Music
Madonna Is a Queer Icon. I Finally Get It.
I have a confession to make. Up until recently, I didn't really understand why everyone loved Madonna so much. I didn't think the Michigan native was [...]Read more about Madonna Is a Queer Icon. I Finally Get It.
‘Why Wouldn't I Stand Up for Everybody?': Remembering Dolly Parton and Her LGBTQ+ Allyship
Here's the thing nobody's obituary is going to lead with, so I will: Dolly Parton picked up the phone for queer press. Not just the glossies with the [...]Read more about ‘Why Wouldn't I Stand Up for Everybody?': Remembering Dolly Parton and Her LGBTQ+ Allyship
How the Detroit Disco Daddies Turn Queer Joy Into a Live Disco Spectacle
If you’ve ever gone out clubbing around Detroit and stumbled across two men dressed to the nines in disco attire, singing their hearts out to covers of hit [...]Read more about How the Detroit Disco Daddies Turn Queer Joy Into a Live Disco Spectacle
17 Years After ‘American Idol,’ Adam Lambert Is Still Reinventing Himself
At this point, performing on a national stage is second nature to Adam Lambert, who shot to fame 17 years ago during the eighth season of “American Idol” in May [...]Read more about 17 Years After ‘American Idol,’ Adam Lambert Is Still Reinventing Himself
For 30 Years, Linda Perry Wrote Everyone Else's Truth. Now She's Telling Her Own.
Linda Perry has spent most of her career behind the curtain — and she's built an empire there. She wrote "Beautiful" and handed it to Christina [...]Read more about For 30 Years, Linda Perry Wrote Everyone Else's Truth. Now She's Telling Her Own.
Sara Davis Buechner Spent a Lifetime Mastering Classical Music — and Refusing to Disappear
For many people — especially queer and trans folks — classical music can feel like a closed world: formal, intimidating, full of rules. Not meant for us.As the [...]Read more about Sara Davis Buechner Spent a Lifetime Mastering Classical Music — and Refusing to Disappear
Christian John Wikane’s 'A Night at the Disco' Explores Disco Music’s Role in LGBTQ+ History
In the summer of 1979, 16-year-old French Canadian singer France Joli stepped onto a stage on Fire Island as a last-minute replacement for Donna Summer. She had [...]Read more about Christian John Wikane’s 'A Night at the Disco' Explores Disco Music’s Role in LGBTQ+ History
Jessie Ware Talks Queer Fantasy of ‘Superbloom,’ LGBTQ+ Fans and the Joy of Wigs
For three albums, Jessie Ware has offered an escape hatch: a shimmering, 1970s-inspired fantasy, far removed from the world we live in. But with “Superbloom,” [...]Read more about Jessie Ware Talks Queer Fantasy of ‘Superbloom,’ LGBTQ+ Fans and the Joy of Wigs
Out Loud Chorus Celebrates 30 Years With a Trip Down The Yellow Brick Road
There's something about singing together that creates magic. For Out Loud Chorus, that magic has been building for three decades, and this weekend [...]Read more about Out Loud Chorus Celebrates 30 Years With a Trip Down The Yellow Brick Road
Big Freedia on Queer Faith, Why She's Grateful to Beyoncé and Going Back to Church With ‘Pressing Onward’
Big Freedia’s voice has always been a force — loud, joyful, defiant — but on her new album, “Pressing Onward,” it becomes something even more powerful: a vessel [...]Read more about Big Freedia on Queer Faith, Why She's Grateful to Beyoncé and Going Back to Church With ‘Pressing Onward’
How Taylor Swift’s Music Gave a Trans Scholar Her Girlhood
When Harvard professor and celebrated poet Stephanie Burt listens to Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen,” she doesn't just hear a bittersweet teenage memory wrapped [...]Read more about How Taylor Swift’s Music Gave a Trans Scholar Her Girlhood
From Madonna to the AIDS Crisis: 50-Plus Years of Menjo’s in Detroit LGBTQ+ History
As Menjo’s — one of Detroit’s longest-running gay bars — celebrates over half a century in operation, it stands as a rare survivor and a testament to queer [...]Read more about From Madonna to the AIDS Crisis: 50-Plus Years of Menjo’s in Detroit LGBTQ+ History
Maren Morris Talks Coming Out as Bisexual, Country Music and Her ‘Ceremonial’ WeHo Pride Debut
When Maren Morris headlined OutLoud Music Festival during West Hollywood Pride in May, she reveled in the “very ceremonial” moment. It had been a year since she [...]Read more about Maren Morris Talks Coming Out as Bisexual, Country Music and Her ‘Ceremonial’ WeHo Pride Debut
Sufjan Stevens Emerges From Two-Year 'Shitshow' With Rare Interview, Calls the Bible 'Very Gay'
In his first interview since revealing both his Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosis and the death of his partner Evans Richardson IV last year, Sufjan Stevens has [...]Read more about Sufjan Stevens Emerges From Two-Year 'Shitshow' With Rare Interview, Calls the Bible 'Very Gay'
In Glam and Gospel, Jake Wesley Rogers Finds God in the Margins
Jake Wesley Rogers is a poet in glitter and leather, a kind of spiritual guide for queer kids growing up in a world that still hasn’t fully figured out how to [...]Read more about In Glam and Gospel, Jake Wesley Rogers Finds God in the Margins
An Ode to Kim Petras: Why America Needs More Trans Pop Stars Right Now
I was once putting my new sex playlist to the test when my hookup paused to point out that it was exclusively Kim Petras. I clarified that it was Kim [...]Read more about An Ode to Kim Petras: Why America Needs More Trans Pop Stars Right Now
When Arabic Lyrics Become American Refuge: A Queer Veteran's Relationship with Mashrou' Leila
Recently they’ve returned to my mix for reasons too obvious to state.
Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s Younger Brother, Dead at 63: 'I Know He's Dancing Somewhere'
Artist and dancer Christopher Ciccone has died at age 63.In an emotional Instagram tribute, Madonna described Ciccone, her younger brother, as “the closest [...]Read more about Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s Younger Brother, Dead at 63: 'I Know He's Dancing Somewhere'
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s ‘Sweat’ Tour Launch in Detroit: A Queer Club on Steroids
If you popped on Grindr at around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday anywhere in Detroit, you saw a grid of faces and torsos that signaled Something Very Gay Is Happening [...]Read more about Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s ‘Sweat’ Tour Launch in Detroit: A Queer Club on Steroids
Chappell Roan, Lollapalooza and a Whole Summer of Queer Celebration
Chicago’s Grant Park has likely never seen as much pink as it did on Aug. 1.That’s because Chappell Roan, self-proclaimed "Midwest princess" and [...]Read more about Chappell Roan, Lollapalooza and a Whole Summer of Queer Celebration
The Michigan Roots of the Midwest Princess: Chappell Roan’s Interlochen Instructor on the Impact of an Artist Who ‘Knocked Me Out Immediately’
For its princess, Chappell Roan, the roots to the Midwest run deep. At Michigan’s own Interlochen Arts Camp, Roan wrote the song that would help launch her [...]Read more about The Michigan Roots of the Midwest Princess: Chappell Roan’s Interlochen Instructor on the Impact of an Artist Who ‘Knocked Me Out Immediately’
Michigan LGBTQ+ Choruses Sing to the Rafters at National GALA Choruses Fest
The GALA Choruses Festival, held July 10-14 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is something to sing about, and not just because six Michigan-based choruses were in [...]Read more about Michigan LGBTQ+ Choruses Sing to the Rafters at National GALA Choruses Fest
Muna and the Power of Queer Representation at Pitchfork Music Festival
I saw the indie pop band Muna perform live for the first time on my 22nd birthday. I had been a fan for years, and they were opening for Phoebe Bridgers at The [...]Read more about Muna and the Power of Queer Representation at Pitchfork Music Festival
Attend Ann Arbor and Royal Oak Pride, Get Tickets for Miss Gay Michigan America, Watch a New Bay City Madonna Documentary, Go Climb a Rock
As the humidity of mid-summer days glues you to your seat, if you can find a way to scrape yourself free, there are plenty of queer things to see and do [...]Read more about Attend Ann Arbor and Royal Oak Pride, Get Tickets for Miss Gay Michigan America, Watch a New Bay City Madonna Documentary, Go Climb a Rock
Detroit’s Baddie Brooks Makes History at NYC Pride March
Detroit’s own Baddie Brooks repped Michigan like the talented boss bitch she is at the annual New York City Pride March on June 30, where she served as a Grand [...]Read more about Detroit’s Baddie Brooks Makes History at NYC Pride March
Her True Colors, Still Shining Through: Cyndi Lauper Talks Reflective New Era, Farewell Tour and Championing LGBTQ+ Causes
At 70, Cyndi Lauper’s special place in pop music history can be seen everywhere you look. Look around at abortion rights rallies and you’ll see “Girls Just Want [...]Read more about Her True Colors, Still Shining Through: Cyndi Lauper Talks Reflective New Era, Farewell Tour and Championing LGBTQ+ Causes
5 Things You Might Not Know About Cavetown
When Robin Skinner, aka Cavetown, brings his latest tour to Sterling Heights on July 12, expect the “bedroom pop” vibes the performer has been creating since a [...]Read more about 5 Things You Might Not Know About Cavetown
From Small-Town Roots to Big Pride Performances: How Michigan Shaped Wreckno's Musical Queerness
Growing up in the small town of Manistee in northern Michigan, Brandon Wisniski, better known by their stage name Wreckno, didn’t have much of a queer [...]Read more about From Small-Town Roots to Big Pride Performances: How Michigan Shaped Wreckno's Musical Queerness
‘Queer Drunk Punk’ Author Zehava Frieman on How Growing Up in Grosse Pointe Park Inspired Her Debut Novel
When Zehava Frieman finally sat down to write “Queer Drunk Punk” in 2021 on the tail end of decades of what she describes as “creative constipation,” the debut [...]Read more about ‘Queer Drunk Punk’ Author Zehava Frieman on How Growing Up in Grosse Pointe Park Inspired Her Debut Novel
Three Years Ago, Detroit Techno Icon DJ Minx Came Out. Now, She's Living a Life She Never Thought She Could.
Jennifer Witcher is better known as DJ Minx at the Spot Lite Detroit nightclub and coffeehouse, where she saunters in one weekday afternoon in late February in [...]Read more about Three Years Ago, Detroit Techno Icon DJ Minx Came Out. Now, She's Living a Life She Never Thought She Could.
Fern Fest Women's Music Festival Is Moving, But Staying True to Its Inclusive Roots
Change is in the air for Michigan’s Fern Fest, a six-day women’s music festival that has experienced rapid growth since its first ever gathering in 2022.Built [...]Read more about Fern Fest Women's Music Festival Is Moving, But Staying True to Its Inclusive Roots
Let’s Try This Again: Meet Cakes da Killa, a Rap ‘Foremother’ Who Just Happens to Be Queer
It’s a sign of the times that a rapper can be Black, openly queer and free from the genre’s deep-seated hypermasculinity, and not just be named Lil Nas X. Most [...]Read more about Let’s Try This Again: Meet Cakes da Killa, a Rap ‘Foremother’ Who Just Happens to Be Queer
From Movement to Electric Forest and Beyond: Your Queer Guide to Music Festivals
Something about a music festival feels intrinsically and irrevocably queer. Perhaps it’s the fact that they pretty much originated, at least in the United [...]Read more about From Movement to Electric Forest and Beyond: Your Queer Guide to Music Festivals
5 Questions with Queer ‘On Your Feet!’ Cast Member Jake Dylan Ahead of Fox Theatre Performance
Detroiters will have only a brief opportunity to see the Broadway hit musical “On Your Feet! The Story Of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” when the touring [...]Read more about 5 Questions with Queer ‘On Your Feet!’ Cast Member Jake Dylan Ahead of Fox Theatre Performance
Why It Matters That Detroit Is Featured in the New Lil Nas X Film
It matters that Lil Nas X’s 2022 tour kicked off in Detroit, where the first third of the new documentary “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero" takes place. In [...]Read more about Why It Matters That Detroit Is Featured in the New Lil Nas X Film
Several Notable Queer, Ally Performers Announced for Detroit’s Movement Festival, with More to Come
Movement Music Festival, the multi-day electronic music festival that has become an international draw since its inception in 2006, will include a diverse range [...]Read more about Several Notable Queer, Ally Performers Announced for Detroit’s Movement Festival, with More to Come
What Queer Community Means to Ann Arbor Folk Fest Performer Lizzie No
A good folk song might feel innocent on the surface, especially when it’s a lilting, acoustic-driven ballad, but hardcore folk fans aren’t drawn to this genre [...]Read more about What Queer Community Means to Ann Arbor Folk Fest Performer Lizzie No
At Her Detroit Show, Madonna Reminded Me What I Once Had Trouble Believing: That Gay Boys Can Survive
When Madonna came home this week, so did I. I came home to a version of myself that had grown up against so many odds, surviving hard-to-be-gay 1990s [...]Read more about At Her Detroit Show, Madonna Reminded Me What I Once Had Trouble Believing: That Gay Boys Can Survive
See the Touching Photos from Madonna's ‘Emotional’ Detroit Show, Where She Reminisced About Going to Menjo’s
Of all the things you’d expect at a Madonna show, it might not be sentimentality. Not at the actual show, not after. But Madonna is in the Reflective Era of her [...]Read more about See the Touching Photos from Madonna's ‘Emotional’ Detroit Show, Where She Reminisced About Going to Menjo’s
Lil Nas X Puts Christianity on Blast. Again. Or Does He?
With a fresh new 2024 stretching out before us with all the hope and promise we can manage to muster while basking in the afterglow of yet another dumpster fire [...]Read more about Lil Nas X Puts Christianity on Blast. Again. Or Does He?
Ageism, Her Motown Influences and More: What the Book 'Madonna: A Rebel Life' Tells Us About Madonna
Reading is ... hard. At some point, I joked that I don't read at all anymore, and I may have even said so to Mary Gabriel, the acclaimed writer who has set [...]Read more about Ageism, Her Motown Influences and More: What the Book 'Madonna: A Rebel Life' Tells Us About Madonna
If Madonna Calls, I’m Here
My Dearest Madge,I feel quite confident it’s all right to call you that. You’ve so intimately become a part of my life through the power of your music over [...]Read more about If Madonna Calls, I’m Here
Madonna Was an AIDS Advocate Before the President Would Even Say the Word
These highlights from her long career are just a few examples of how the pop queen has always advocated for AIDS patients and their loved ones.
How a Conductor from Michigan Is Creating Safe Spaces for the Queer Musician Community in Deep Red Florida
Chances are, if you were to close your eyes and picture an orchestra conductor, you’d likely conjure up a stereotypical image: “old, white man in a tuxedo with [...]Read more about How a Conductor from Michigan Is Creating Safe Spaces for the Queer Musician Community in Deep Red Florida
How Mariah Carey’s Spectacularly Diva-Drenched Show in Detroit Was the Energy We Need Heading into 2024
On the first day of December, as it should be every year, Mariah Carey gave one of the most Mariah Carey shows I’ve ever seen in front of a sold-out crowd at [...]Read more about How Mariah Carey’s Spectacularly Diva-Drenched Show in Detroit Was the Energy We Need Heading into 2024
Pink to Shower Florida Fans with Banned Books in ‘Don’t Say Gay’ State
Pink fans attending her shows in Florida this week will benefit from a peaceful act of defiance on the part of the acrobatic pop princess thanks to a [...]Read more about Pink to Shower Florida Fans with Banned Books in ‘Don’t Say Gay’ State
How Matt Rogers Is Ho, Ho, Ho-ing His Way to the Top
Come get cozy around the fire with your chestnuts and hear the soon-to-be classic tale of how Santa got all the toys into his big bag.
