Pride
First Out: New Music From Phoebe Bridgers, Conan Gray, 100 Gecs & More
Tax season got you down? Cheer yourself up with some new tunes from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists. From Phoebe Bridgers‘s surprise new single, to the start of Conan Gray‘s new era, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Phoebe Bridgers, “Sidelines” [embedded content] It seems odd to think that “Sidelines” is Phoebe Bridgers’ first track since she unveiled Punisher back in 2020 — the indie singer’s whole career has transformed since then as she ascended to superstardom. But “Sidelines” proves that while the circumstances may have changed for Br...
Jerrod Carmichael Shares Personal Coming-Out Story on HBO Special ‘Rothaniel’
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael publicly shares that he is gay in his new HBO special Rothaniel, premiering Friday night (April 1). In Rothaniel, the comedian, who is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend, details coming out while sharing stories about his family history, including one that recalled the moment he caught his father cheating on his mother and the feelings that came with holding on to that secret. “I don’t know if I would’ve said anything if I had the courage because I only saw this secret as something that could’ve torn our family apart,” he says, adding that he later made his father tell his mother the truth. Reflecting on the event made Carmichael share the internal conflicts he was left to confront. “Once that was done, I was...
Trans In Texas: Houston Rapper Uncle Tino Won’t Fall Down Greg Abbott’s ‘Rabbit Hole of F–ked-Up S–t’
As Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas continues to double down on his anti-transgender rhetoric, including calling on state officials to investigate supportive parents of transgender children for “child abuse,” Billboard is speaking with transgender artists in Texas about the ongoing fallout throughout the state. Below, Houston rapper Uncle Tino shares his story. For 27-year-old rapper Santino Alcoser, being a trans man is an important part of his identity as a recording artist. It’s just not the entirety of his identity. “I’m very much of the mindset that I can prove myself as an artist, period,” he says over a Zoom call with Billboard. “Whether or not I’m queer or trans has nothing to do with that.” Performing under the name Uncle Tino, Alcoser has clawed his w...
SXSW: Lizzo Calls Texas’ Anti-Abortion, Anti-Trans Laws ‘Atrocious’
Lizzo declared she was strongly against Texas’ laws targeting abortions and trans rights, calling the laws “atrocious” during a keynote session at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. “The abortion ban is atrocious,” the artist said on Sunday (March 13) to a packed room in the Austin Convention Center. “Mind your business. Stay out of my body.” Explore Explore Lizzo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Last year, Texas signed into a law one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country, effectively criminalizing abortions occurring as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Though abortions rights advocates have fought against the legislation, a decision from Texas’s Supreme Court on March 11 essentially shut down a federal law...
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 14 Sparks Streaming Gains For Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez & More
RuPaul’s Drag Race fans love a good lip sync for your life moment, filled with stunts, reveals, kicks and all of the high-stakes reality show drama we’ve come to expect over 14 seasons. But there’s another group that should really love these moments — the artists whose songs get featured. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Over the course of season 14 of Drag Race, every song that has been featured as a lip sync at the end of each episode has seen streaming gains in the week following the episode’s airing, according to MRC Data. The biggest winner amongst the 9 songs featured thus far on season 14 is Kylie Minogue‘s “I Love It.” Released as the third single off of Minogue’s album DISCO on October 23, 2020, “I Love It” was featured as the...
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Willow Pill Comes Out as Trans Femme: ‘I’m Starting to Feel Bits of Happiness’
Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has already made history for featuring the most trans contestants in a single season. Several weeks into the ongoing season, Bosco and Jasmine Kennedie joined Kerri Colby and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté in publicly representing their trans identities. And in a tweet posted Thursday evening (March 3), Willow Pill shared with her fans that she now openly identifies as trans femme, while simultaneously leaving herself some room for the future. “I’m still not sure where I fit on the spectrum, for now I just say trans femme, but I also don’t have to know now,” they wrote. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The Chicago queen, who originally hails from Denver, said that they’ve been “not happy” with their gender identity for a while. They added tha...
Years & Years Release New ‘Starstruck’ Remix With Rising J-pop Artist SIRUP
British singer Olly Alexander’s solo project Years & Years dropped a brand-new remix of “Starstruck” on Tuesday night (Feb. 15), joined by rising J-pop singer-songwriter SIRUP. The release of the new remix comes on the heels of Years & Years’ latest album Night Call debuting at No. 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart, becoming Alexander’s second chart-topping set. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Starstruck (SIRUP Remix)” adds the 34-year-old J-pop artist’s uniquely groovy style of rap and vocals over Alexander’s feel-good vibes. The It’s a Sin star shares how the collaboration came about: “I heard a song SIRUP made with another British artist, Joe Hertz, called ‘MAIGO.’ I loved that song, and thought his style would really suit ‘Starstruck,’ because he does a lot of...
‘Drag Race’ Star Bosco Comes Out as Transgender: ‘I’m the Happiest I’ve Ever Been’
Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has already broken records for the franchise, with two contestants on the show — Kornbread Jeté and Kerri Colby — openly identifying as transgender. Now, one more queen from the season is revealing that she, too, is trans. In a series of tweets posted on Thursday night (Feb. 10), Drag Race contestant Bosco revealed that she identifies as trans, and goes by “she/they” pronouns out of drag. “I’m a very private person but it would feel silly to not talk about this while I have this platform,” they wrote. “After filming wrapped this summer, I began focusing on figuring out what medical transitioning would look like for me. I started HRT [hormone replacement therapy] after getting back from Drag Race.” Sharing an image of herself wearing a sho...
First Out: New Music From Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama, Tove Lo & More
As we head into February, why not freshen up your playlists with new songs from your favorite queer artists? Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists. From Charli XCX & Rina Sawayama’s long-awaited collaboration, to Tove Lo’s euphoric new track, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below: Charli XCX feat. Rina Sawayama, “Beg For You” [embedded content] If the goal was to take September’s “Cry for You” and make it modern, then Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama understood the assignment. “Beg For You,” the newest offering from XCX and featuring stunning guest vocals from Sawayama, sees the pair sampling the 2006 hit and flips its premise on its very head, taking on the ro...
Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Valentine’s Day Collection Is Coming: Everything You Need to Know
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. From the Halls of Ivy to Ivy Heart. Beyoncé and Adidas are readying another Ivy Park drop just in time for Valentine’s Day. The Ivy Heart collection – which includes footwear, apparel and accessories available in vibrant and playful pinks and dazzling red designs — will arrive next month, Adidas announced on Friday (Jan. 28). Featuring more than 30 pieces that range in price from $30 to $300, the Ivy Heart collection was conceived around three pillars: foundation, active and fashion. The capsule collection consists of a faux latex puffer coat, parka and...
Queer Country Pioneers Lavender Country Saddle Up for First Album In Nearly 50 Years
When Lavender Country arrived in 1973, mainstream culture – not to mention Nashville – was not ready for Patrick Haggerty, an openly gay country singer who sang candidly about hookups, heartbreak and homophobia. The band’s self-titled album didn’t make much of an impact beyond the widely marginalized LGBTQ communities of the ’70s, and eventually Haggerty drifted away from music. But as the decades wore on, the boldly pioneering band’s reputation grew. After some reissues, reappraisals and reunion shows, Haggerty – a self-proclaimed “screaming Marxist bitch singer” – found himself enjoying a degree of the attention that eluded him decades earlier, sharing the stage with Orville Peck in 2019 and recording a duet with Drag Race winner Trixie Mattel in 2020. On Feb. 18, a proper release of the...
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Eliminee Orion Story Gets Real About Being Judged, Lizzo & More
At long last, RuPaul’s Drag Race has finally returned for its 14th main season, with a batch of new queens ready to vie for the crown, $100,000, and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. And off the bat, the queens in episode 1 pulled out all of the stops to show their skills. In season 14’s first episode, which aired on Friday, Jan. 7, we met half of the cast for the show (with the other half being introduced in this week’s episode), as they were tasked with performing in RuPaul’s first-annual Charisma, Nerve & Talent Show. L.A. drag star Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté took home the first win of the season for her hilarious lip sync to an original song, while queens Orion Story and June Jambalaya became the first pair on the chopping block for their African dance and workout sk...
