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2015: The Year in Lesbian/Bi Music

This year was a fair one for lesbian and bisexual visibility in music, with out women receiving respect from critics and fans while also being unashamed of their sexuality; many of them using their very public platforms to be voices for equality and fairness. But 2015 was not without controversies or eye-roll-worthy moments, either, all which helped to create some much-needed ongoing conversations about identity, intersectionality and its place in pop culture.

Aspiring pop singer Manika‘s “I Might Go Lesbian” featured established rapper Tyga on a song that was about being so sick of men that she might be convinced to try a relationship with a woman. Rising Stars

British singer Jess Glynne had no qualms about sharing the inspiration for her hit album, I Cry When I Laugh. Songs like “Hold My Hand” and “Take Me Home” were based on a bad break-up with an ex-girlfriend, and Jess has proven to be an international star in the making with a Grammy win for her single “Rather Be” and nominations for MTV Europe Music Awards.

Bisexual singer Halsey debuted with Badlands in August and also appeared on Justin Bieber‘s album for the duet “The Feeling.” The 21-year-old electro-pop star also spent part of her year opening on tours for The Weeknd and Imagine Dragons.

Scream Queens star Keke Palmer‘s video for “I Don’t Belong to You” hinted at her not-so-straightness when she shows up to see co-star Cassie clad in lingerie. When asked about the bisexual theme, she said she doesn’t label herself. Coming up, Keke will star in Fox’s Grease: Live and is working on a new album with Island Records.

Looking Forward

Bisexual songwriter Sia is readying a new album, This is Acting, which is full of songs originally intended for artists like Adele and Rihanna.

Mary Lambert is also working on a follow-up to her 2014 LP, Heart on my Sleeve. In 2015, she appeared as herself on an episode of Faking It.

Eliot Sumner, who recently acknowledged they are agender and in a relationship with a woman, is readying Information, their second album on Island Records, due out January 22.

Sisterhood of Hip Hop star Siya is preparing to drop a new single with mentor Tank, Chris Brown and Sage the Gemini.

Hunter Valentine just announced that their 2016 tour would be their last, and the band would be splitting up to pursue other musical ventures before the end of the year.

Other queer artists with releases planned for 2016 include Azealia Banks, Savages, Lady Gaga, Emily Wells and the xx.

Noteworthy Courtney Barnett made a strong showing this year with her debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, which secured her a spot playing on The Ellen Show and a Grammy nod for Best New Artist. The Aussie indie darling is openly in a relationship with another musician (Jen Cloher) and has a song about their love called “Pickles from the Jar.”

Also up for a Grammy this year is The Internet, whose Ego Death is nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Fronted by out DJ/MC Syd Tha Kyd, the group’s third full-length featured collaborations with Janelle Monae and Vic Mensa.

Brandi Carlile received her first Grammy nod this year for The Firewatcher’s Daughter, her first album with new label ATO Records. The Seattle-based musician spent a majority of the year touring with co-conspirators the Hanseroth Brothers and also brought her Fight the Fear campaign to several cities.

Tegan and Sara spent most of 2015 recording their follow-up to Heartthrob, but they made time to perform at the opening ceremony of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Edmonton.

Country singer Brandy Clark released her album, 12 Stories, in 2014, but her 2015 single “Hold My Hand” was eligible to put her up for another Grammy: Best Country Song. Her first single, “Stripes,” won her International Song of the Year at the British Country Music Association Awards earlier this year.

Angel Haze was a guest on MTV’s Catfish and off-shoot special Truce this year, bringing the pansexual, agender artist a new set of fans. But it was their new album, Back to the Woods, that kept them listening. Angel was also nominated for a GLAAD award in 2015: Outstanding Music Artist.

St. Vincent (nee Annie Clark) continued touring off of her 2014 self-titled album throughout the year and also appeared on stage with Taylor Swift and Beck as part of Taylor’s 1989 tour. Annie never had an official coming out, (telling Rolling Stone she believes in sexual fluidity), but publicly acknowledged her relationship with model/actress Cara Delevingne.

Miley Cyrus performed with Joan Jett at her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, as well as in her Backyard Sessions benefitting her Happy Hippie Foundation earlier this year. Identifying herself as pansexual, Miley released an album with her band The Dead Petz that included a song about having sex with a woman (“Bang Me Box”). Although she’s been a voice for the LGBT community in 2015, she also stirred up controversy with her cultural appropriation while hosting the MTV VMAs and on tour.

Holly Miranda‘s self-titled album came out on new label Dangerbird Records with single “All I Want is to Be Your Girl.” She toured throughout the year and continued to support feminist non-profit organization Lady Parts Justice.

Other out artists who released new music this year include THEESatisfaction, Des Ark, Soko, SOAK, Shura, Lower Dens, K’s Choice, Sizzy Rocket, Peaches, Hemming, Natasha Kmeto, Worriers, Micachu and the Shapes, Sea of Bees, CocoRosie, Sick of Sarah and Vanessa Carlton.

Legends The Indigo Girls released their 14th studio album, One Lost Day, on Vanguard Records, reaching number two on the U.S. folk charts. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers also appeared on Transparent Season 2, performing as themselves in an episode that has received some ire from fans of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. The festival officially closed this summer after 40 years, largely due to the support pulled from artists like the Indigo Girls who refused to play unless the fest changed its stance on trans women being allowed to attend and participate.

Kate Pierson put out her first ever solo album, Guitars & Microphones, featuring songs co-written with Sia. Kate also married longtime partner, Monica Coleman, this past August.

Melissa Etheridge went on tour with Blondie and released a live album, A Little Bit of Me: Live in L.A.

Joan Jett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with her band The Blackhearts. She also appeared as herself on an episode of FX’s Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.

Sleater-Kinney reunited for their first album in a decade, No Cities to Love, and embarked on a highly celebrated sold out tour. Carrie Brownstein also released a memoir, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, detailing the band’s career and her early relationship with lead singer Corin Tucker.

Linda Perry released a different kind of album this year with wife Sara Gilbert. Together they created Deer Sounds, a musical children’s project for the family. Linda also wrote a song for the film Freeheld, “Hands of Love,” sang by Miley Cyrus.

Sadly, we lost pop vocalist Lesley Gore to lung cancer this year while she was in the midst of writing a musical based on her life. Lesley had hits like “It’s My Party” and “Judy’s Turn to Cry” in the early ’60s and continued performing throughout her life, with her song “You Don’t Own Me” becoming a classic. Trevor Tolliver‘s biography, You Don’t Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore, was released in August.

Janis Ian shared a harrowing story about her brush with Bill Cosby in support of the women who have spoken out about his having sexually assaulted them. The out singer is also nominated for a Best Spoken Word Grammy for her narration of the classic lesbian novel Therese & Isabelle.

Friends and Foes This year was not unlike the past few in its mix of positive and supportive songs from allies and selections of frustrating stereotypes from pop stars who flirt with sexual fluidity for exploitation sake. In the former category, Jennifer Hudson was nominated for a VMA for her music video, “I Still Love You,” starring Leisha Hailey as an officiant at a same-sex wedding. Tove Lo’s “Timebomb” video included same-sex couples. Kehlani‘s “First Position” focuses on a lesbian pair.

Actress/singer Hayley Kiyoko first co-directed her own music video starring two teenage girls who fall for one another in “Girls Like Girls,” and followed it up by starring in a Sapphic love story herself for “Cliff’s Edge.”

Demi Lovatos “Cool for the Summer” left little room for ambiguity in her lyrics about a “forbidden love” love affair she sang about engaging in. But when it came to the actual video, she left the girl-on-girl to extras instead of participating herself. The former Disney star performed her cheeky single for several television appearances, including the MTV VMAs, but played coy when interviewers asked about her true inspiration for the song. The biggest song to come out of country music this year was somewhat confusing at first, as the term “Girl Crush” isn’t something you’d expect to hear on mainstream radio. And while some stations boycotted the song from Little Big Town, the general consensus from fans and award shows alike, was that this nod to lesbian-lite was actually a play on words, with the band’s female vocalists only wanting to do things like taste the lips of another woman because she was the one kissing the man of their dreams.

Aspiring pop singer Manika‘s “I Might Go Lesbian” featured established rapper Tyga on a song that was about being so sick of men that she might be convinced to try a relationship with a woman. Rising Stars

British singer Jess Glynne had no qualms about sharing the inspiration for her hit album, I Cry When I Laugh. Songs like “Hold My Hand” and “Take Me Home” were based on a bad break-up with an ex-girlfriend, and Jess has proven to be an international star in the making with a Grammy win for her single “Rather Be” and nominations for MTV Europe Music Awards.

Bisexual singer Halsey debuted with Badlands in August and also appeared on Justin Bieber‘s album for the duet “The Feeling.” The 21-year-old electro-pop star also spent part of her year opening on tours for The Weeknd and Imagine Dragons.

Scream Queens star Keke Palmer‘s video for “I Don’t Belong to You” hinted at her not-so-straightness when she shows up to see co-star Cassie clad in lingerie. When asked about the bisexual theme, she said she doesn’t label herself. Coming up, Keke will star in Fox’s Grease: Live and is working on a new album with Island Records.

Looking Forward

Bisexual songwriter Sia is readying a new album, This is Acting, which is full of songs originally intended for artists like Adele and Rihanna.

Mary Lambert is also working on a follow-up to her 2014 LP, Heart on my Sleeve. In 2015, she appeared as herself on an episode of Faking It.

Eliot Sumner, who recently acknowledged they are agender and in a relationship with a woman, is readying Information, their second album on Island Records, due out January 22.

Sisterhood of Hip Hop star Siya is preparing to drop a new single with mentor Tank, Chris Brown and Sage the Gemini.

Hunter Valentine just announced that their 2016 tour would be their last, and the band would be splitting up to pursue other musical ventures before the end of the year.

Other queer artists with releases planned for 2016 include Azealia Banks, Savages, Lady Gaga, Emily Wells and the xx.

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