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Queer voices you need to hear
For LGBTQIA+ History Month, we spotlight the queer artists you need to hear – from music staple Labi Siffre to the up-and-coming tg.blk
With the mainstream popularity of contemporary artists such as Chappell Roan, Doechii, Frank Ocean or Cat Burns, it’s hard to think back to a time when being openly queer or having explicitly queer lyrics was chastised and deemed scandalous. But as societal culture has shifted to be more inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community, so has music, opening doors for more artists to express themselves as their full selves without shame.
This doesn’t mean that everything in this current climate is safe and without judgement – everyone from Tyler, The Creator to Billie Eilish have faced public backlash for their queer identities, with many facing scrutiny about their music or their personal lives. All while attitudes and laws are becoming more punitive on LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide. But as LGBTQIA+ history month draws to a close, we choose to celebrate upcoming and unsung-hero voices within the community, who continue to push the boundaries of genre and musicianship, influencing music and wider culture for the better.
The success of Chappell, Frank and more, stands on the shoulders of artists such as Ma Rainey, Pet Shop Boys and Tracy Chapman, and future successes stand on the shoulders of our current mainstream voices. It’s up to us to keep music inclusive and a safe space for all listeners, so to mark LGBTQIA+ history month 2025, we caught up music writers from the community to tell us about the queer artists we should keep on our radar – helping us curate our second annual Ticketmaster LGBTQIA+ History Month playlist.
Chiamaka Okike – Nxdia
Nxdia is an alt-pop artist whose music features elements of rock, indie blues, a strong bass, and jolting sounds. They write both from and about their personal experiences, and this is clear in the narrative structure that their songs often take on. What I find most interesting about Nxdia and their art is the way it encompasses a number of identities. A song like ‘Feel Anything’ flips between English and Arabic as seamlessly as it does from slow and tempered to upbeat and angry.
I first discovered Nxdia through TikTok, a space where they’ve built a cult of personality alongside music. What personally drew me to them was how honest they are about queerness and how they are unrelenting in it being authentically represented in their persona, branding, and music. You can tell, whether observing them from afar, or from an in-depth conversation, that they are deeply passionate about and involved with creativity. It’s clear in the cover art on singles like ‘Jennifer’s Body’, which they had a hand in designing- and the poetry and intentionality of their lyrics.
They are carving out a brand-new space in the music industry, one that invites punk lovers, activists, and romantics to join them. But really, there’s enough space for everyone.
Song choices: ‘Boy Clothes’ – Nxdia, ‘idc’ – Nxdia
Sope Soetan – Labi Siffre
For many years, my familiarity with Labi Siffre was solely in relation to the way his music had been a north star for others. My first recollection of his voice came when Kanye West sampled his 1972 track ‘My Song’ on ‘I Wonder’ from his 2007 album, Graduation. Later on, his name would fall from the ether once again when his sappy but charming ‘Bless The Telephone’ was introduced to me via Kelis who covered it in 2014 and then again by serpentwithfeet in 2021.
Up until the tail end of last year, that’s who Labi Siffre was to me; an obscure reference point. A ghost-like figure who I wasn’t even sure was still with us. A chance scroll through Ravyn Lenae’s Instagram post would transform my perspective when I listened to the entirety of his ‘Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying’ album after seeing her cite it as a “Perfect 10” body of work.
The exquisite songwriting on tracks like ‘Cannock Chase’, ‘Come On Michael’ and ‘Love Oh Love Oh Love’ traversing folk, soft rock, blues and jazz mesmerised me me but above all, the richness of his vocal tone and phrasing recalling the sweetness of Sam Cooke captivated me most. What soon followed was a voracious deep dive into his other albums but also the man behind these enchanting songs. I was thrilled and intrigued to find out that not only was he a British descendant of Nigerian and Bajan parents, but he was openly gay, unwaveringly atheist and for 16 years lived in a polygamous marriage.
Labi Siffre was ahead of his time in many ways. An anomaly in British music who with pronounced vigour confidently stepped out of the narrow boxes levied on black artists at the time. Looking back, what he was able to achieve was quite revolutionary and a remarkable feat. And for that Mr Siffre, we forever speak your name.
Song choices: ‘Cannock Chase’ – Labi Siffre, ‘The Vulture’ – Labi Siffre
Maxine Sibihwana – tg.blk
As a person originally from East Africa, it’s hard to find music that speaks to every part of the Black, female and queer identity in an unabashed manner. Laws are still extremely punitive, attitudes from governments and older generations are still steeped in bigotry, and many sectors are not kind to women forging their own path. This is also true of wider hip hop culture across the globe, where mainstream artists are comfortable including sexist lyrics, which can be alienating for female listeners. And then I found the distinct and singular music of Kenyan rapper tg.blk.
While being a queer woman is not the only aspect of her artistry, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air in a genre that still uses women as punchlines rather than seeing women artists as fully fledged creative human beings who contribute so much to music and art. Her single ‘Love Being Used’ was shared by Genius, which is how I came to find her work, and I’ve been a fan ever since. It is a revolutionary thing to be one’s authentic self in their music, and tg.blk does just that, blending elements of Dilla-esque samples and classic hip hop beats, with witty lyrics both in English and Swahili that express stories of love (‘gin and wine (ginuwine)’), dealing with being a 20-something, self-introspection, and being unabashedly braggadocious (‘Motorola Money’) – all in a laid back and effortless delivery. What’s exciting about tg.blk isn’t just her alternative-leaning sound and her openly queer lyrics, but how early she is in her career. She’s off to a ingenious start, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Song choices: ‘Love Being Used’ – tg.blk, ‘gin and wine (ginuwine)’ – tg.blk
Photo credits: Getty Images and Nala Ayieta
