June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month — arguably the actual most “Wonderful Time of the Year” — and I want to highlight some really awesome nonbinary musicians. All these artists’ identities fall under the nonbinary umbrella, though their individual identities may vary. Also, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but it reflects my own taste in music, which, to be fair, is notoriously difficult to pin down.
But, I generally like a bop I can, well, bop to. Every single one of these artists plays with musical genre, as is fitting for a group of people who live outside the gender binary. Where’s the fun in following the rules? So, without further ado, here are 13 nonbinary musicians who should be on your radar!
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Adeem the Artist
The first entry on our list of nonbinary musicians is Adeem the Artist. They are a country music artist whose latest album, Cast Iron Pansexual, explores Adeem’s gender and sexual identity, specifically through the lens of their religious Christian upbringing in the US American south.
Furthermore, Adeem the Artist isn’t afraid to get political. Their song, “I Wish You Would’ve Been a Cowboy,” is a direct critique of Toby Keith and the patriotism-bordering-on-nationalism that country music helped spread post-9/11.
Favorite tracks: “Fervent for the Hunger” from Cast Iron Pansexual and “Asheville Blues” from Asheville Blues.
Angel Haze
Angel Haze is a rapper/singer/hip-hop artist. Much of his music is about body-image, homophobia, racism and rape culture. Despite its heavy themes, his music always gets me amped up, whether that be for writing or for kickboxing.
Haze is Creole, Cherokee and Blackfoot Indian, and he identifies as two-spirit. Also, fun fact — he guest-hosted an episode of MTV’s Catfish back in 2015. He and host Nev Schulman went on to host a spin-off show called Truce, which seems to be more or less erased from the internet.
Favorite tracks: “Battle Cry” (featuring Sia) off of Dirty Gold and “Girl with the Gun” from the album of the same name.
Chris Pureka
The next musician on our list is genderqueer acoustic singer-songwriter, Chris Pureka. Her music is filled with haunting emotion and a bit of a country twang. She recorded her latest album, The Longest Year, during the pandemic, after a five-year hiatus.
Pureka’s songs have been featured in shows such as Shameless and Brothers and Sisters. It’s not hard to understand why; her music has depth that also reflects a vibe of pure Americana.
Favorite tracks: How I Learned to See in the Dark‘s “Damage Control” and “Barn Song.”
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato, our next nonbinary musician on this list, is probably the most well-known. They’re a pop-rock-artist-actor, who released their first studio album, Don’t Forget, in 2008. Since then, they’ve released an impressive number of six more studio albums, with another slated for this year.
Lovato has always cited “power-house” vocalists such as Kelly Clarkson and Aretha Franklin as her influences but has recently gotten into Rosalía (I second that rec).
Favorite tracks: Tell Me You Love Me‘s “Concentrate” and “Lonely People” off of Dancing with the Devil … The Art of Starting Over …
Dua Saleh
Dua Saleh is a triple threat — ze is an actor, a poet and, of course, a singer. Honestly, I’d hesitate to classify zir music as one thing, as ze mixes rap, pop and R&B in such a dreamy way. It almost feels other-worldly.
Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Saleh has been honing their craft since the tender age of four, one year before the artist’s family fled their home country of Sudan as refugees. They’ve always been involved in community organizing.
Fun fact — Saleh featured on the third season of Sex Education
Favorite tracks: Nür‘s “Sugar Mama” and zir single, “pretty kitten.”
G Flip
Our next nonbinary musician who should be on your radar is G Flip. They are an indie-pop artist who’s been playing drums since they were in primary school. They still perform as a drummer, having recently provided drums for Troye Sivan’s live video of “IN A DREAM.“
In 2019, G Flip won the Australian Independent Record Labels Association’s Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year.
Favorite tracks: Their single “GAY 4 ME” featuring Lauren Sanderson and “2 Million,” off of About Us (particularly their live version accompanied by a choir).
Gloria Groove
Ever since I took an ill-fated Capoeira class at university, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Brazilian music. So Gloria Groove is right up my alley. He is a musician, drag queen and actor — what can’t Gloria Groove do? — and his genres span from Funk Carioca to pop to trap to rap. Fun. To get super serious for a moment, Gloria Groove’s popularity, both within the queer community and without, is especially poignant.
As of 2021, Brazil holds the shameful title of being “the country where the largest number of trans and queer people [are] murdered in the world” for the thirteenth year in a row. The numbers keep on growing — which is true of the US as well. Just another reason to keep fighting the good fight, part of which is spreading the word about the fabulous nonbinary musicians on this list!
Favorite tracks: LADY LESTE‘s “A QUEDA” and O Proceder‘s “Muleke Brasileiro.”
Hikaru Utada
Art Direction: Hikari Machiguchi
Photography: Takay
Hikaru Utada, sometimes known as Utada, is a J-pop artist. The Japanese-American musician began her career in Japan but has seen international success and records in both Japanese and English. Her music leads and reflects the trends within J-pop. For example, Utada has also worked with Disney to collaborate on theme songs for the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise.
They’re also one of the first public figures in Japan to come out as nonbinary, so like, hats off to them!
Favorite tracks: 初恋‘s “あなた” and “Somewhere Near Marseilles ーマルセイユ辺りー” off of Badモード.
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Janelle Monáe
Art Direction: Joe Perez
Photography: Juco
Our next nonbinary musician is the already legendary Janelle Monáe. As with so many of the others on our list, they are not only a singer and rapper, but also an actor and author. Their musical style seems to confound many music journalists, especially since Monáe has a fascination with androids and cyberpunk. Love it.
She is also well known for her love of tuxedoes and recently published a book called The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories From Dirty Computer, which is a cyberpunk short story collection based on her album, Dirty Computer.
Favorite tracks: “Americans” off of Dirty Computer and the single “Tightrope.”
King Princess
Art Direction: Clare Gillen, Quincy Banks
Photography: Michael Bailey
King Princess is another well-known indie-pop artist on our list of nonbinary musicians who should be on your radar. She’s been making music since forever and was offered her first record deal at the age of 11!!! King Princess sings, plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and synths and that blend of instrumental knowledge is evident in her music.
It has been super busy in its relatively short career, recently having opened for the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Shawn Mendes and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Favorite tracks: Singles “Ohio” and “Talia.”
Left at London
OK. I’m starting to realize maybe my favorite genre is, in fact, indie pop, ’cause our next musician, Left at London, also falls into that genre. Interestingly, she started out as a Vine (remember Vine?) celebrity who did parodies of artists like Tyler, The Creator and Mitski. And, she gained recognition from both of them!
Her next album, Transgender Street Legend, Vol. 3 drops this month.
Favorite tracks: Transgender Street Legend, Vol. 1‘s “Revolution Lover” and “I Split My Lips Open.”
Sam Smith
Honestly, I’ve always had a soft spot for Sam Smith, even before I started listening to them. And then I started listening to them and my love only grew. Smith’s soulful voice adds a melancholy tone to much of their poppy R&B music — I especially love their tracks that border on hymnal.
Smith has credited Adele, Amy Winehouse and Beyoncé as their greatest influences and has said that they didn’t listen to anyone but female vocalists growing up.
Favorite tracks: The Thrill of it All‘s “HIM” and “Pray.”
Shamir
The last nonbinary musician on our list is Shamir. He has this super cool countertenor voice that pairs so interestingly with his indie-pop-rock vibe. As well as singing, he plays drums, guitar and synthesizers, which may be why his music relies very heavily on instrumentation.
In 2021, Shamir released his first book, called But I’m a Painter. It’s a mixed-media collection of essays and paintings.
Favorite tracks: “Cold Brew” off of Heterosexuality and Ratchet‘s “Hot Mess.”
One final note before I send you off — as always, I’ve used the artists’ pronouns that are relevant as of this writing. If you’re reading this in the future and something has changed, let us know!
And a final, final note, just ‘cuz y’all might be itching to listen to these amazing artists right now, we’ve gone ahead and created a playlist for yah! Happy listening!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/10-female-fronted-bands-and-artists-that-should-be-on-your-radar/
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