With a long weekend ahead of us, it’s time to freshen up your playlists with some new songs from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From Troye Sivan and Jay Som‘s euphoric new song to Years & Years‘s new collaboration with Regard, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below.
Troye Sivan, Jay Som, “Trouble”
Ahead of the release of his new film Three Months, Troye Sivan is offering his fans some blissful new music. On “Trouble,” Sivan once again pulls audiences into a dream-pop soundscape where he narrates a tale of someone who was ready to give up on love until the new object of their affection came along. With angelic synth lines sprinkled throughout, along with a standout guest appearance from indie-pop darling Jay Som, “Trouble” is both vintage Sivan as well as a small taste of something new — either way, we’re not complaining.
Regard, Years & Years “Hallucination”
Following his breakout success with the Troye Sivan and Tate McRae-assisted single “You” last year, Regard is ready to strike gold again with “Hallucination,” his new collaboration with Years & Years. The slick dance floor-ready track sees Regard pulling out all the stops to hypnotize his listeners, while Olly Alexander’s sharp vocals cut through the trance and let the listener know to be wary: “You look like a vision, but now I’m beginnin’ to see through the haze,” he sings.
Zolita, “Single In September”
Alt-pop star Zolita is ready to be chased after and kissed in the rain. On “Single in September,” her stunning new single, Zolita wonders aloud why she’s stuck by herself when her former flame could be creating a rom-com-ready moment for the two of them, reigniting their relationship in a moment of passion. Her expert deployment of pop-punk guitars and gorgeous vocals only adds more drama to the song, as she wails on the infectious chorus, “Why wait/ When we could last forever?”
Isaac Dunbar, “Bleach”
Ready to get rebellious? Isaac Dunbar certainly is on “Bleach,” his theatrical new single, on which the rising pop auteur revels in various acts of defiance before exploding into a glorious chorus of ecstatic emotion. It’s a relatively new sound for the singer — taking a much grander, pop-centered sound and tweaking it to fit each lyric, Dunbar once again establishes himself as a name to look out for, if you weren’t already.
Carlie Hanson, Tough Boy
After two EPs where she established her sound and artistry, Carlie Hanson is finally ready to take center stage with her debut album, Tough Boy. Throughout the new project, Hanson exquisitely illustrates the trials and tribulations of a 21-year-old woman who was supposed to be out in the world starting her adult life, but was instead forced into a lockdown. The result is a sometimes seething (“Nice to Know Ya”), other times heartbroken (“Fake Smile”), and occasionally uplifting (“Girls In Line for the Bathroom”) — much like our collectively tumultuous last year-and-a-half.