The ultimate Pride playlist, curated by Adam Lambert, Pauli Lovejoy, Fiona-Lee, and more
What does LGBTQ even stand for? We know: Let’s gather bangin’ tunes quick.
When you look at the history of music and the queer community, that’s also sort of been the consistent MO: When things seem bleak, when society attempts to tear down all progress we’ve made in recent times, music can soundtrack our coming together, recording and guiding culture through positive change and morphing into anthems of grave resilience.
It might be impossible to define what makes a song a queer anthem, but one thing you can always count on is the power of music to make people from all walks of life feel seen, whether it’s the slow, sultry drag of a strong jazz number or one of those quintessential party beats of the 1980s.
Much like how Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Lush Life’ speaks to the strength of pride during tough times, Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ translates those realities into liberation, providing a source of comfort when brief escapism through dancing and having fun is the only thing that makes sense. As ex-London Records’ Colin Bell once said, “[It] captures your soul, gives you a three-minute experience that is life-enhancing”.
That, in essence, is the principle of any sort of queer anthem. If it captures you or moves you in a way that feels real and authentic, no matter its contents or whether it has any direct ties to the community, then it’s a calling that deserves your attention. Across this list, artists have chosen a diverse collection of songs they believe should be included in the ultimate Pride playlist, with various styles, genres, and lyrical themes capturing the scope of queer identity and experience.
Together, they reflect that a good Pride tune isn’t always about any singular sound, theme or message, but its ability to settle in deep and resonate with anyone who wants to listen. As Lucas Silveira, member of The Cliks and the first openly trans man to be signed to a major label, shared with us, sometimes, it’s just about finding someone you see yourself in.
Among Silveira’s picks, which are detailed below, George Michael’s ‘I Want Your Sex’ is an especially important track, which sees the Wham! singer embodying the empowering sort of figure that helped Silveira figure out precisely who he was.
“I was an awkwardly shy, masculine, pubescent fourteen-year-old tomboy living in a suburb of Toronto who had been deeply obsessed with the band Wham,” Silveira declared.
“When this track dropped in 1987 off George Michael’s first solo album, Faith, it did something to me that no other song had ever done,” he continued, “It made me fully aware that I was a boy. Something about how George Michael presented in his new image made my insides go wild. To the outside world, they thought I was a fangirl crushing hard on a UK pop sensation, but that was only a cover. On the inside was the boy who wanted to look just like George.”
Silveira also revealed how Michael helped him to become “aware of my true gender identity, but also my sexuality”, and how, even though Michael wasn’t yet out at the time, “There is no denying one’s magnetic pull toward queerness, even when we don’t exactly know why”. His impact on Silveira was more than just simple enjoyment; it was the essence of becoming, a deep-rooted journey into self-discovery sparked by Michael’s image.
As Silveira put it himself, “It was the first time I had really looked in the mirror and not seen someone who was a complete stranger to me. I simply saw myself”.
Also contributing to the playlist is Fiona-Lee, who speaks to a similar experience with Ezra Furman’s ‘Body Was Made’, saying, “Nothing makes me feel so welcome and accepted in my body as putting on this tune and having a reet good boogie in my birthday suit!” Similarly, she praised Eurythmics’ timeless classic ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves’ for being “a huge feminist anthem”, and said Chappell Roan’s recent pop banger ‘Casual’ was “basically another song that I can’t help but scream at the top of my lungs”.
Singer-songwriter Ellur contributes Martha Wainwright’s ‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’, praising her ability to articulate the “experience of being a woman in the music industry”. She added, “Her voice on this absolutely cuts me up, and the melody is unbelievable. I love it.” Also on her list is the “insanely well-produced” Björk’s ‘Hyper-ballad’, a sweeping soundscape she says feels like a landscape, and Lorde’s ‘Favourite Daughter’, a song that simultaneously “breaks my heart and makes me want to dance”.
More recent must-listens include Robyn’s ‘Dopamine’, as chosen by BLUAI, who also claim Muna’s ‘Silk Chiffon’ featuring Phoebe Bridgers to be a “go-to track celebrating queerness”, and ‘Stand On The Line’ by Kae Tempest, who they say is “a beacon of light and hope for everyone who doesn’t fit the binary”. Music director and percussionist Pauli Lovejoy also delivered some heart-pumping tunes, adding Big Freedia and SOPHIE’s ‘Blaze That Ass’, Ian Isiah’s ‘BIG ONE’, and his own dancin’ groove ‘Pookie’ into the mix.
Elsewhere, pop royalty Adam Lambert contributed Cara Delevingne’s latest foray into musical pastures new, praising ‘I Forgot’ for the way the “sonic chaos contrasts with the intimate vocal”.
He added, “Trey Campbell co-wrote the song, and he was one of my main collaborators on my upcoming album. He’s so brilliant to work with, I’m sure Cara adores him as much as I do!”
The ultimate Pride playlist:
Adam Lambert
- Tove Lo – ‘I’m Your Girl Right?’
- Honey Dijon, Jacob Lusk – ‘Satisfied’
- Kim Petras – ‘Brutalist’
- Isaac Dunbar – ‘Princess’
- Adam Lambert – ‘UNDER THE RHYTHM’
- Kehlani and Missy Elliott – ‘Back and Forth’
- MEEK – ‘FABULOUS (Felix Jaehn remix)’
- Kaleena Zanders – ‘Anything Goes’
- Cara Delevingne – ‘I Forgot’
- VINCINT – ‘Signal’
Pauli Lovejoy
- Ian Isiah – ‘BIG ONE’
- Cakes de Killa – ‘Luv Me Nots’
- Big Freedia, SOPHIE – ‘Blaze That Ass’
- Pauli The PSM – ‘Pookie’
- Kalia Vandever – ‘Hubbard Road’
- Channel Tres – ‘Pop Pop’
- Jim Legxacy – ‘stick’
- Kelsey Lu – ‘Running to Pain’
- VALÉ – ‘Mugshot’
- ImJessHu – ‘ATP’
- Bena – ‘SLIME MONSTER’
Lucas Silveira
- Judas Priest – ‘Turbo Lover’
- Queen – ‘Somebody to Love’
- Doechii – ‘BOILED PEANUTS’
- Frank Ocean – ‘Bad Religion’
- George Michael – ‘I Want Your Sex’
BLUAI
- Kae Tempest – ‘Stand On The Line’
- Searows – ‘In Violet’
- Jasmine 4.t – ‘Elephant’
- Robyn – ‘Dopamine’
- Muna – ‘Silk Chiffon’ feat Phoebe Bridgers
Ellur
- Björk – ‘Hyper-ballad’
- Cocteau Twins – ‘Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires’
- Lorde – ‘Favourite Daughter’
- Miike Snow – ‘Cult Logic’
- Martha Wainwright – ‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’
Fiona-Lee
- Ezra Furman – ‘Body Was Made’
- Scissor Sisters – ‘Let’s Have a Kiki’
- Beyoncé – ‘PURE/HONEY’
- Eurythmics – ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves’
- Chappell Roan – ‘Casual’
