Another week means another chance to find some new tunes from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Charli XCX & Sam Smith’s new team-up, to Kali Uchis’ hypnotic new single, check out just a few of our favorite release from this week below:
Charli XCX & Sam Smith, “In the City”
As you prepare for a night out on the town this weekend, allow Charli XCX and Sam Smith to offer you a guide on your festivities. On “In the City,” the pair’s new duet, Charli and Smith celebrate the contagious, communal energy of an evening spent on the dancefloor. Over a shimmering synth-pop beat and euphoirc melodies played on house-style pianos, the duo encourage you to go find what you’re looking for “In the City.”
Kali Uchis, “Te Mata”
Sure, Kali Uchis might be the devil in her ex’s story — but she doesn’t really have a problem with that. “Te Mata,” the rising Latin superstar’s latest single, sees Uchis taking back the narrative from a toxic situationship, all while lounging over a lush, cha-cha melody. With her velvety voice, Uchis lets her ex know in perfect Spanish that her “days are no longer gray,” and that “I finally realized that I deserve much more/ And that kills you.”
Dove Cameron, “Lethal Woman”
Where Uchis is ready to move on from a toxic ex, Dove Cameron is looking to get just a little bit hurt. “Lethal Woman,” the lead single off of the singer’s forthcoming debut album Alchemical Volume 1, is Cameron’s ode to the kind of lover that will make her feel everything from pain to euphoria. Over a glitching industrial beat, Dove describes her ideal mate in detail, while declaring that she’s “not a masochist,” but just wants someone who’s “sharp like a knife under the table.”
Slayyyter, “Monster” (Lady Gaga cover)
When it came time for Slayyyter to pick a pop diva to emulate on her new Spotify Single, she chose 100% correctly. Covering Lady Gaga’s classic “Monster,” Slayyyter perfectly takes all of the elements of Gaga’s theatrical performance that made the original so good, while imbuing the song with her own brand of slinky, dark-pop sensibility. It helps that her voice has maybe never sounded quite as powerful as it does on this ridiculously good cover.
Kevin Abstract, “What Should I Do?”
Leave it to hip-hop virtuoso Kevin Abstract to write an all-time great indie song. While “What Should I Do?” might not be exactly what fans of his expect to hear, the track practically bursts with the sense of longing and complex emotion that Abstract has proven himself to be a master at portraying. As the strums of an acoustic guitar accompany his intentionally pitch-shifted vocal, Abstract desperately tries to move past the intrusive thought of an ex he’s still hung up on, constantly begging them to please “don’t touch me, it turns me on,” while trying to find anything to get his mind elsewhere.
Maddie Zahm, Now That I’ve Been Honest
After making a name for herself writing gorgeous, diaristic songs and sharing them with her massive TikTok audience, singer-songwriter Maddie Zahm is ready to show you all that she’s capable of. Throughout her debut album Now That I’ve Been Honest, Zahm flirts with every genre of pop music she can get her hands on, including angsty pop-punk (on the f–k-you anthem “Bedroom”), delirious funk-pop (on Sapphic Anthem “Lady Killer”), and straight up stadium-level pop (on the euphoric “Eightball Girl”). But fear not — her confessional songwriting is still the star of her debut, making Honest a cathartic, must-listen experience.
MICHELLE, “Glow”/”Agnostic”
Supergroup MICHELLE is back, and they’re better than ever. With their new double single release, the NYC-based collective tries their hands at some new sounds to raving success. On “Glow,” the sextet dive headfirst into blissful bedroom pop as they let a potential lover know that “we’re never gonna happen.” Meanwhile, on “Agnostic,” the group basks in a chilled-out indie rock sound as they take stock of a love they’ve left behind. If this pair of tracks are any indication of what direction MICHELLE is headed in, then we highly recommend you join them for the ride.
King Mala, “Bug”
Misogynists, beware — King Mala is on an extermination spree, and she’s got you in her sights. “Bug,” the latest release of the pop singer-songwriter’s forthcoming EP Split Milk, follows Mala as she begs toxic, self-important men to please, for the love of God, stop talking. Deliciously punchy bass lines punctuate her incisive lyrics, as she declares that these “insufferable” and “unbearable” men are little more to her than insects — and she’s more than happy to start squishing them.
Check out all of our picks in Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
