BY SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22
Representation in mainstream media is crucial for developing and nurturing cultural identity. For a long time, pop music was restricted to how many times a song could be requested on the radio by listeners. However, with the invention of platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud, it is now possible to find niche music that applies to one’s own individual identity.
The past few weeks had big news for queer musicians. “Ain’t Together,” a sneak peek at King Princess’ upcoming album “Cheap Queen,” was released on Sept. 3.
Girl in Red, a Norwegian bedroom pop artist, released her album “chapter 2” on Sept. 6.
Sam Smith just publicly announced on Sept. 13 that they use they/them pronouns.
Lil Nas X came out as gay this summer after the success of his song “Old Town Road.”
Mikaela Straus, better known as King Princess, has a strong following at Mount Holyoke. Her confident and playful personality is easily found in her music. With heady singles like “Pussy is God” and “1950,” her songs are equally as entrancing as anything from a more mainstream pop artist. Her unapologetic identity and its distinguished presence in her songs bring a new mode of gay representation into pop culture.
Rather than the focus of her music being her sexuality, it’s more about nuanced relationships between her and other women. In her new song, “Ain’t Together,” Straus explores a disagreement over labels and the status of a relationship, questioning whether or not it will change the way it feels to be together.
Girl in Red is also gaining confidence and strength in her music. Rather than the desperate pleadings of “i want to be your girlfriend,” her new singles speak more about interpersonal relationships and looking back on mistakes. She sings about setting boundaries and needing time alone, as well as feeling in over her head in a relationship that was a “bad idea.”
Music by and for queer people is beautifully unique in that it speaks specifically to LGBTQ+ experiences. However, that same beauty limits its mainstream success. Whether that is caused by the subject matter of the music or the identity of the artists is unclear. However, what we do know is that King Princess is not on the Billboard Top 40. Asking for songs like “P*ssy is God” to become a radio hit might not be a reasonable request, but knowing that there are queer artists on the charts is exciting in itself.
Songs by queer artists aren’t necessarily representative because they have queer content, but because of the identity of the artists. For instance, Sam Smith’s single “Stay With Me” doesn’t hinge on their genderqueer identity or sexuality (as do some of their other songs, like “HIM”). It’s just a pop song, like anything from a straight, cisgender artist. Lil Nas X rose to the top of the Billboard charts before coming out. His success was never contingent on his sexuality.
So the question is: does being labeled as a queer artist delay a musician’s career, as opposed to starting with no labels? Alternatively, do we need to identify with music to enjoy it? Hearing music from explicitly queer musicians creates a nuanced and specific feeling for the listener: the feeling of being understood and having your life celebrated and sung about like anyone else’s. However, it is equally exciting to hear queer pop stars on the radio, even when the content of their songs isn’t explicitly referencing queer experiences.