'Gay pop' has been a thing for years—here are 25 definitive classics
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JoJo Siwa - Karma (Official Video)
JoJo Siwa is here with a brand new era, and she wants you to know that no matter what her music will be, it will always be gay.
We’re big, big fans of JoJo Siwa here at Out, and we’re honestly loving her new rebrand as an adult singer focusing on her queerness. “Karma” is a fun, sexy, song and we need more artists like Siwa who aren’t afraid to be their whole selves in their music. With that being said, when Siwa was recently asked in an interview what genre she’d call her music, her response was that she wants to create a whole new genre, and that left us raising our eyebrows a little.
"When I first signed with Columbia, I said I wanted to start a new genre of music," Siwa said. "They said, 'What do you mean?', and I said, 'It's called 'gay pop.' It's like K-pop but it's gay pop."
"There's a style of dance called jazz funk. It's jazz, it's hip-hop, they have a baby, it's called jazz funk," she continued. "You can wear sneakers or you can wear jazz shoes. It's kind of in between. I feel like that is this world of music."
"It’s not giving you Katy Perry ‘California Gurls’ pop, it’s giving you Lady Gaga ‘Judas,’" she concluded.
As part of our love for Siwa, we want to make sure she’s very familiar with the shoulders she’s standing on and the "gay pop" artists who paved the way for her and her song “Karma.”
Gay pop is already a thing and has been living and thriving for decades, and some of the biggest names in pop have contributed to it. Today, the gay pop landscape is wider and more fertile than its ever been.
In the interview, Siwa gave shoutouts to her gay pop forefathers Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, but let's look at some of the other artists and songs who have defined the genre and laid the path for new artists like JoJo Siwa!
1. Elton John - 'The Bitch Is Back'
The Bitch Is Back (Remastered 1995)
Way back in 1974 Elton John released this song, declaring himself a “bitch” who’s “better than you.” Even before John came out, this song was a gay as pop can get!
2. Sylvester - 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)'
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Gay pop wouldn’t exist without disco, and disco wouldn’t exist without Sylvester. This 1978 dance classic is still influencing music today and gave Sylvester a chance to bring the public into the gay clubs that were making great culture in the '70s.
3. Queen - 'Don't Stop Me Now'
Queen - Don't Stop Me Now (Official Video)
Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury infused an unapologetically queer sound into the rock band’s music, and “Don’t Stop Me Know” is one of the clearest examples. Few songs can match the theatricality and camp of this 1978 hit.
4. Culture Club - 'Karma Chameleon'
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon (Official Music Video)
Boy George and Culture Club completely changed the game for visibly queer artists in mainstream pop. With his open femininity and sensitivity, George showed the world a new type of pop star. This 1983 hit still sounds fresh today.
5. The B-52's - 'Love Shack'
The B-52's - Love Shack (Official Music Video)
We can’t talk about gay pop without talking about The B-52’s! “Love Shack” is a perfect song for a gay road trip and a karaoke classic. This 1989 hit features amazing vocals by Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson and will never leave our playlists.
6. Madonna - 'Vogue'
Madonna - Vogue (Official Video)
This song brought voguing and ballroom culture to the mainstream and gave Madonna one of her most unforgettable hits. Queer culture had never been cooler than when everyone was singing and dancing to this song.
7. George Michael - 'Freedom! ’90'
George Michael - Freedom! ’90 (Official Video)
George Michael had already been making great gay pop with Wham! throughout the '80s, and with this song, he entered a new era. The music video famously stars supermodels and is still one of the gayest music videos of all time.
8. Right Said Fred - 'I'm Too Sexy'
Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy (Original Mix - 2006 Version)
In 1991, everyone was singing “I’m Too Sexy!” This super smash global hit is an instantly iconic gay anthem, infusing gay aesthetics and fashion references into a song with an unforgettable hook.
9. RuPaul - "Supermodel (You Better Work)'
RuPaul - Supermodel (You Better Work) [Official Music Video]
The most famous drag queen in history released this gay pop classic in 1992, and we’ve been using it as inspiration whenever we want to feel like a bad bitch ever since!
10. MIKA - 'Grace Kelly'
MIKA - Grace Kelly
Talk about camp! This 2007 song isn’t just named for a legendary Golden Age actress and Princess of Monaco, but is based on a melody from the opera The Barber of Seville, mentions Freddie Mercury, and features one of the best falsettos of the 21st century.
11. Lady Gaga - 'Born This Way'
Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Official Music Video)
Nearly all of Gaga’s songs can be classified as gay pop, and Siwa even mentioned “Applause” and “Judas” as two examples of songs she’s referencing in her music. This 2011 song is one of the ultimate gay anthems and will be forever.
12. Tegan and Sara - 'Closer'
Tegan and Sara - Closer [OFFICIAL HD MUSIC VIDEO]
In 2012, Canadian indie rock duo Tegan and Sara released Heartthrob, their seventh studio album and a head first dive into the world of pop. They had been writing and recording gay rock and gay indie anthems for years, and with “Closer,” they became official gay pop royalty.
13. Hayley Kiyoko - 'Girls Like Girls'
Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls [Official Music Video]
When it comes to lesbian pop, it doesn’t get better than Lesbian Jesus herself, Hayley Kiyoko! Kiyoko openly singing about being a lesbian has paved the way for artists like Reneé Rapp, Chappel Roan, and of course, Jojo Siwa. This 2015 anthem is an all-time great classic.
14. Demi Lovato - 'Cool for the Summer'
Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer (Official Video)
Something was in the water in 2015, as that year gave us both "Girls Like Girls" and "Cool for the Summer." This song was the first time Demi Lovato mentioned her queerness in a song, and it was one of the biggest hits of that year.
15. Kehlani - 'Honey'
Kehlani - Honey [Official Music Video] Pre-Order/Pre-Save Kehlani's new album “Blue Water Road”: ...
Kehlani - Honey [Official Music Video]
Kehlani slowed it down with this 2017 vibe where they opened up about what kind of women they like, and why. It’s a beautiful pop ballad that shows off its queerness from the start.
16. Troye Sivan - 'My My My!'
Troye Sivan - My My My!
Troye Sivan is the Twink Prince of Pop, and this sexy song from his 2018 album Bloom is breathy, dreamy, danceable, and queer-as-hell.
17. Sophie - 'Immaterial'
Immaterial
RIP to the legendary musician and producer SOPHIE. With songs like this, she completely reshaped the pop landscape, giving hyperpop a new theme song. This is what the future of gay pop sounds like.
18. Janelle Monae - 'Make Me Feel'
Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel [Official Music Video]
2018 was a banner year for gay pop, as it gave us Troye Sivan’s Bloom, SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, and Janelle Monáe’s triumphant Dirty Computer, which gave us classics like this song and “Pynk,” an ode to vaginas.
19. Zolita - 'Somebody I F*cked Once'
Zolita - Somebody I F*cked Once (Official Music Video)
Zolita has been making gay pop (and gay music videos to go along with it) consistently for years! Her songs, like this one, often tell complicated queer love stories, and the music videos are basically miniature gay movies! We can’t get enough of her.
20. MUNA ft. Phoebe Bridgers - 'Silk Chiffon'
MUNA - Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (Official Video)
Phoebe Bridgers of boygenius fame teamed up with queer rock stars MUNA for this instant classic that had sapphics swooning around the world. The music video pays tribute to But I’m a Cheerleader, making it an instant classic as well.
21. Lil Nas X - 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'
Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) (Official Video)
No one knows how to break the internet like Lil Nas X! With this 2021 song, he had a number one hit about explicit gay sex and queer relationships and made conservatives everywhere terrified.
22. Sam Smith & Kim Petras - 'Unholy'
Sam Smith, Kim Petras - Unholy (Official Music Video)
In 2022, Kim Petras became the first out trans singer to win a singing Grammy for this sexy (and very gay!) song with nonbinary artist Sam Smith. It was a smash global hit that is unapologetically queer.
23. Fletcher - 'Becky's So Hot'
FLETCHER - Becky's So Hot (Official Video) Starring Bella Thorne
Fletcher got problematic in this pop song that encourages queers everywhere to be bad and be proud of it! Fletcher isn’t afraid to revel in the darker sides of gay pop.
24. Reneé Rapp ft. Megan Thee Stallion - 'Not My Fault'
Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion - Not My Fault (Official Music Video)
This song has gay girls everywhere shouting ‘Amen!’ Rapp wasn’t satisfied playing Regina George as a lesbian in the Mean Girls remake, she also had to release this epic anthem of queer strength and sexiness.
25. Chappell Roan - 'Red Wine Supernova'
Chappell Roan - Red Wine Supernova (Magician's Cut)
We’ve heard you like magic, so here’s this song that’s so good it sounds like it was created by a wizard! Chappell Roan is here to take over gay pop, and with this song, she’s doing it.
