me; I’m not used to seeing boy me on the camera super often. But it’s been a great time.
I want to congratulate you on becoming one of the first-memed queens of the season — that photo of you running in the premiere has been all over my timeline. What has that been like experiencing the Drag Race meme machine?
[Laughs.] I am not shocked, if we’re being honest. For a long time, my friends have told me that if I ever got on Drag Race, I would be a meme — because I might not say a lot all of the time, but everything is literally right there on my face at all times. Whether I’m shocked, or excited, or thinking “what the f–k is going on?” it’s there. It’s not something I can control, it just happens. All of these reaction memes are genuine — so no, I was not shocked by this. And I live for it! It’s funny and fun, and most of the time it’s about having fun.
It also helps that in the screen-grabs fans are using, you look phenomenal.
Well, that also helps, for sure.
At the outset of this episode, we had some work room drama when the two other teams began fighting over who got to perform the heavy metal number, led mostly by Malaysia and Luxx. For those of you who were uninvolved, what were you thinking as this was unfolding?
It was basically like we were watching tennis — our heads just kept bouncing back and forth in this conversation. Like, “OK, they said this. Ooh, they threw this shade. They said they’re not getting walked all over. They said they’re not doing rock, paper, scissors.” It was a whole thing. We, the viewers in our hip-hop group, were just happy to not be involved, truly sitting with our popcorn and watching the girls go through their go-through.
We’ve seen these kinds of fights happen more and more on Drag Race, where it feels like such a small thing to be going at each others throats over.
I mean, I understand both sides, to be honest — I love to play Switzerland. On one hand, you have girls saying, “This is what I want to do, and this is a competition, so I am going to do it.” But then on the other side, “This is a competition, and you do not get to be the decider of my fate.” So, pointless? Yes, but also no.
It definitely didn’t have to be as dramatic, but it’s Drag Race — you put a bunch of queers in a room, we’re going to be dramatic. Some folks were shocked, and I don’t know why. It’s wild, but when you meet drag queens in real life, this happens. We get into it, and then we move on.
As a singer yourself, you mentioned on this episode that doing a rap verse was not necessarily your strong suit. With this being a music challenge, how much were you in your own head about not getting to sing?
It was definitely a hard moment. I am a singer, but it’s hard to sing stuff when you don’t have a whole bunch of time to learn it. It was definitely a challenge in that aspect, so I was just trying to roll with the punches. I’m not a rapper; before this instance, I had never rapped in my life. It definitely pushed me more than I thought it was going to. I have written before, but it’s just hard to do in the amount of time that you’re given. But that’s the challenge! Either your rise to it or you don’t, and in that moment, some of us didn’t rise as much as others.
Ru literally said that she was “splitting hairs” when it came to the judging, which to me shows how strong everybody’s writing and performing was.
Yes, exactly. Like, does it suck to go home? Absolutely. Am I happy that I could be part of a season where I am going up against the best of the best? Absolutely. It’s amazing to be around such talented performers that judges do regularly have to split hairs to figure out who’s staying — I just wish my hairs weren’t the ones being split. [Laughs.]
I felt very frustrated for you this episode, because you were getting your first critique of the season and being told that you’re coasting and fading a little into the background, and then immediately getting sent home on said critique.
It was definitely not the easiest, but it’s a moment of growth for me! I can definitely see what they’re talking about and where I could have pushed more in certain portions of the show. I am not a person who can’t take critiques if it’s actually helpful, so I was for sure ready to take that and run with it.
You did take the critique, and you explained very eloquently that you know what it is that you’re good at, and you try to highlight that instead of taking a big risk, which feels fair to me.
I know what I can do! That’s not to say I can’t grow — I’ve been doing this for six years and am still trying new things as I go along my journey. Just for me, in that competition setting, this is not the time to do something where I don’t know whether it will work or not. Also, I’ve never rapped before, and I still did it! It might not have been great. [Laughs.] But I did it!
Kim Petras may “never cause no drama,” but she’s certainly ready to put an end to it.
At Sunday night’s Grammys (Feb. 5), Petras and Sam Smith took home the award for best pop duo/group performance, making Petras the first transgender winner in the category. In a press conference following her win, the pop singer said that she couldn’t help but think about the people who told her she wouldn’t make it.
“All these years are going through my head of people saying I would be a ‘niche artist’ because I’m transgender and my music would only ever play in gay clubs,” she said, adding that gay clubs “raised” her. “Now, I got a Grammy for making gay club music with my friend, and that’s the best feeling in the world.”
When asked what she hoped people watching could take away from her historic victory, Petras offered up a plea for greater understanding. “Honestly, I just think people need to judge less,” she said. “I hope that there’s a future where gender and identity and all these labels don’t matter that much. I hope all the kids that saw this that are special or different or feel like they don’t belong … feel inspired that, ‘Yes, you can be yourself and get rewarded for your talent rather than your gender or your sexuality.’”
While many watching were excited by the prospect of Petras earning her first Grammy, others online were getting fired up over her performance with Smith. Conservatives online referred to the pair’s fire-and-brimstone performance as “satanic,” with Senator Ted Cruz even weighing in to call the live number “evil.”
As Petras tells it, that was very much the point of their presentation. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion, and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live,” she said matter-of-factly. “I think a lot of people have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool.’ I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it.”
Petras saved her kindest words backstage for Smith, referring to the singer as “a very special friend” and thanking them for their support since the outset of her career. “It’s really special to share this with someone who’s given me such important advice in my life, who has helped me in dealing with the opinions of people,” she said. “So, yeah, Sam will never get rid of me and we will always sing this song for eternity.”
Check out Petras’ full backstage press conference at the 2023 Grammys above.
As if people weren’t mad enough at the results of the 2023 Grammys, now conservatives are fired up over two performers wearing devil costumes during the annual telecast. During the ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 5), Sam Smith and Kim Petras offered a rousing performance of their hit single “Unholy,” in which the Petras performed alongside drag stars Violet Chachki and Gottmik dressed in devil costumes, while Smith was in a bright red top hat with devil horns sticking out from it for the final chorus.
Instead of celebrating the fact that the pair made history for the LGBTQ community that night, conservative viewers slammed the performances for promoting the worship of Satan. “I know we on the right probably use the word satanic too often but this performance from Sam Smith is literally a tribute to Satan,” wrote one viewer. Another added some conspiracy-baiting into the mix, saying Madonna (who introduced the performance) looked like a statue erected in New York City that conservatives have called “satanic” as well.
Eventually, right-wing senator Ted Cruz decided to weigh in. Retweeting a video of the performance captured by conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler (who wrote that “demons are teaching your kids to worship Satan”), Cruz simply wrote, “This…is…evil.”
Neither Smith nor Petras have publicly responded to the backlash yet. Billboard has reached out to their reps for comment.
The pair took home the Grammy award for best pop duo/group performance, and Smith gave Petras the stage to celebrate being the first transgender woman to win in the category. “I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” she said during her speech, especially thanking the late SOPHIE for her constant support. “Everyone who believed in me to this point, I love you so much.”
Check out some of the reactions to Smith & Petras’ “Unholy” performance below:
Last night at the Grammys the satanic ritual performed by Sam Smith was introduced by MadonnaWho “coincidentally” looked like the new pagan statue in New York City pic.twitter.com/TPq8NjecYR— Vision4theBlind (@Michael3147) February 6, 2023
Sam Smith’s satanic performance at the Grammy’s ended with a Pfizer commercial. You can’t get it more on the nose than that. Pfizer and Hollywood deserve each other. pic.twitter.com/4HhFQemiCi— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 6, 2023
With the Grammys just around the corner, there’s no better time to reacquaint yourself with what’s happening in music right now! 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 Jake Shears’ long awaited return to Anne-Marie’s no-longer-sad girl anthem, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Jake Shears, “Too Much Music”
Pop singer Jake Shears missed you — so he decided to give you an absolute pop banger to celebrate his return. The former frontman of Scissor Sisters brings all of the glam-rock flair on “Too Much Music,” his dynamic new dance single where Shears appears in rare form. Proclaiming that “there can never be too much music for me,” the singer lets his brilliant falsetto vocals fly free over a thrumming set of glittering guitars and drums, bringing the absolute correct vibes for his 2023 comeback.
Anne-Marie, “Sad B!tch”
Despite what its title may suggest, “Sad B!tch,” the newest track from U.K. pop star Anne-Marie is “not another sad girl anthem.” After nearly three years of the world trying its hardest to keep people down, Anne-Marie declares on this delectable new pop song that “being sad is so last year.” With some saturated pop production and just a hint of alternative flair, the singer boogies her way right past the bad vibes.
Peach PRC, “Perfect for You”
Who wants a euphoric new queer love song? If any part of you said “yes,” then you should quickly press play on Peach PRC’s “Perfect for You,” the Australian singer’s dreamy new electro-pop track from her forthcoming EP. Sung from the perspective of a girl falling in love with her best friend’s girlfriend, Peach PRC’s vocal bears the vulnerability of past tracks like “Heavy” or “Colourblind,” while the production flaunts the catchiness of “God Is a Freak” and “Josh,” making a perfect combination for the rising star.
Carlie Hanson, “Blueberry Pancakes”
Fans of Carlie Hanson know the singer-songwriter for her alternative take on pop music — and while they’ll still get a taste of that with her new single “Blueberry Pancakes,” they’ll also get to see her take down her walls. The vulnerable new single follows Hanson as she reunites with her partner after making it through a long-distance relationship with them. This touching, lovely ode to finally feeling comfortable again is the perfect soundtrack for a weekend of reacquainting yourself with that smitten feeling.
ABISHA, “Masterpiece”
With her last few releases, singer-songwriter ABISHA has proven to be a master of creating romantically urgent queer love songs; “Masterpiece,” the singer’s latest, is no exception. The bouncing new track is conceptualized off of the flurry of feelings you get upon first meeting someone so infatuating that you simply cannot help yourself from getting caught up in it. It’s ABISHA’s smart choice of holding back with her vocal that makes the song so intoxicating — she gets you to lean in closer and closer, leaving you wanting more by the time the track stops.
Betty Who, “Running Up That Hill” (Kate Bush cover)
It’s been almost a year since Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” made its improbable run back up the Billboard charts — but that’s not stopping Australian pop singer Betty Who from offering her own rendition of the ’80s single. With Who’s rendition, the star turns to her familiar mode of grooving dance-pop jam, giving the track a sparkly, rhinestone sheen as the star dances her way through a familiar classic.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Since their inception in 1958, the Grammy Awards have made plenty of history — from first-ever wins for new artists to record-breaking nomination numbers, the annual event has earned its title as Music’s Biggest Night.
In the modern era for the annual ceremony, the Grammys have finally started to make history for queer acts as well as representation for LGBTQ artists and performers at the show has steadily risen. From Culture Club winning best new artist in 1984 (making Boy George the first openly gay man to win the award) to Sir Elton John becoming the first LGBTQ person to win the prestigious Grammy Legend Award, to the Grammys becoming the first of the major award shows to remove gendered categories, the annual affair has proven to be a huge night for queer artists around the globe.
This Sunday (Feb. 5), that representation for queer folks will stay on full display — out folk star Brandi Carlile is nominated for seven awards at the ceremony (including album and record of the year), while other stars like Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo and Anitta round out noms in the remainder of the Big Four categories.
But along with awarding LGBTQ artists with statues, the Grammys have also historically provided a stage for queer performers to give that love right back to their community. Sunday will feature at least four queer performers (Carlile, Lacy, Sam Smith and Kim Petras), further adding to a grand tradition of stars standing up for LGBTQ people through their performances.
Below, Billboard takes a look back at some of our favorite queer performances in Grammys history that helped to uplift the LGBTQ community, from Elton John to Lil Nas X.
There’s a “Chance” that pop singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko is coming to a city near you soon — so get ready for a show that’s “For the Girls.”
On Tuesday (Jan. 31), Kiyoko announced her first headlining tour in four years, The Panorama Tour. Set to promote her sophomore album Panorama released in July 2022, Kiyoko will begin her tour in Europe for a nine-date run starting in Glasgow on April 5. The trek will make its way to the U.S. later that month, with headlining slots at L.A.’s The Wiltern and N.Y.C.’s Irving Plaza, before closing out on June 2 in Silver Spring, Md.
“I am so nervous and excited,” Kiyoko wrote in an Instagram post teasing the tour over the weekend. “I’ve waited so long for this moment and I can’t wait to see you all out there!!! ITS GOING TO BE SO SPECIAL.”
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Tickets for The Panorama Tour go on sale Friday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m. local time on her website. Citi cardholders, however, will have special early access to tickets starting on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m. local through Thursday, Feb. 2, at 10 p.m. local.
Speaking to Billboard about her sophomore album last year, Kiyoko explained that she saw Panorama as a tribute to getting through tough times. “It’s about getting through the highs and the lows, and loving yourself along the way,” she said. “Even when you’re going through a hard time, you’ve already been through so much to get to where you’re at, so it’s about being kinder to ourselves.”
The news also comes alongside Kiyoko’s latest accomplishment — writing her debut novel. Girls Like Girls, the new coming-of-age novel based on the star’s song and music video of the same name, is due out May 30.
Check out all of the official dates for Hayley Kiyoko’s upcoming world tour below:
April 5 — Glasgow, UK — Galvanizers SWG3
April 7 — Manchester, UK — Manchester Academy 2
April 9 — London, UK — KOKO
April 11 — Brussels, BE — Ancienne Belgique
April 13 — Amsterdam, NL — Melkweg Max
April 15 — Cologne, DE — Carlswerk Victoria
April 16 — Paris, FR — Élysée Montmartre
April 18 — Zurich, CH — Komplex 457
April 20 — Munich, DE — TonHalle
April 27 — Orlando, FL — House of Blues Orlando
April 28 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre
April 29 — Raleigh, NC — The Ritz
May 1 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works
May 3 — Detroit, MI — Saint Andrew’s Hall
May 4 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues Chicago
May 5 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater
May 8 — Denver, CO — Summit
May 9 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Depot
May 11 — Seattle, WA — Neptune Theatre
May 12 — Portland, OR — McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
May 13 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom
May 15 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore
May 16 — Los Angeles, CA — The Wiltern
May 18 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
May 20 — Austin, TX — Emo’s Austin
May 21 — Dallas, TX — The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
May 22 — Houston, TX — House of Blues Houston
May 25 — Philadelphia, PA — Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
May 27 — Toronto, ON — The Danforth Music Hall
May 28 — Montreal, QC — Théâtre Corona
May 30 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza
June 1 — Boston, MA — House of Blues Boston
June 2 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring