A new month is here, which means it’s time to get into some new music! Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From St. Vincent‘s stunning new single, to Demi Lovato‘s long awaited new album, check out some of our favorite releases from this week below.
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St. Vincent, “The Melting of the Sun”
Before she struts her way onto the stage of Saturday Night Live this weekend, Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, is ready to celebrate her upcoming album with a brand new single. “The Melting of the Sun,” the latest single off of the star’s highly-anticipated upcoming album, is a hypnotizing, soulful tribute to women in the music industry who have put up with those who would try to stifle them. Referring to artists like “Saint Joni” Mitchell, “Brave Tori” Amos, “Proud Nina” Simone and Marilyn Monroe by name, the woozy new single serves as a salute to the women who helped lay the groundwork for Clark, and a kiss-off to anyone who would stand in the way of their artistic vision. “Girl the world’s spinning round/ Spinning down and out of time,” she warbles on the song’s outro. “Girl you can’t give in now/ When you’re down, down and out.”
Demi Lovato, Dancing with the Devil … The Art of Starting Over
Since her return to music early last year following a difficult relapse, Demi Lovato is now prepared to bare her soul in its fullest form. Dancing With the Devil…The Art of Starting Over stands alone as Lovato’s most personal, emotional work to date. Journeying from her relapse (“Dancing With the Devil”), to her struggles with finding love (“The Way You Don’t Look at Me,” “The Kind of Lover I Am”), to her move away from her former managers (“Melon Cake”), to her reliance on her friends (“My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriend (feat. Saweetie)”), and arriving at where she finds herself now (“Good Place”), Lovato paints a painstakingly intimate picture of rebuilding your life after everything seemed to fall apart. By the time you’ve finished listening, you’ll be reaching for a tissue and pressing the replay button.
“This has been a journey years in the making … I can’t believe it’s here. Please listen to the tracks in order, top to bottom, for me. I love you all,” Lovato wrote of the revealing new album on her social media accounts.
Brockhampton, “Count on Me”
This week was a mix of good and bad news for Brockhampton fans: Kevin Abstract announced that the band would be releasing two albums in 2021, but added that these would be the collective’s final albums as a group. So if we are indeed nearing the end for Brockhampton, then a song like “Count on Me” is exactly what you should be listening to — an excellent distillation of the group’s sound into a single track. With uncredited features from artists like A$AP Rocky, Shawn Mendes, Ryan Beatty and SoGoneSoFlexy, “Count on Me” sees the boys of Brockhampton asking everyone around them to chill out, as they sing “It’ll be OK, no matter what they say about us/ I know that it’ll be OK/ You ain’t even need no money, you can count on me” on the infectious chorus.
Morgxn, “Porcelain”
On his empowering new single “Porcelain,” alt-pop star Morgxn is ready to start over. The new track opens with a powerful beat and choral vocals courtesy of the up-and-coming singer, as he wishes for a life that didn’t come with all the pain and hardship and damage while also conceding that he’s not interested in living one that’s deemed “conventional” either. Morgxn’s incredibly soulful vocals only serve to bolster his message of self-assuredness, as he wails out on the endlessly catchy chorus, “I wanna feel, wanna feel again, yeah/ I wanna feel like porcelain.”
Young M.A, “Successful”
Times being what they are, it’s never too late to hear a song that will gas you up and make you feel untouchable. Enter Young M.A. With her latest track “Successful,” the rising rapper flexes everything — her cashflow, her skills, her lifestyle — to let her detractors know that they’re nothing but jealous. Once again, the rising star proves that she is a lyrical force to be reckoned with, while providing a silky-smooth flow that will get you feeling just as hyped-up about yourself. You ought to remember her name, but in case you don’t, Young M.A is happy to help you out. “I’m one word with 10 letters: successful.”
Chloe Moriondo, “I Eat Boys”
Upon first listen, you may not be able to clock that Chloe Moriondo’s “I Eat Boys” is about a murderous succubus intent on devouring the men who dare to catcall her on the street. The track’s sound is that of a smiling, breezy pop single, typically accompanied by admissions of love. But listen to Moriondo’s deliciously twisted lyrics, and you’ll hear the Jennifer’s Body-inspired artist get right to business. “Hands off, kid, or you’ll wake up in my basement/ And all of the feds have to break in,” she sings, in an eerily casual manner. “‘Cause I eat boys, yeah I get them gory/ You can’t control me ’cause I wrote this story.”
“I’m incredibly stoked for ‘I Eat Boys’ to be out and for people to finally get as officially excited as I am for Blood Bunny,” Moriondo said of the new song and her upcoming album in a statement. “I hope the rock chicks and lesbians will love them!!!!!”
KC Ortiz, “Beat Beat Beat”
It’s been over a year since the LGBTQ community has been able to safely gather at the club and dance the night away — so KC Ortiz wants to help tide you over until it’s safe to dance together again. “Beat, Beat, Beat,” the latest track from the Chicago rapper, employs funk, EDM and straight up pop to give those looking for a good time a new song to turn to. The infectious groove will have you shaking your tush wherever you are, as Ortiz commands that you “Dance to the beat, beat, beat/ Get up out of your seat.”
“I wanted to come back with a party song,” Ortiz said in a statement. “We are all over this lockdown for the most part. When creating this song, I imagined street fests and dancing in the streets, and I wanted to bring that feeling to this song.”