Eight LGBTQIA+ Artists to Listen to This Pride Month
In celebration of Pride month, it is important that we recognize brave artists in the industry whose powerful vocals, empowering messages, and real-life experiences challenge industry norms, becoming relatable and honest voices to the LGBTQIA+ community. Join us as we explore eight LGBTQIA+ musicians from across Asia you should add to your playlist regardless of your sexuality or orientation.
Design by Makiya Jenkins
NoSo
Korean American singer-songwriter NoSo identifies as nonbinary and transgender with the pronouns he/they. Officially releasing their debut album on July 2022, they have enjoyed success selling out arenas both in the UK and the US, having their own NPR Tiny Desk concert, and featuring on Spotify’s first-ever ‘GLOW’ session — a dedicated playlist to keep users up to date with the latest LGBTQIA+ song releases.
NoSo is open about their experiences being a transgender Korean American. With songs and lyrics about transitioning, growing up, and feeling like an outsider in Chicago, each track of their debut album Stay Proud of Me displays a different stage of dysphoria. Fans can find breakdowns for each song from the debut album on their official Instagram page. Now legally named Baekhyun Hwong, NoSo is an inspiration to all of the transgender community. And with their latest song “Kaitlin,” they’re the perfect artist to listen to this pride.
Rina Sawayama
Japanese-born and British-raised Rina Sawayama is a pansexual identifying woman with the pronouns she/her. Infamous for her wide diversity of experimental sounds, Rina is equally known for her activism and support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Her most outspoken role is speaking out and tackling biphobia.
The artist has always found a way to be open in her songs, becoming someone both bi and pansexual people can connect with. Her most prominent example can be found in the 2018 single “Cherry.” Famously featuring a Ryan Hemsworth Remix, Rina Sawayama explained in an interview with Vice, “It’s the truth for a lot of bi and pan people — they don’t feel authentically queer when they’re in heterosexual relationships, and that is what the song is about.” Rina has always been open about her sexuality and the struggles that the bi and pan communities face making her successful and relatable to her fanbase.
Chuefeng
A self-described identifying “Trans Idol/Artist” with the pronouns she/her/hers, Chuefeng is a Hmong singer-songwriter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Known for creating relatable love songs, Chuefeng knows the struggles of not being able to fit in and feeling different. Her first-ever music video “Me Nyuam HMoob” begins with a message reading: “For the good ones who don’t quite fit in.”
In an exclusive interview with HALSUG earlier this year, Chuefung showed her authenticity by highlighting lyrics about being proud to be a transgender HMoob woman. Using music as a coping mechanism for her mental health, she declared, “Music was there through the ED episodes, the identity shifts, and awakenings, all of the good and all of the bad.”
Chuefeng challenges the conventional misconceptions of Queer love making her one of the best artists to listen to this pride.
SLEEQ
Celebrating her 10th year in the industry as a Korean rapper, SLEEQ is an identifying lesbian with the pronouns she/her.
Making her name known on the independent scene when she signed under We Make History in 2011, the rapper has always been outspoken, standing up for women and LGBTQIA+ rights. One example is her diss track to rapper San E in response to his song “Feminist.” SLEEQ stands up for women's rights rapping:
“What I want is, For men not to kill women. For men not to rape women. For men not to assault women. For men not to blame the victims as they kill, rape, and assault them. For men not to push women out of the system while telling us to blame the system. ‘We all should be feminist.’”
SLEEQ reached the mainstream in 2020 as she appeared on one of the year’s hottest competition shows — Good Girl — where the rapper performed the song “HERE I GO.” Once again, in this freestyle-esque song, she stands up for LGBTQIA+ rights by rapping:
“Got rainbow on ma wrist, Bread and Rose for ma women for ma all 젠더퀴어 for my all spectrum 위의 가능성들을 위해. For ma non-binary 와 QIA 들을 위해.” The song also sees the rapper perform alongside the pride flag.
SLEEQ is the perfect example of an ally and activist with lyrics and social media posts dedicated not only to LGBTQIA+ causes but also veganism and feminism. There is no reason not to fall in love with this Korean rapper.
Wils
Making worldwide headlines in 2019, Singaporean pop star Wils was dropped by his Asian record label after coming out as gay. Using the pronouns he/him, the star would start afresh by creating a new Instagram page where he openly expressed the pressure and struggles of being in the closet his whole life. Subsequently, he released his song “Open up Babe.” It was later remixed alongside the Perry Twins and featured in the hit 2022 film Fire Island — an LGBTQ+ film directed by Korean director Andrew Ahn and produced and led by actor/comedian Joel Kim Booster.
The track is about opening up and being true to yourself, much like Wils had done by coming out as gay. Wils is a triumph story of staying true to yourself by rising against hate and discrimination within the music industry. He is definitely an icon and someone who those in the community can empathize with.
Sofya Wang
A self-described “artist who also happens to be gender fluid, lesbian, and first-generation Chinese American” with the pronouns she/her/they.
Sofya Wang made themselves known in 2017 after releasing the single “Boys Aside”— a synth-pop song that would turn into a lesbian anthem as she sings about falling in love and being openly gay while turning away straight men at the same time — something all LGBTQIA+ people can relate to.
With each release, she continues to express her sexuality and journey of self-discovery, which is why she is one of our top picks for LGBTQIA+ artists to check out.
mxmtoon
Often described as the internet's favorite mom, mxmtoon is a musician and internet sensation of Chinese, German, and Scottish ancestry, identifying with the pronouns she/her.
As a prominent LGBTQIA+ musician, she has become known for her relatable, honest lyrics about growing up Queer, and she has always been open online and through interviews about not having role models to look up to. Accumulating over 1 billion streams, her 2020 album dawn & dusk was named as part of the Billboard list of The 10 best LGBTQ Albums of 2020: Staff Picks.
Her signature soft dreamy vocals have led her to collaborate with some major pop stars over the years with an experimental pop style reminiscent of 2010’s pop.
HOLLAND
Korea’s first openly gay idol with the pronouns he/him — Holland is an independent idol who is famous for his songs about the LGBTQIA+ community and his own experiences being openly gay. Standing up for LGBTQIA+ rights globally, Holland has become one of Korea’s biggest LGBTQIA+ ambassadors. The artist has been featured in many projects to raise awareness for issues and performed on Pride stages worldwide.
As we celebrate Pride, it is important to recognize all of the incredible work these artists do in educating and spreading their truths at a time when LGBTQIA+ awareness is still miles from where it should be. It is important that we support them by honoring their efforts in helping create a better, welcoming world for everyone.