Like many other people on this earth, music has guided me through my life. Over the past year, there have been a lot of major events in my life: last year of high school, first relationships, starting college, friendship turbulence, other personal issues, and most importantly, coming to terms with my sexuality. While the music I love has held my hand through it all, there is something to be said for the importance of queer artists and music in the lives of any person who identities in the LGBTQ+ community. And so, this post is very simply going to be a dedication to the queer musicians who have been most significant to me and the process of growing into myself.  However, it should be noted that these artists have helped me through some very sad periods of my life; by them sharing their identities and experiences about being queer, that vulnerability creates a powerful emotional connection through hard times.

Cover of Phoebe Bridgers’s album “Punisher”.

First off, if you caught my post “5,6,7,8…”, then you know that I am in love with Phoebe Bridgers. So deeply in love that I genuinely had to weigh my options of spending the weekend with my sister visiting from college or going with a random girl from Tinder to see Phoebe concert in Pittsburgh because she offered me her extra ticket if we went together. While I unfortunately/fortunately said no, this situation is a perfect example of how Phoebe Bridgers and LGBTQ+ music, in general, is a topic that many queer people can automatically bond over. Phoebe’s music is considered a staple for sad gay people, mostly in part to the devastating romantic lyricism in every song she has written. The underlying romanticism and sadness in each song are the best for when you are in a not-so-great mood, but that experience becomes so universal that I feel comforted by her music, just as many other queer teenagers do and bond with each other through.

My Favorite Phoebe Bridgers Songs: I Know the End, Waiting Room, Garden Song

Cover of Lucy Dacus’s “Home Video”.

Our second artist is Lucy Dacus, who is a contemporary of Phoebe Bridgers. They sometimes make music together in a band called “Boy Genius” who honestly deserves a shoutout for their songs Me & My Dog and Ketchum, ID. I first discovered Lucy’s music this past spring when I was really going through it and heard her song “Night Shift” …and then proceeded to listen to it on repeat for the next two days. At the moment, it just described the complete emotional experience I was having of uncertainty in times of turbulence in my life. The newfound knowledge that someone else had experienced those emotions on some level of similarity was the comfort I needed to get through the rough patch and move forward. While I cannot listen to the song now without minor emotional dismay, she released a new album “Home Video” in late June that proceeded to shape my next month as I went through some old friend issues that had resurfaced. Lucy more than any other artist has magically created music that helps me process my emotions at the moment and comfort me as I do it.

My Favorite Lucy Dacus Songs: Hot and Heavy, Christine, VBS

I did as a matter of fact save the best for last…our final artist of the post is Mitski, the most personally heartbreaking artist I have ever listened to. Mitski objectively has some of the most emotionally devastating music I have ever listened to because she writes about her own very personal experiences in a way that is quite explicitly and vulnerable. Mitski and I have had very different life experiences – I am a little lesbian teenager, and she is a major pop star – but through her music, she creates a shared experience that I can connect to the emotions I have felt in my own life. Even though I consider myself in a better place now than I was when I first started listening to her, the music still brings me a remarkable amount of comfort. She recently rocked my entire world on October 4 when she announced a new song would be released the next day after a two-year hiatus. I did listen to the song as soon as it came out the next day at 10 AM and then proceeded to listen to the song 30 times in the following hours. No comment. You should absolutely listen to it here.  With this song announcement came the following announcement of a 2022 tour…which I will absolutely be attending. Ultimately, Mitski has changed my life for the better; even in times of sadness and despair, she provided me with comfort and care in times I couldn’t find it.

Part of the media released with Mitski’s new song “Working for the Knife”.

My Favorite Mitski Songs (From Each Album):

1. Be The Cowboy – Me and My Husband
2. Puberty 2 – Once More to See you // Your Best American Girl // I Bet on Losing Dogs
3. Bury Me At Makeout Creek – Frances Forever
4. Retired from Sad, New Career in Business – I Want You
5. Lush – Real Men

Cover of the album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust”.

And as the most honorable mention, it would not be a post about queer music without talking about David Bowie. Truthfully, I have not listened to the entirety of his music, which is why I did not add him as one of my favorite artists. But, his album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, has been a rock for me. My best friend introduced me to it, and it is one of my favorite albums of all time. If you haven’t listened, go do it, right now.

Proof of the 30 times in a row I listened to “Working for the Knife”.