The 17 Best Albums by LGBTQ+ Artists of 2023

Images: EMI Australia/Capitol; Universal Music Group

As we hit the end of 2023 and look back at the queer art we've seen this year, we need to remember what a great year it's been for music by out-and-proud LGBTQ+ artists!

Folks like Miley Cyrus, boygenius, Ice Spice, Victoria Monét, Troye Sivan, and Janelle Monáe got much-deserved Grammy nominations, with queer women even leading the pack of nominees.

Other, smaller queer artists continued to push the envelope and show us what the future and present of music can look like.

Here are our favorite albums by LGBTQ+ artists from 2023.

100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

Image: Dog Show Records

100 gecs never stop pushing forward. On this year’s 10,000 gecs, the hyper-pop duo continued to hone their sound into perfect two-minute party bops full of sound effects and meme-able lyrics.

- Mey Rude

Allison Russell - The Returner

Image: Universal Music Group

Americana music belongs to queer women. Russell, along with other artists like Brandi Carlile and Brandy Clark, is leading a new vanguard of alt-country and American roots musicians who remind us that women, queer people, and Black people have always been, and will always be, inseparable from the genre.

- Mey Rude

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

Image: Universal Music Group

Sashay into Chappell Roan's pink pony club! From the midwest to the big city, the 25-year-old's debut album is a glittery exploration of drunken nights out, female empowerment, and queer yearning that commands you to get up and dance. "Naked in Manhattan" hilariously details what she'd like to do with her crush during a sleepover, all over an infectious chant. "Touch me, baby, put your lips on mine/Could go to hell but we'll probably be fine." And Roan desires the club lights and to make out with your girlfriend in the album highlight "After Midnight." She tells Out that her music resonating with LGBTQ+ folks around the world is "more than a dream come true." Her identity might "be exaggerated into drag" on the album" but "it’s still the ten-year-old little girl who was obsessed with Britney Spears and Katy Perry."

- Taylor Henderson

Barbie - The Soundtrack

Image: Atlantic Records

Featuring queer faves and queer artists like Charli XCX, Ice Spice, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Ava Max, Sam Smith, and even Brandi Carlile and her wife covering an Indigo Girls song, this was one of the best albums of the year and immediately became a staple in clubs and parties.

- Mey Rude

boygenius - The Record

Image: Interscope

Is boygenius the best supergroup ever to exist? If you ask lesbians, they’ll probably say yes. Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker continue to provide us with some of the best moody music released in the past decade. If you need a soundtrack to your queer life, listen to boygenius.

- Mey Rude

Janelle Monáe - The Age of Pleasure

Image: Atlantic Records

Finding joy and pleasure in a world that oppresses you is a revolutionary act, and Janelle Monáe knows this firsthand. Her latest project of back-to-back bangers celebrates lipstick lovers, shaking ass, threesomes, black queer joy, and simply looking hot haute. This is the kind of album where you press play on track one and let the vibes guide you from start to finish. It's a party and you're invited—and be prepared for the orgy after.

- Taylor Henderson

Brandy Clark - Brandy Clark

Image: Warner

From the searing roar of the opening track “Not Enough Rocks” to the gentle strength of “Dear Insecurity” with Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark’s self-titled album is an instant classic. The queer country singer continues to lead the genre into a better and more inclusive future.

- Mey Rude

Troye Sivan - Something To Give Each Other

Image: EMI Australia/Capitol

The sexual liberation of Troye Sivan is here! His viral hit "Rush" details the thrill to be found in any encounter, whether it's an energy exchange at a glory hole, a weekend fling in another country, or a full-fledged romance... We all have something to give each other. The instantly iconic "One Of Your Girls" video saw Sivan don drag as he yearns for a straight man. "Give me a call if you ever get lonely," he sings. "I'll be like one of your girls or your homies." The groundbreaking pop star has always been ahead of his time but the general public is finally starting to catch on. Sivan earned his first two Grammy nominations this year, and we'll riot if he doesn't win!

- Taylor Henderson

Kim Petras - Problematique

Image: Universal Music Group

The second album Petras released this year following her official major label debut Feed the Beast, Problematique was recovered from the vaults after the album was originally scrapped. It’s classic fun and slutty Kim and reminds us that sometimes it's fun to be a bimbo and sing and dance about it.

- Mey Rude

Victoria Monét - Jaguar II

Image: Lovett Music/RCA Records

Finally, it's Victoria Monét's turn. The pop star has been writing music for musicians like Ariana Grande and Chloe X Halle for a decade but is just now getting her own flowers with Jaguar II. The sultry songstress earned seven nominations at the upcoming 2024 Grammy Awards, most notably for "On My Mama," a trumpet-propelled bop reminiscent of the early 2000s pop-R&B where Monét makes sure you know where she got all her swag from. And it's a celebration every time we "Smoke" on the track featuring Lucky Daye. "It's a bisexual blunt, it can go both ways," she sings.

- Taylor Henderson

Ryan Beatty - Calico

Image: Interscope Records

Ryan Beatty yearns for beauty and finds it on his latest album Calico. It's not just a mantra about looking on the bright side of things, but Beatty actively carving something divine out of all the hardships life has thrown, whether that's disapproval of his identity, failed relationships, or just general nihilism. "I cut all the bruises off the peach," he sings over soothing guitar riffs. "Not as beautiful but just as sweet." Quietly lush, cinematic, and endorsed by Lizzy McAlpine, Miley Cyrus, Zane Lowe, and more, Beatty's latest project is a crisp breath of fresh air in a world in turmoil.

- Taylor Henderson

Matt Rogers - Have You Heard of Christmas?

Image: UMG Recordings, Inc.

The best Christmas album and best comedy album of the year happen to be the same — and also happen to be gay as hell. Rogers shows off his superb sense of humor and his great voice on this instant holiday classic based on his live Christmas special.

- Mey Rude

Miley Cyrus - Endless Summer Vacation

Image: Columbia

Miley Cyrus returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her smash hit single “Flowers” this year, and we are so thankful she did. Endless Summer Vacation is a great look back at Cyrus’ life and career thus far and continues to show the singer’s amazing range and skill.

- Mey Rude

brakence - hypochondriac

Image: RCA Records

The mania of hyperpop meets the angst of pop punk in this genre-bending album from singer-songwriter brakence. hypochondriac neurotically grapples with the anxiety that only the internet age could instill in Gen Z. Self-loathing and self-sabotage underline every track as brakence yearns for love, blows it all up, beats himself up, then ponders why. He also asks listeners to question art and celebrity, and if music can still be beautiful if capitalism and ego drive the motivation to create. (You might need to pop a Lexapro after listening to this one.)

- Taylor Henderson

Reneé Rapp - Snow Angel

Image: Universal Music Group

Quite possibly our favorite new artist of 2023, this year Rapp made the pivot from actor to full-on Pop Girlie with the release of her terrific debut album Snow Angel. Rapp isn’t afraid to directly sing about her queerness, her struggles, and her triumphs.

- Mey Rude

Omar Apollo - Live For Me

Image: Black Balloon LLC

Apollo packed quite a punch in this four-song EP. “Ice Slippin,” “Live For Me,” “Angel,” and “Pilot” each take Apollo in a new direction from his full-length album Ivory. Live For Me is a great transitional EP, making us even more excited to see what Apollo does with the rest of his career.

- Mey Rude

The Aces - I've Loved You For So Long

Image: Red Bull Records

The Aces search for meaning on their latest breezy pop-rock record, I've Loved You For So Long. A dedication to the bond the four bandmates share, their third studio album is meant to be played as you're driving along the Pacific Coast Highway with the windows down on an April afternoon. Three of the four girls grew up queer in Utah, and joyously reflected on that specific brand of trauma throughout their lyricism. "Good girls love Jesus, not that girl from Phoenix," frontman Cristal sings in "Suburban Blues." Or you can bask in some good old-fashioned yearning in "Good Girls Make Me Wanna Die." Glimmering with yearning, introspection, fun guitar riffs, and an infectious light-heartedness, this is an album I wish I'd had as a closeted teen.

- Taylor Henderson