Queer experiences can be so varied, but despite this, there seem to be a small amount of popular songs relating to sapphic relationships. We made a playlist for you, with all of our favourite queer songs.
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
‘Good Luck, Babe!’ was released in April this year, blowing up Chappell Roan’s name globally. Gathering almost 50 Million listens on Spotify, the song tells the story of the relationship between two women, the latter is struggling to accept her sexuality. Chappell describes this woman as unable to accept her love, denying any possibility of feelings. The song features synths reminiscent of Pop from the 80s and addictive drums. Chappell’s lyricism and the instrumentals perfectly depict the pain and struggles a woman might face in a sapphic relationship when someone is struggling with their sexuality.
Se So Neon – Nan Chun
Soyoon is a Korean singer and guitarist of the band SE SO NEON. Soyoon wrote ‘Nan Chun’ in 2017, after experiencing writer’s block. The title translated means ‘disorderly spring’ and tells a story about the complications of seasons changing. Particularly what entices a sapphic narrative, is the music video, having a fading relationship between two women is implied. As Soyoon sings about the difficulty of the seasons, the women seem to struggle to stick together. The video shows a comparison between both women in present and past showing how their conflicting emotions remain with the passage of time. The song is very instrumental-centered. With few lyrics, a lot of the listener’s attention is focused on the melancholic guitar melody.
Take a Byte – Janelle Monae
After coming out on the cover of Rolling Stones, Janelle Monae became more confident in writing about her queer experiences and queer love. Their album Dirty Computer took a new look at a deeper version of Janelle, in which her sexuality was explored in multiple tracks throughout. The song addresses complex feelings, one of which may be interpreted as the Bible and how people of the same sex are told they are not meant to love each other. Monae tells her partner in this song that it’s okay for them to take a bite of her, reassuring them of the conflicting feeling someone may have with engaging in queer relationships.
She Plays Bass – Beabadoobee
She Plays Bass came out in 2019 a few months after she signed with her company Dirty Hit Records. Beabadoobee came into the spotlight with her feature on the song ‘Death Bed’ Beabadoobee gathered a lot of attention in 2019, and the song went viral reaching up to 682 Million on its official video on YouTube. Beabadoobee had a different approach with She Play Bass to the LO-fi hit. She Plays Bass is an indie track with an addictive guitar and drum pattern. Beabadoobee sings mellowly about a girl she believes is too good for her. The song perfectly describes Beabadoobee’s pent-up emotions towards this girl, wanting to be with her.
Nxdia – She Likes a Boy
Nxdia is a pop/punk artist growing in popularity after they released ‘She Likes a Boy’. The song tells the story of the complicated relationship between two girls, one who likes her friend who is straight. Nxdia perfectly describes her frustration in liking someone who won’t reciprocate her feelings. The lyrics feature a few lines in Arabic that read everything about the boy that could be likeable over her.
Reneé Rapp – Pretty Girls
After her role in Mean Girls as Regina George, Reneé Rapp’s popularity skyrocketed. For her straightforward personality, her humour, and amazing voice, Renee has been highly recognised as a star on the rise. ‘Pretty Girls’ was released in her album Snow Angel as a single. The song tells the experience of a girl who identifies as straight, trying to involve herself in queer experiences whilst in a relationship with a man. Renee‘s soft tone combined with the chorus growth builds this euphoric feeling while listening to the track.
