Ten LGBTQ+ Artists You Need to Know for 2025
Pride Month has arrived, and it's ample cause to feature some of our favorite LGBTQ+ artists. (You can check out last year’s class right here)
But the music featured in this guide – be it gentle folk or blockbuster pop – should be part of your rotation all year.
These LGBTQ+ music artists are the future of the music industry in Pride Month and beyond.
There’s no better time to get to know them than now.
Heather Mae
Heather Mae proudly establishes herself a queer pop-soul force to be reckoned with seconds into “All I Wanna Do:” “In the dark, dark, dark of the night / You’d show me all the little things that you like / And we’d practice for our boyfriends / Things that they knew through me.”
It’s a gutsy declaration of identity and intent, even in a post-”Lunch” pop landscape. Mae marries that clear-eyed storytelling to bombastic 80’s drums, sumptuous guitar fills, and a melody that won’t leave listeners’ heads.
There’s no better way to kick off Pride than streaming it now.
golda may
The best cover songs reveal new facets of tracks we know and love. Case in point: golda may’s take on The Killers’ “Read My Mind.”
While the charting hit is best known for its anthemic melodies, may’s spare interpretation unearths all the yearning in Brandon Flowers’ lyrics. Her quiet yet determined guitar turns an arena-ready song into a declaration of necessary connection.
It’s a sterling mark of may’s incredible artistry – and one that will make you stream her entire catalogue, stat.
Nakia
Nakia’s 80s aesthetics are so pristine you’d swear songs like “Signal” were from a time capsule.
There are club-ready drums. There are gritty-yet-soaring vocals. Most importantly, there are hooks that should secure Nakia a spot on every playlist that matters, from All New Pop to your personal Pride mix.
Turn “Signal” up and get the party started wherever you are.
Primo the Alien
Primo the Alien’s hooks are obviously out-of-this-world.
Their ability to marry the human with the unfamiliar is what’s really staggering.
Take their latest single “Str8:” Primo’s voice cuts though a sea of otherworldly vocal processing and hyperpop beats to spin a necessary yarn about gender identity and falling in love. The song’s beating heart reminds listeners that no one in the universe is perfect, and it's sure to transform mundane nights into extraordinary ones.
Stream it up.
Souvenir
The kaleidoscopic jams of Souvenir don’t traffic in subtlety: horn sections; 80s guitar stabs; sultry vocals — they’re all here.
The sum of their parts, though, is more nuanced than expected. “Velvet” uses its excesses to marry classic sounds and modern storytelling. The same goes for all of Souvenir’s Velvet EP, which is one sneaky-smart banger after another.
T. Priestly
“Kissing My Feet” lulls you into its grasp the moment its grooving drums kick in. When it starts vacillating between chill verses and an almost operatic chorus, you realize T. Priestly is on a whole other level than their peers.
The London DJ self-produces their pop anthems, meaning the soundscapes they craft are both singular and chart-ready – late-night dispatches of love have rarely sounded so soundtrack ready.
Let them soundtrack your next party and stream them now.
TEARS & GEARZ
There’s no other way to put it: TEARS & GEARZ and the indie-gay-pop-supergroup the world never knew they needed and do.
Bentley Robles and ZEE MACHINE are forces in their own right; on “George Michael,” the duo prove why they’re just as powerful together. Robles’ winking baritone is a perfect counterpoint to MACHINE’s rock diva tenor; the song merges their sonic interests without feeling piecemeal.
It’s enough to mint their forthcoming EP, FATHER FIGURE FANTASY, a classic already — hear why for yourself.
Torri Weidinger
The alt-folk songs of Torri Weidinger sneaks up on you. They’re unassuming. They’re warm. Then, without warning, one of their melodies or lyrics hits like a sucker punch and the song they’re on is added to your streaming library for life..
Take the extended coda of “Virginia,” which expands the song’s initially gentle lilt into a near-cacophony of expressive streams and building drama. It’d be overwhelming if it didn’t feel so necessary and idiosyncratically Torri Weidinger.
In short, Weidinger’s music is a microcosm of what makes independent musicians thrilling in 2025 – discover why by streaming them now.
xBValentine
The best posse cuts make every artist involved feel essential. That's true of "Flashy" by xBValentine, which finds the singer/emcee holding court alongside brilliant verses from Karlaaa and Krystal Poppin'. Yet that still doesn't prepare you for the supernova force of her charisma, which is as adept at slinky kiss-offs as stuttering trap beats.
In the early stages of her career, it feels like there's no song type that Valentine can't only handle but dismantle and make her own. That's a sign of future stardom, if there ever was one.
Yavin
Yavin’s music feels like a dispatch from another dimension.
That doesn’t mean it’s strange: if anything, songs like “Withdrawn” feel like established classics. But the burgeoning pop star’s music is unusually sensitive and soundtrack-worthy. The hooks are as epic as the landscape of Yavin’s heart, and their combined power makes every song Yavin writes worth playing on repeat.
Start with “Withdrawn” as soon as possible.