It’s pride month! As much as this can be a bit of a party season for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies to shake their cares away, it can also be an emotionally fraught time for many people. Those emotions don’t necessarily need to be negative, as Pride can be a wonderful celebration of found family, community, and self acceptance. Pride month is a popular time for people to ‘come out’ to friends and family which is a daunting prospect for anyone, even if it goes well.
The inspiration for this month’s playlist was to make up a soundtrack for those emotionally charged moments, providing comfort when things are seeming bleak, giving you a beat to dance your cares away to, and an anthem for you to live your life by.
So kick off your shoes and relax, or blast the volume and dance, and have a fantastic Pride month.
- Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae featuring Erykah Badu
Janelle stated that this song was about ‘agency’ and ‘being in control of your narrative.’ While she was primarily talking about women’s empowerment, this is something people in the LGBTQ+ community strive for. This song is an upbeat, fun song with a serious, heartfelt message behind it: that you can be your authentic self without worrying whether you’ll be accepted by society.
- A Moor by Raleigh Ritchie
Raleigh expresses perfectly what it’s like to feel so strongly that you’re willing to risk everything for that thing or that person. In the bridge, he sings:
“If we get into a sticky situation, I wanna run away.
I don’t wanna be patient.
No matter what the adversity we’re facing
Time and space is the only thing we’re racing.”
Love is love and everyone deserves to feel that kind of happiness without having to alter themselves or apologise for the more messy parts of themself.
- So Unsexy by Alanis Morissette
Alanis mentioned in an CNN interview that this song was about learning to love herself. She stated “when I don’t take care of myself, or love myself or feel connected to my definition of God, everythings very painful and disjointed.” Dealing with self doubt and struggling with accepting yourself is something most people within the LGBTQ+ community deal with, especially if they are a person of faith, whatever that person may be. This song reminds us that we should try to be kinder to ourselves.
- ”Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera
No list of queer anthems is complete without Christina Aguilera’s best ballad, a swell of piano, vocals, and strings expressing just how beautiful each of us are because of our differences, not in spite of them.
Linda Perry told The Backstory Song Podcast that she had written the song about “somebody who is insecure and they’re telling themselves, you are beautiful.” This sentiment is something we can all use a little more of in the world, but especially LGBTQ+ people who often face bullying and abuse for simply being who they were born to be.
- Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson
The LGBTQ+ community is amazingly resilient and strong, making this song the perfect track for this playlist. Kelly Clarkson spoke to AOL Music about the track, stating, ‘Sometimes when you’re having a crap day, you just wanna listen to something that makes you feel like you can move a mountain, and I feel like that when I listen to that song.’ That’s something we can all related to!
- I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor
This song was originally from the Musical Les Cage Aux Folles, where it’s sung by Albin, who is a drag queen and parent, who wants to show how proud he is of his identity.
The lines, ‘It’s my world that I want to have a little pride in, my world and it’s not a place I have to hide in,’ carries such an impactful message that the LGBTQ+ community appears to have embraced.
- She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert
Born from “Same Love” which they recorded with Macklemore, this song holds fast to the truth that we are who we were born to be, and that’s ok. The lyric, “she says that people stare ‘cause we look so good together,” really strikes a chord here, as that’s how it should be, and not because you’re doing anything that’s perceived as wrong.
- Smalltown Boy by Bronksi Beat
This song was written by Jimmy Somerville, who drew on his own experiences of being gay in a small town. The song is about finding a community and found family, something that’s crucial when you’re coming to terms with your sexuality and trying to find peace within yourself. The song, crucially, brought homophobia into the mainstream consciousness in the 1980s, something which was sorely needed at the time.
- Billy Brown by Mika
Mika graces our list again with this musical tale of a bisexual awakening. It’s a bittersweet, hopeful song from an artist whose talent shines time and time again.
This song tells the story of a married man who leaves his wife for another man after realising his sexuality and true feelings. This isn’t a surprising or rare situation, as many men mask as straight only to come out as LGBTQ+ later on in life, as can be seen from the movie My Policeman, in which Harry Styles acted in 2022.
- Girls & Boys by Blur
This song is all about sexual freedom and identity, of being free to love whoever you love without fear of attack. The fact that the lyrics are catchy and the song has a strong beat helped to solidify its popularity, allowing the empowering message of the song to reach more and more people.
- In or Out by Ani DiFranco
This song is an important voice in terms of acceptance for bisexuality. Often, biphobia happens inside the queer community as well as outside of it, and this song is a strong rebuttal to those who feel that identifying as bisexual is the result of confusion or fear. Not only does this song fight for the validation of bisexuality, but it also advocates that it’s ok to not have a label and to take your time figuring out who you are for yourself.
- Wild by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan spoke to Billboard magazine about this song, stating, “For me, the song is always about those initial butterflies you get when you meet someone new. I wanted to capture that and capture it in a bunch of different ways and show people that love is love no matter what form it’s in.” This is something that so many young people struggling with their sexuality need to hear, that they can love who they love and have it be ok.
- Born This Way by Lady Gaga
This catchy, energetic anthem packs a punch, inspiring people from all ages, races, and walks of life to embrace their identity unapologetically. When talking with Billboard magazine, Lady Gaga spoke about the need for a forthwrite approach to being true to yourself. She stated, “I want to write my this-is-who-the-f–k-I-am anthem,’ but I don’t want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today’s music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play.”
Did the song that most inspires you to be yourself make the list? Let us know by tagging us on X (formally known as Twitter) at @nostuntsmag.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0f6hWaTR5ILm9Hl5WE5016?si=9bbdc98b4fa1461f
