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Just like music, queerness exists in a kaleidoscope of genres. LGBTQIA+ artists lead so much of the charge for the freedom of expression, acceptance of differences, and the journey of growing into your best self – and their music allows listeners to learn alongside them. As June is Pride Month, we wanted to highlight OnesToWatch alumni who represent the significance of queer voices in music, pop culture, and OnesToWatch.

Doechii 

Doechii has rapidly transitioned from someone who breaks the internet to a legitimate rap star. Her 2024 release Alligator Bites Never Heal won her the GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards, making her the third woman to ever win the award and one of the most exciting fresh voices in rap music today. With hits such as “Denial Is a River” and a slew of high-profile shows and releases, she is a genre-bending artist to watch.

UMI 

Rising star, UMI, continues to show her talent as one of the best new young R&B singer-songwriters to emerge over the last decade with her beautifully touching double single release, "SOMEWHERE NEW," and "WHAT NOW." The release comes alongside UMI announcing her highly anticipated debut Epic Records album, people stories, out August 22, which was inspired by the stories of fans and loved ones and will explore the depth of the human experience and the surprising inner connectedness of our life stories.

Omar Apollo

Omar Apollo has a gift for making heartbreak feel both devastating and kind of seductive. The Indiana-born artist, shaped by his Mexican roots, moves fluidly through R&B, pop, soul, and atmospheric alt textures, building a world where romantic grief, desire, and self-reckoning all blur together. Whether singing in English or Spanish, Apollo brings an intimacy to his work that gives queer longing the space to be enraged, sensual, and perfectly messy. 

Hope Tala 

Hope Tala has steadily become one of the most distinctive voices in modern R&B. Blending bossa nova, neo-soul, and indie influences, the West London singer-songwriter has built a sound that feels warm, transportive, and unmistakably her own. Her long-awaited 2025 debut album Hope Handwritten marked a defining moment in her rise, expanding on the breezy melodies and poetic songwriting that first drew listeners to early favorites like “Lovestained.” With standout singles such as “Bad Love God” and “Shiver,” Tala continues to cultivate a global audience while refining a style that feels both intimate and quietly timeless.

Janelle Monáe 

What Janelle Monáe has done for every artist too otherworldly to squeeze themselves into the confines of the industry’s comfort zone is monumental. A complete and audacious expression of utter color and noise, Janelle Monáe is an artist who only happens once every lifetime. From fashion to acting to an eclectic catalog that journeys through soul, pop, and R&B, her inner child is alive in all that she does. As a queer Black woman who has no interest in diluting her bite, retro-futurism is in safe hands so long as Monáe continues to be a vessel and inspire the world to wake up a little louder.

Arlo Parks

Arlo Parks’ Collapsed in Sunbeams introduced her, but it also cemented her as one of the most important voices of her generation, earning her the 2021 Mercury Prize and widespread acclaim. Her lyrical, intimate songwriting and indie-soul sound are like listening to conversations with old friends, and her continued output is a further extension of that emotional connection. Parks’ quiet, potent presence has made her a defining voice in modern music.

Reneé Rapp

Reneé Rapp first broke through on Broadway in Mean Girls, later expanding into screen work on HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls. Her transition into music arrived with clear intent, culminating in Snow Angel, a debut that charted on the Billboard 200 and established her as a rising pop presence. Her writing often centers clarity over abstraction, balancing control with confrontation.

Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers emerged from the Los Angeles indie circuit with Stranger in the Alps, followed by Punisher, a record that reshaped expectations around restraint in modern indie rock. Her songwriting has become a reference point for understatement that still carries weight. With boygenius, she helped create The Record, a 2023 release that earned multiple Grammy Awards and expanded the reach of all three members. Across projects, her presence remains understated but foundational.

FLETCHER

FLETCHER moved from early television exposure into a solo career built on breakup-driven pop that reads like personal documentation. “Undrunk” set the tone early, with Girl of My Dreams expanding her scope into larger, more assured production. Her work often sits between release and reflection, where emotional specificity becomes the hook.

corook

corook began releasing music independently online during the pandemic, where lo-fi songwriting and conversational delivery turned everyday observations into something quietly affecting. “If I Were a Fish” became a viral breakthrough, introducing a wider audience to their blend of humor and emotional precision. Identifying as nonbinary and using they/them pronouns, their work approaches identity through intentional percision rather than vague passiveness. What started as internet-native experimentation has grown into a steadily touring project with a deeply engaged audience.

MUNA

MUNA formed at USC and built a devoted following through early indie releases before evolving into synth-pop with their self-titled 2022 album. That record marked a prominent shift in scale and sonic confidence, widening their reach significantly. Their profile grew further after joining Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, performing in stadiums across the globe. Their work continues to center joy, survival, and chosen family through expansive pop production.

Boygenius

boygenius began as a 2018 collaborative EP before becoming a fully realized band with The Record in 2023. The album debuted to critical acclaim and earned three Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album. While each member maintains a solo career, the project operates through a shared creative language built on familiarity rather than reinvention.

Chappell Roan

Our favorite artists’ favorite artist Chappell Roan began her career in Missouri before signing to a major label as a teenager, later stepping away to rebuild independently with a theatrical pop identity shaped by drag and queer nightlife. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess marked her breakthrough, with “Pink Pony Club” becoming a defining queer pop moment. Her rise has translated into sold-out headline tours and major festival stages, including Coachella.

Remi Wolf

Remi Wolf developed her genre-blurring sound through early exposure on American Idol and later creative formation at USC. Juno solidified her approach, blending funk, pop, and instinctive unpredictability into a style that resists clean categorization. She has since taken that energy to international stages, including Coachella and Bonnaroo, as well as major support tours, and her work continues to thrive in its refusal to settle into a single mode.

King Princess

King Princess broke through with “1950,” a track that quickly became a modern queer pop reference point. Across Cheap Queen and Hold On Baby, she expanded her palette between distortion, intimacy, and rock-leaning production. Openly queer and using she/they pronouns, her work often hinges on contrast rather than resolution.

Kim Petras

Kim Petras built an early following through independent releases in Germany before reaching global recognition with “Unholy,” a Grammy-winning collaboration with Sam Smith, making her the first openly trans woman to ever win a GRAMMY. Her trajectory moves between underground pop fandom and mainstream visibility, often within the same era. Leaning into high-gloss dance-pop where excess is part of the structure, she has blessed stages like Coachella and has further amplified that aesthetic with live performances that ooze with joy and unabashed c*ntiness.

Lauren Sanderson

Lauren Sanderson first built an audience through YouTube, where early vlogs and songs created a direct artist-to-listener relationship before traditional industry pathways. Proudly queer and using she/they pronouns, she carried that foundation into releases including Midwest Kids Can Make It Big, where ambition and self-definition remain central themes. Her latest album, LAUREN, released this week, continues that arc with sharper scale and perspective.

girl in red

girl in red emerged from Norway’s bedroom pop scene, where early releases like “we fell in love in october” became defining queer coming-of-age touchpoints. if i could make it go quiet expanded her reach globally, moving her from lo-fi beginnings into a more fully realized pop framework. She has since toured internationally and appeared on major festival stage, with intimacy of her earliest work continuing to shape how it is received at scale.

Jade LeMac

Jade LeMac first gained traction on TikTok, where stripped-back songwriting and direct emotional framing translated quickly into sustained attention. Born in Canada and openly queer, her growth has come through steady releases rather than singular breakout moments. She now moves between streaming momentum and expanding live opportunities, including opening slots for larger artists. Her work occupies a space where intimacy and accessibility overlap without friction.

Cavetown

Cavetown began on YouTube with self-recorded bedroom pop that evolved into one of the most recognizable indie-origin stories of the past decade. Early tracks like “This Is Home” and “Boys Will Be Bugs” resonated for their directness and emotional clarity. Openly transmasc and using he/they pronouns, Robin Skinner has built a global audience across multiple albums, especially 2022’s Worm Food and their latest record Running With Scissors.

Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan has come so far since his days on YouTube. Transitioning from his channel and acting into releasing music, he has established himself as a major pop voice. Starting with his debut record Blue Neighbourhood, the Aussie gem’s work consistently returns to queer intimacy and emotional essence, often through restrained, precise production. 2023’s Something to Give Each Other reframed that lens through club culture, shifting inward reflection into collective release.