Beat the summer heat with some cool new jams 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.
From King Princess’ bold kiss-off anthem to Reneé Rapp’s diatribe against DL relationships, check out some of our favorite tracks from this week below:
King Princess, “Cry, Cry, Cry”
As Bob the Drag Queen once famously told Derrick Berry on RuPaul’s Drag Race: “If I wanted to hurt you, you’d be crying right now, b—h.” That’s the energy King Princess comes with on her stellar new single “Cry, Cry, Cry.” Throughout the shimmering pop-rock single, the singer Mikaela Straus takes aim at a former friend she ditched after a bitter betrayal. As a result, the singer delivers a series of cutting jabs, accusing her old confidant of stabbing her in the back and not being able to live with the consequences. It’s raw, it’s moody, and it’s the kind of high caliber song we’ve come to expect from KP.
Reneé Rapp, “Why Is She Still Here?”
Staying friends with your ex can be tricky — especially when it’s clear that you’re both still in love with one another. Reneé Rapp finds herself caught up in that exact sexual dynamic on “Why Is She Still Here,” her gorgeous new R&B track off her forthcoming sophomore album Bite Me. Over a silk-smooth bassline, Rapp croons about a lover still hung up on their ex, demanding to be treated better with every effortles flip into her stunning head voice. Her lyrics remain top-shelf, as Rapp goes for the jugular throughout the song: “God forbid I draw the attention to questions you never answer,” she spits. “Well, except for ‘Who’s f–king you better?’”
Blood Orange feat. Caroline Polachek, Lorde & Mustafa, “Mind Loaded”
It’s no wonder that as one of the most sought-after producers in modern pop music, Dev Hynes (known onstage as Blood Orange) is pulling out collaborations with stars like Caroline Polachek, Lorde and Mustafa for his own solo project. His latest single “Mind Loaded” sees Hynes teaming up with all three artists for a mournful rumination on grief, as Hynes narrates his own state of mind after experiencing a heavy loss. Once his guests join him to create intricate, stunning harmonies over the song’s chorus, “Mind Loaded” quickly becomes a standout in Hynes’ already-stacked discography.
The Last Dinner Party, “This Is the Killer Speaking”
If there’s one thing a band like The Last Dinner Party loves, it’s melodrama — and their newest single is soaked with histrionics down to its core. “This Is the Killer Speaking,” the first track off the band’s forthcoming sophomore album From the Pyre, sees the quintet taking a story as simple as being ghosted, and spinning it out into a mythical, fantastical western. From the production to the songwriting to the vocal performances themselves, the entirety of “This Is the Killer Speaking” plays out as a heightened piece of theatricality that you simply must hear to believe.
Fletcher, Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?
When she released the single “Boy” off of her new album, Fletcher created a firestorm online — the beloved queer pop singer telling her fans that she was in love with a man and knowing that she’s “scared to think of what you’ll think of me.” Online anger aside, that feeling suffuses the rest of Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?, Fletcher’s deeply introspective, often discomforting new album that sees the singer asking herself some of the hardest questions of her career. Whether she’s comparing herself to other pop stars (“Hi, Everyone Leave Please”), reconciling with her past decisions (“Chaos”) or just asking her audience for a little space (“D i s t a n c e”), Fletcher spends Would You Still Love Me taking every intrusive thought and pouring it out in front of her listeners, waiting to hear what they think.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise, “Dang”
There’s just something about “Dang,” the latest song from rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise, that demands to be blasted out of the nearest speaker on a hot summer day. Throughout this gleaming new single, frontwoman Ela Melo pens a heartfelt love letter to RKS’ fans, while the stunning music video offers up a Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist-esque rom-com playing out to the sound of this joyous new song.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
