Four Hot New Queer and Queer-ish Singles From Your Faves to Usher In Summer

This last week was kind of freaking amazing for queer pop music. We’ve got so many new bops!!! It’s prime time for songs of the summer, and it seems like it was decided that the queer girl community will be the judges this year (that is if “Despacito” hasn’t already won the title, but come on, adding Justin Bieber to a song is a guaranteed way to sell it to queer women). Mary Lambert, Halsey and Lauren Jauregui of Fifth Harmony are out here representing queer women by singing explicitly about relationships with women. Hailee Steinfeld and Carly Rae Jepsen are out here representing for all their queer fans. This is what summer is all about.

“Know Your Name” / Mary Lambert

Know Your Name (Official Video) by Mary Lambert on VEVO.

Mary Lambert’s “Know Your Name” is in my opinion her funnest and danciest single yet, and I’m here and I’m queer for it. The video features an amazing girl gang of queer and trans cuties with nicknames like Horror Scope, Hell Vetica, Princess Sleia and Peach Fuzz. I love it. Then a mysterious stranger shows up and guess what! It’s Bisexual Superstar, Ultimate Bombshell, Brilliant Advocate and Actress Sara Ramirez! When Mary sings “I want to take you out, I want to make you shake, I want to drive you wild, but I probably should know your name,” she’s all of us when we see a brand new crush in the club. Also this video is hella nerdy, which makes it even more adorable. Dang, Mary Lambert is a blessing to this earth. This video and song and artist need to settle down and stop being so dang adorable.

“Strangers” / Halsey

Two more queer artists, Halsey and Lauren Jauregui, teamed up to make a killer duet about queer love falling apart. This song has a strong electronic beat and uses “she” pronouns throughout. Damn, this song is real, “She doesn’t kiss me on the mouth anymore, ’cause it’s more intimate than she thinks we should get” and “I miss the thought of a forever, you and me, but all you’re missing is my body.” These lyrics cut deep for any queer lady who’s felt someone they knew and loved become a stranger. I love love love this song and I love love love the precedent it’s setting of queer lady artists teaming up to make queer lady pop songs. Let this be the start of a new genre!

“Cut To The Feeling” / Carly Rae Jepsen

When it comes to gay-ish songs, we were blessed by both Hailee Steinfeld and True Gay Icon Carly Rae Jepsen. Carly Rae’s song is from her upcoming animated film Leap! about a young ballerina in Paris. According to NPR the song was originally intended to be on E•MO•TION: Side B, but was instead saved for the soundtrack to this movie. It’s a classic Carly Gae track, its ridiculously danceable, the hook makes your heart feel like it’s soaring, and the beat is gay as h*ck. Gawd I love this song. I want it played at every dance I ever go to for the rest of my life. “I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling. I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone. I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah” — same, girl, same.

“Most Girls” / Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld has been regularly putting out some of the best gayish pop songs in the past couple years with songs like “Love Myself” and “Starving.” Now she’s back with the girl power anthem Most Girls, which flips the script on “you’re not like most girls” by singing “Most girls are strong and smart and beautiful. Most Girls are Most girls, work hard, go far, we are unstoppable. Most girls, our fight to make every day. No two are the same, I want to be like Most Girls.” I really absolutely love this girl positive message that is body positive, anti-slut-shaming and all about loving girls for who they are. It gets my vote for song of the summer. I’m pretty sure this song was called “All Girls” until Hailee found out that white women voted for Trump.

Queer Women and women with huge queer fanbases are taking over pop music this summer and it’s honestly the best thing to ever happen to me.

Which of these songs is your song of the summer?

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Mey

Mey Rude is a fat, trans, Latina lesbian living in LA. She's a writer, journalist, and a trans consultant and sensitivity reader. You can follow her on twitter, or go to her website if you want to hire her.

Mey has written 572 articles for us.

35 Comments

  1. Well this cover photo just lit me on fire so

    It was nice knowing you all, I shall heretofore be commenting as a pile of dust

  3. Oh wow! Cut to the feeling is like 100% my feelings for a crush rn, esp. “I’ve been denying how I feel”. oh geez. >.<

  4. I should *almost* be embarrassed to tell you how often I’ve watched the new Mary Lambert video feat. Sara Ramirez since it dropped.

    Almost.

  6. I yelled so loud when I saw Sara Ramirez on the video the first time I watched, I was not expecting it at all. I’ve also swooned every time after… she looks so badass. Mary Lambert is a gift!

    It’s rude of to make us choose, but Know Your Name wins for me because of the Nerd.

  7. I have been weeping with joy all day from all these songs and also Harry Styles singing Landslide with Stevie Nicks (gay) .

  11. I’ve been rooting for Halsey since her Badlands album came out, and I’m so excited to see her returning to her queer roots. Obviously she can express herself however she likes, but considering how out and proud she is it has been discouraging how she hasn’t had any love songs about girls before. And one can’t help but get the impression she has been downplaying her bisexuality since hitting it big with “Closer”. I already love “Strangers”, and I hope her upcoming album is as gay as this song is.

  12. I think I like “Cut to the Feeling” best, because, much like Tara and Willow’s love for each other, my deep infatuation with Carly Rae Jepsen will never die. It just rises, anew, every single freaking time she releases a song.

    (Can’t she just put out the video already and can it be suuuuper gay, please and thank you?)

  13. When will Sara Ramirez fulfill all of my wildest dreams by recording an album of badass bisexual rock and roll anthems????? (and then show up at my door, sweep me up in her strong arms, and drive me away in that awesome vintagey convertible, but that’s another fantasy all together…)

    • Yes! Has to be my favorite of all these queer-ish summer jams. Also maybe the gayest? Because if pining after some clueless boy’s girlfriend isn’t the gayest thing ever I don’t know what it is.

  15. If Mary Lambert and Michelle Chamuel’s love wasn’t so pure and adorable, I would definitely want to marry her. I mean, I still do, but they’re so cute that I feel a little bad about it. (Remind me to post a picture of my Body Love Part 2 tattoo when I finally get it done.) Also, that video is goddess-sent.

  16. All of these are great but I also spent the whole time of Mary Lambert’s video shouting GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY at the screen over and over so I guess that’s my favorite.

  17. I’m rather picky when it comes to music, but I like ALL OF THESE SONGS. Thank you, Mey! I think the poll needs an ‘Every. single. one’ option.

  19. I’m not a pop music fan, so I don’t really like any of these songs, but I’m pretty sure Sara Ramirez in a leather jacket is my new religion.

  20. These are amaaaaazing!!! I died when Sara Ramirez opened the car door for Mary Lambert–gentlemanly butches make me swoon! Also, I had heard Hailee Steinfeld’s new one on the radio and immediately thought “is she queer? Cause she sure as hell loves women.” Glad to see her represented in this list!

  21. “Love Myself” will pretty much be my own personal song for the summer for every single summer I experience. “Most Girls” is not AS good, but I support it.

  23. I somehow missed the memo about the Halsey/Lauren song and it’s SOOOO GOOOOOOOD so thank you very much. Adding it to my Songs of Sappho playlist IMMEDIATELY.

  25. Update: Sia also released a new song for the wonder woman soundtrack and it is very beautiful.

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