Since Jojo Siwa’s release of her song “Karma,” she has exclaimed how she has invented a new genre called gay pop. However, this is simply not the case as thousands of gay pop artists have come before her, such as Elton John and George Michael. But there have also been plenty of new emerging LGBTQ+ pop artists to listen to this month besides Jojo Siwa. Here are three great options.

<strong>Chappell Roan</strong>

If you have TikTok you have definitely heard of the “HOTTOGO” dance, a series of hand movements spelling out “hot to go” at Chappell Roan’s concerts, which has taken the platform by storm and quickly become the YMCA of Gen Z. With her 1980s synth style and dark pop vibe, her songs with scandalous and raw lyrics allow her audience to see all of her flaws and perfections. Her songs show a side of her that is earnestly human to her audience, such as “Casual” and “Love Me Anyway.”

Growing up in a strict Christian household, Roan describes her childhood as being “really depressing” and music was a way to escape her harsh realities. After years of posting small singing videos on TikTok, Roan was signed to Atlantic records at just 17 years old, causing her to move from her home in Missouri to Hollywood where she released her first EP which she “hated,” as reported by Variety. She then went on to produce music with Dan Nigro, who is well known for his work on Olivia Rodrigo’s album “Sour.” With Nigro’s help, she then released her song “Pink Pony Club,” in which Roan describes her experiences as a queer woman in Hollywood.

She was then dropped by her label and moved back to Missouri where she worked a variety of different jobs in order to save enough to move back to Hollywood and continue her career, which she successfully did after a year and a half. On her return back to Hollywood, Roan produced her second EP “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which included a variety of songs that she had produced over the years as well as some new ones, such as “Femininomenon,” “Red Wine Supernova,” and “After Midnight.” All of her songs have a consistent balance of both raw emotion and playful fun that makes you want to dance around, solidifying her as one of the most creative pop artists of her generation.

Roan is currently touring with Olivia Rodrigo as her opener but is also set to go on her own fully sold out tour this summer. Considering how each of her performances warrants different dress-up themes, features local drag queens as openers, and donates a percentage of the sales to For The Growls, a Black, trans-led charity, it’s clear that Roan has a lot of excitement in store this summer.

<strong>Troye Sivan</strong>

When talking about queer artists, Troye Sivan goes down as one of the most popular LGBTQ+ artists of his generation. Sivan has been in many films, television shows, and plays throughout the years, such as “The Idol,” “X-MEN Wolverine,” and “Waiting for Godot.”

He started out his career running a popular Youtube channel featuring song covers and collaborations with popular artists. In 2013, Sivan signed onto the label EMI Music Australia, but not before coming out to his gathered audience due to fear that the label company would try to control when or how he came out after he signed with them. Luckily for Sivan, both his audience and label were incredibly supportive of him and his sexuality, which has not been the case for so many other artists.

They released his first EP “TRXYE” in 2014; the EP, with its mature and personal lyrics, a far cry from his normal electronic pop music, quickly became a hit among his audience. He then went onto release a second EP “Bloom’’ in 2018 and his third EP “Something to Give Each Other” in 2023. Both albums were immensely successful and displayed Sivan’s struggles and triumphs in exploring his sexuality and personality. This resulted in his well deserved Grammy for his hit song “Rush,” which celebrates queerness and his openness with his sexuality.

Another of his songs, “One of Your Girls,” also was a breakthrough in Sivan’s career not only for it’s portrayal of his experience in understanding and accepting his sexuality, but also for it’s music video where Sivan is portrayed as a woman, representing his struggle with molding himself for someone else’s views, not his own.