11 Queer Musicians on the Albums That Changed Their Lives

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When it comes to celebrating Pride, there's always a musical anthem that unofficially defines the year. Take last year's collective hoopla over Kylie Minogue's "Padam Padam," or the social media obsession surrounding Charli XCX's Brat album this time around.

Music, regardless of genre, helps fuel the creativity that runs throughout the queer community. More importantly, it can help LGBTQ+ audiences come to understand not just who they are but also what they love. Pride is about liberation as much as it's a celebration, and music can be a potent vessel for self-discovery.

For Pride 2024, Harper's Bazaar reached out to some of our favorite musicians—artists like Kehlani, Big Freedia, and Tinashe—to learn about the albums that have come to define their lives and their memories attached to them.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill's journey and the story she tells through her music resonated with me so much. That album was on constant repeat in my house. (Not to mention my uncle and Lauryn went to the same elementary school. Newark, NJ represent!)

I was in 1st grade, living in Jackson, New Jersey. Her single “Doo Wop (That Thing)” had dropped and I remember me and my cousin Renee were hooked. When the music video came out, we were so stoked. We had been watching Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit on repeat and were already obsessed.

That album was impactful because she was telling us about her personal experiences in life: the ups and downs, the power of love, of being a mother, caring for her children. She spoke about the state of the world as well as the state of the industry. That album taught me a lot about myself as a Queer person of color and how I would be perceived in the world, while also sonically being outstandingly pleasing.

I recall blasting one of her songs “Everything Is Everything” in my room by myself, singing it at the top of my lungs. That song has so much power. It tells a very real story about how the world works. Whether we choose to work alongside or against it, regardless of your decision, the world continues to turn.

Music is my life, it’s in my blood—and that's why it's such an important part of Pride, too. Before acting, I was raised on music and trained in it as well. I believe music is one of the most powerful tools to really influence people everywhere around the world, especially if you want to uplift them. So why not uplift during Pride Month? In case you haven’t already, check out my new Pride Anthem “I Am,” which is out now!

Everything by Rihanna

Rihanna's entire discography has been a source of inspiration for me. Each album represents a different era of her artistry, and her music helped me discover who I am— not just as an artist, but as a person. Watching her perform, singing along to her songs, and feeling the emotions she poured into her music gave me goosebumps. It was in those moments I realized that my connection to her was more than just admiration—it was my soul's way of screaming, "You are an artist!"

I used to have a memory card and would ask a guy who worked at a movie shop to download music for me. I specifically asked for Rihanna's entire discography. The anticipation of plugging that memory card into my device for the first time and hearing her voice was exciting. I would print out the lyrics to her songs and read her biography. I would watch her live videos and try to dance along, but soon realized that dancing wasn't what pulled me—it was her performing and singing that spoke to me.

Music is such an intrinsic part of Pride for me because it represents freedom—freedom to express myself without rules, limitations, or shame. It is through music that I can be truly authentic to myself and my community. Music allows me to celebrate who I am and connect with others who feel the same way.

Full Moon by Brandy

I think music is a big part of Pride because it’s all just joy. Pride is revolutionary, and art is key to revolution and liberation. Joy is liberating.

Full Moon by Brandy changed my life—seeing an artist who already set a tone in R&B become a genre-bending leader in creating a new branch of R&B. It was very contemporary and futuristic at the time. I don’t remember where I was when I heard it. I was little but I do remember trying to sing every single run and avidly training myself to catch them.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

The album that profoundly influenced my life and shaped my art is undoubtedly My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It instilled the belief that there are no limits to what I can achieve musically. Hearing this album in eighth grade for the first time is a moment frozen in time for me. The music and its impact were indelibly etched into my consciousness.

Music serves as a vessel for self-expression and empowerment. It transcends boundaries, connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds through shared emotions and experiences. For me, music embodies the essence of Pride by embracing authenticity and celebrating individuality. Through music, I find solace, strength, and solidarity, reaffirming my identity and pride in who I am.

The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson

This is my all-time favorite album. It’s one that I look to for inspiration on how to craft a perfect album because of its range of genres and sounds. That album explicitly talks about being free, and I think it’s just so amazing that she was such an advocate.

Queen of Disco by Sylvester

Music is my artistic expression, and so my identity and my music are connected. There were a few albums that have impacted me, but Queen of Disco by Sylvester is up there! His first album, Sylvester had some of the first music that really felt unapologetically gay, and it was pretty life-altering. I'm not sure which one, but I know I first heard it in a club. I was a teenager in the early '90s, sneaking out of the house with my friends to go out and hear music. The gay clubs opened a whole world to me. "Mighty Real" and "Dance Dance" were played all the time. It was a source of pride for me to hear this man sing. I was like, "This is what I want to do!"

I'm Not Your Man by Marika Hackman

I would definitely say one album that helped me artistically and personally is Marika Hackman's I’m Not Your Man from 2017, specifically the song “Boyfriend.” I was obsessed with the video and lyrics and could relate as a queer person who at the time was into straight girls. Thank god that phase is over! The album overall is such a gumbo of influences—it just kept me engaged.

I heard it around two years after it dropped and I don’t have specific memories to the album besides the people in my life around the time and finally during Covid era we got to work over FaceTime! I was secretly geeked about it. It’s funny because I'm just now seeing in the past 3 years or so how it’s inspired me.

Music is your best friend, therapist, and everything in between. There have been so many amazing artists that have made me feel seen and heard through their honesty in their lyrics. As a queer person, sometimes that's all you need.

The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga

Listening to music by queer artists helped me realize my queerness, accept it, and be proud of it. It put words and feelings to something I didn’t have the ability to express when I was coming out.

The Fame Monster—that album and those music videos have heavily influenced my entire career. Seeing someone so unabashed in their queerness and weirdness be celebrated on a mainstream level was everything to me, and I’ve found lifelong community through the Gaga fandom. I was in a carpool on the way home from middle school when I heard "Just Dance" for the first time on the radio, and I was completely enthralled.

One of my best memories associated with this album was going to the Chromatica Ball in 2022. I went with some of the friends I’ve made through the Gaga fandom, and we scream-sang the songs we all realized our queerness to. It was euphoric.

Little Plastic Castles by Ani DiFranco

Little Plastic Castles wasn't the first album of Ani's that I had heard—friends of mine bought me Dilate as a gift like a year before. But when Little Plastic Castles came out, it just blew my fucking mind.

Songs like “Two Little Girls,” that were dark but romantic about queer love, and and songs like “Fuel” that were political and country, and songs like “Swan Dive” that were about forging your own fucking path and building your own empire out of car tires and chicken wire—they just really spoke to me as a young queer person wanting to build my own world.

I remember where I was the first time I heard that album. I bought it on my way home from school at the Tower Records in Chicago and put it on my Discman on my train ride home. It was an hour commute in and out of school every day, and I’d listen to that album on the way home. One of my favorite memories is listening to “Fuel,” which is more of a spoken word piece that's political and amazing. I remember one day there were some women on the train, some fierce business ladies giving us pretty horrible looks and saying pretty horrible things because we were a bunch of very queer alternative [kids], and we all just started chanting “Fuel” at them—like the whole poem from start to finish.

I think that music and queerness have been linked from the get-go in terms of us finding common ground, and common love as queer people for different artists. Right now a very, very queer song I co-wrote, "Good Luck Babe" with Chappell Roan, is taking over the planet, and it just shows you how powerful queer expression in music can be for the writers and the artists and the audience.

The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey

An album that defines my taste in music is The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey. This represents Pride to me because gay people love Mariah Carey, and I am, in fact, gay.

This album defined the terrain of pop music and R&B throughout the early 2000s, with a crisp and fresh sound that influenced young music listeners across the world. There’s a precision by which she tackles music that really pierces the heart. It’s an instinctual and genius level of art-making imbued with a gorgeous understanding of storytelling and language. Mariah is able to write albums that feel like books, the type of books that you can’t put down.

When I first heard this album, I was in the car with my mother as we were driving down the highway. I think a lot of queer artists think about their childhood when creating music. We're tapping into a time before there were expectations forced upon us to exist in a specific way, creating music that’s based off of a vibe. I also think a lot of queer artists think about music through a child’s eyes. There’s a curiosity for life that trans and queer people gain access to because we are invested in authentically existing in the world. People usually designate this kind of curiosity to childhood, but there doesn’t have to be an end to knowledge expansion. I liked that time in my life because I was being truthful. But I like my life more now because I’m truthful and informed.

I’m not gonna lie: The main reason why music is a part of Pride for me is because of the parade. There’s music bursting out at the seams at every Pride celebration that I’ve ever been to. I’m really grateful to have the honor of being a part of such a creative community of LGBTQIA+ people and so glad that we can share music within our sacred spaces.

Princess Forever by Dreamer Isioma

This is such a Leo answer, but I have to go with my most recent album, Princess Forever. I was recording it during a new phase of my transition and I don't know... it's just really crazy how running around in a pink space suit led to rocking shows around the world. Plus it took serious balls to drop queer love songs as a Nigerian. I'm sure that pissed some people off, but fuck 'em.

I don't know where I was the first time I heard it, but fans often tell me they heard it for the first time on psychedelics. I was on shrooms at the album release party. Seeing so many Black queer folk feeling safe and enjoying themselves damn near made me cry. I love my people.

Pride is all about freedom and expression. So is music. Personally I've been shaking my ass all month. This is for my ancestors. I'm sure my gay uncle from 1738 would have loved Doechii.

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