In need of some new music for your queer playlists? We’ve got you covered — Billboard Pride is proud to present First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new weekly music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From Chika’s groovy new single to Troye Sivan’s latest release from his upcoming EP, check out some of our favorite new releases this week:
Chika, “U Should”
Ahead of her upcoming role in Netflix’s Project Power, Alabama rapper Chika is ready to chill you out with her smooth new single “U Should.” The groovy track sees the 23-year-old rapper employing some of her much-loved rapid-fire bars, while blending them with a trippy melody filled with acoustic guitars, horns and some gorgeous harmonized voice. “It’s a tug of war for your time/ Baby, you’re so damn fine/ Look so good,” she croons on the song’s chorus.
Troye Sivan, “Rager Teenager”
Despite the song’s title, Troye Sivan’s “Rager Teenager” doesn’t see the queer pop superstar going wild — instead, the singer takes on a more contemplative tone as he reminisces on a relationship from his younger years, while the production steadily ramps up into an explosion of drums and synths. “Hey, my lil’ rager teenager/ Tryna figure it out,” he sings. “Living a season of screaming/ And turning it out.”
Tegan and Sara, Hey, We’re Just Like You (The Remixes)
Sometimes, you just need something to get up and dance to. Tegan and Sara know that, which is why they gave fans a full EP of remixes on Friday. Hey, We’re Just Like You (which offers new takes on the songs of their ninth studio album Hey, I’m Just Like You), the pop duo team up with stars like DJ Tracy Young, Mija and Matthew Dear to rework and amplify some of their favorite tracks off of their last album. The highlight, though, comes on Shura’s remix of “I Know I’m Not The Only One,” where the British pop singer takes the punk-twinged original and transforms it into a shapeshifting bedroom pop jam.
Sarah Walk, “Nobody Knows”
With her new song “Nobody Knows,” coming just ahead of her sophomore album Another Me, singer-songwriter Sarah Walk explains what it means to experience writer’s block, especially after a breakup. The syncopated beat matched up with a steady acoustic guitar riff gives the track a sense of anxiety that you’ll find hard to shake.
Cassidy King, “Wasted”
Pop singer Cassidy King wants you to abandon your inhibitions and go for that thing you’ve been holding back from. Her latest single, “Wasted,” sees the star jumping off of the deep end into a relationship, even though she’s not entirely sure it’s right for her. “I’m learning to accept someone unconditionally through the acceptance of myself,” she said of writing the song in a statement. “‘Wasted’ is a reassurance that you’re worthy of good love and a reminder that it’s okay to fall, but only if they’re holding onto you tightly.”
Tom Goss, “Nerdy Bear”
In the gay community, nerds and bears sometimes don’t get the attention that they rightly deserve — so, singer Tom Goss wrote a song just for them. In “Nerdy Bear,” the singer pines after a plus-size guy who’s into video games, superheroes and tabletop games with a slow-jam, sexed-up R&B song. The video similarly sees Goss lovingly going to bat for his chubby lover, even transforming himself into a drag queen Princess Peach to his darling Mario.
NEO 10Y, “Crackhead Angel”
NEO 10Y is tired of living inside the Matrix-like binary of society, and thinks it’s high time we break out of it. On “Crackhead Angel,” the avant-garde artist tackles our rigid systems of identity and brings them tumbling down in a dreamy, fuzzy new song. “The more that I’ve grown spiritually, the more I have become connected again with nature and the true essence of Earth / Gaia / the Goddess,” they explain of their new song. “The story of the song is about decoding the binary and in turn embracing and loving all of the energies that flow through us.”
SNG, “Look At Me”
In 2020, everyone is looking for some confidence in a world that just won’t stop being awful. Luckily, SNG is here to laugh at the absurdity of our situation with his new song and music video, “Look At Me.” Throughout the exclusive new clip, the singer watches as an increasingly absurd array of giant characters begin to terrorize a major city — and he’s one of them! “I’m an optimist by nature, so despite things going wrong, the message of the song is still empowering,” he tells Billboard of the new track. “It was the confidence-booster I needed. While editing the video, I realized that the song’s lyrics could apply to the ongoing social climate and make it an empowerment anthem of sorts for 2020.”
Hey, King!, “Half Alive”
For their latest video, pop duo Hey, King! are showcasing queer love at its finest. The pair, made up of partners Natalie London and Taylor Plecity, sing a lo-fi, heartfelt song to one another about finding their love at a time when they needed it most, while the brand new visual for the song shows the two cuddling up into an explosion of paint and color. “I was only half alive, I was only half alive before I loved you,” they sing. Their new EP Be Still will be available on August 28.
Le Fomo, “Tiny Anchor”
In the mood for some ’80s nostalgia? Le Fomo has got you covered with their brightly-colored animated new video for “Tiny Anchor.” Taking the ’80s neon aesthetic and filtering it through the group’s classic club sound makes for an uplifting new song about finding your way through the torrid waters of a relationship that’s just moving too fast. “It can be hard to see that someone loves/likes you when your traumatic/fear-based thinking patterns get in the way,” the band said of the new song in a statement. “An interaction can easily feel like rejection when we’re on high alert. It‘ll send us off spinning. I like to ‘throw a tiny anchor’ to slow things down, to take some emotional space to understand what’s happening without tanking the whole ship.”
