In need of some new jams from your favorite queer artists to freshen up your playlists? We’ve got you covered. 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.
From Kehlani’s delectable dance anthem to Chappell Roan’s ecstatic synth-pop jam, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Kehlani, “After Hours”
R&B superstar Kehlani is ready to take it to the dancefloor. “After Hours,” the singer’s new single, sees Kehlani embracing a bouncier, dance-inspired sound as she lets her lover know that she’s tired of beating around the bush — it’s time to make something happen. Utilizing an expertly-placed sample of Cordel “Scatta” Burrell’s “Coolie Dance Rhythm,” Kehlani makes a persuasive case for spending some extra time with her “After Hours.”
Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
Everyone’s journey to embracing their sexuality is different — and Chappell Roan would just like to wish everyone the best of luck in figuring it out. With “Good Luck, Babe!”, the rapidly-rising pop star pens a heartfelt message to the “babe” in question — a girl who, despite fooling around with Roan, still thinks she might be straight. The effervescent pop track benefits massively from Roan’s operatic vocals on the song’s undeniably catchy chorus, making “Good Luck, Babe!” an instant anthem.
Omar Apollo, “Spite”
On his new song “Spite,” Omar Apollo is feeling a little petty. With a grooving melody filled to the brim with light guitar licks and pounding rhythms, “Spite” follows Apollo as he navigates through the confusing, often infuriating emotions of being in a long distance relationship. Oscillating effortlessly between desperately missing his partner and wanting to prove that he’s fine without them, the singer lands somewhere in a dangerous middle: “Every time I see you on my phone/ Hate that I still need you in my life,” he croons.
Orville Peck feat. Willie Nelson, “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other”
If you’re still looking a little more yee to your haw after spending a week with Beyoncé’s excellent Cowboy Carter, Orville Carter is here to help. Teaming up with country legend Willie Nelson, Peck reimagines Ned Sublette’s quintessentially queer country classic “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” in which the pair detail a saga of gay gauchos on the frontier. With a pair of immediately recognizable voices blending perfectly on this subversive single, Peck and Nelson’s rendition of “Cowboys” is sure to make plenty of waves among country listeners.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise feat. Kacey Musgraves, “Overtime”
When caught in the nebulous space between “on” and “off” in an on-again, off-again relationship, it can be hard to figure out just how you’re feeling. Yet Rainbow Kitten Surprise teamed up with singer-songwriter extraordinaire Kacey Musgraves to put those feelings into words on “Overtime,” the latest track off the band’s forthcoming new album. Giving a much gentler tone than RKS’ last song “Superstar,” the track sees lead vocalist Ela Melo trying to find her place in the new normal, pleading alongside Musgraves for just a hint of clarity amid a confusing bit emotional drama.
Zolita, “Small Town Scandal”
“Still looking for more queer country music? Perhaps this country-pop jam from Zolita will help. Throughout the rollicking “Small Town Scandal,”Still looking for more queer country music? Perhaps this country-pop jam from Zolita will help. Throughout the rollicking “Small Town Scandal,” Zolita revels in a queer love affair that causes conservatives to shake in their boots, while riffing blissfully over a country-rock melody. With exquisite lyrics like “she’s a vers in the saddle,” and “save a horse, ride a cowgirl,” the rising pop singer is simply delighted to be creating her own “Small Town Scandal.”
JORDY, “Nice Things”
With his latest single, pop singer JORDY would like to make it clear to all the dollar-dropping bros out there — money cannot buy class. “Nice Things,” a slick pop track that sees the singer making fun of the men who’ve “got a Benz, got a boat” and a “private jet every other weekend,” but don’t have his interest. Over a relentless beat complete with a ’90s R&B-style guitar lick, Jordy expertly calls out the “nepo baby” with a “mouth always bigger than the wallet” in a set of devastating lyrics: “I wouldn’t want it even if you paid me.”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
