With summer fast approaching, why not fill your warm-weather playlists with new songs from your favorite queer artists? Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our collection of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From the raucous new album St. Vincent to Anitta's exciting new funk-flavored LP, check out some of our favorite releases from this week below:
Saint Vincent, All Born Screaming
For distillation All Born Screaming under a certain sense is its misinterpretation as a work of art. Throughout St. John's stunning, self-produced seventh studio album, Vincent, Annie Clark escapes genres, themes and ideas with ease, choosing instead to create an album that constantly changes its shape while maintaining the artistry that went into making it. the. Whether romancing the art-rock banger “Flea” or giving nihilism a disco-funk makeover on “Big Time Nothing,” St. Vincent has never been more directly herself than in this exciting new project.
Anita, Funk Generation
After proving her dominance as the premiere Brazilian pop sensation, Anitta is ready to help you experience her culture. Funk Generation, the latest LP from the Grammy-nominated artist, is a love letter to Brazilian funk music as she showcases a formative house genre for an international audience. The entire album plays as a well-crafted ode to the sounds of the favelas, but “Ahi” stands out in particular, as Anitta and guest Sam Smith give the audience a crazy run down of how to get down.
Salute feat. Rina Sawayama, “Saving Flowers”
Salute want you to fall right into the sounds of summer with their exciting new song “Saving Flower”. An ecstatic electronic anthem with vocals from British pop star Rina Sawayama, “Saving Flowers” is a song that refuses to take its foot off the gas, maintaining its fervent pop sound for a blissful three and a half minutes. Paired with Sawayama's airy voice, Salute's new song is just in time to become your new favorite song of the summer. do
Trixie Mattel, “Shadow” (Ashlee Simpson cover)
Drag superstar Trixie Mattel delivering a rocking acoustic rendition of a 20-year-old pop-rock track might not have been on the 2024 bingo card, but that makes her new Spotify single that much more interesting. Taking Ashlee Simpson's “Shadow” and transforming it into a heartfelt ballad, Mattel builds on her crystalline baritone voice, adding just enough folk flavor to make the song definitively her own.
Christine and the Queens, “Rentrer Chez Moi”
After experimenting with his sound, look and persona for the past few years, Christine and the Queens would like to return home. On his soulful new song “Rentrer Chez Moi,” Chris returns to the quiet, echoing music that defined much of his early career, singing entirely in his native French about a relationship running its course. The simple yet elegant production (the artist produced the song himself) matches Chris's vocal fragility on this stunning new single.
Isaac Dunbar, Beep Beep Repeat
Step into Isaac Dunbar's time machine and let him transport you back to the musical universe of 1970s New York. This is the world that Dunbar thrives in throughout his new EP Beep Beep Repeat — one with transient bass, four-on-the-floor drums and theatrical vocals. For six songs, Beep Beep Repeat invites you to disengage from our harsh reality and just enjoy some good traditional house parties (“Apartment A”), hangovers (“American High”) and rocking beats (“Photoshoot Tonight”).
Durant Bernard, “Unknown”
Durant Bernard has no time to wait for you to decide. On “Unknown,” the latest cut of smooth R&B from the fast-rising artist, Bernarr follows Bernarr as he tells the story of a frustrating, love-lost connection where two people who could have been together missed their moment. The slick, pared-down production certainly gives the track a boost, but as with every Durand Bernarr song, the real star is the singer's peerless vocals. Bernarr dives into his expressive baritone as effortlessly as he does into a sonorous falsetto, making “Unknown” the best kind of sensual vocal roller coaster ride you could ask for.
Trinity the Tuck feat. Jujubee, “Til Death Becomes Us”
In the immortal (literal) words of Meryl Streep, “these are the moments that make life worth living.” With her new song 'Til Death Becomes Us' Drag Race Trinity the Tuck star aims for revenge in a thrilling tribute to 1992 Death becomes her. With a colleague Drag Race alum Jujubee, the pair deliver a slick, danceable early 2000s pop campfire based solely on that deep, petty loathing you feel for a person who just won't leave your life. Add in their hilarious, exciting music video and you have the recipe for a new winning song from a pair of drag superstars.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard's Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
