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2007 Year in Review: Music

In 2007, lesbians and bisexual women continued to be instrumental in all musical genres. While some moved out of indie oblivion to join the majors and place on the Billboard charts, others stayed true to their roots and played to committed fans. While veterans like Melissa Etheridge and Linda Perry showed their staying power, it was also a great year for new artists to emerge, from Uh Huh Her to Yo Majesty.

Building a fan base was made easier by social networking sites, videos on demand, and podcasts like The Lesbian Lounge or Feast of Fools, and the mainstream media took notice. From nude magazine covers to indefinite breakups, lesbian and bisexual musicians demanded attention this year more than ever.

All this might imply that being out and proud in the music industry is a no-brainer, but the situation is not as clear-cut as it may seem. Though some musicians, notably Australian Missy Higgins, came out in 2007, others chose to remain in the closet by refusing to speak on record about their sexual orientation. Melissa Etheridge may have won an Academy Award this year, demonstrating that being out is fine for those who are successful, but for younger and emerging artists, coming out is still a struggle.

Out in the Spotlight

Having mainstream success in the music industry doesn’t always equal validation, but it can certainly help spread a queer-positive message to a widespread audience. Artists such as Tegan and Sara were able to do that this year. In July, the Canadian twin set reached a broad audience by way of a week of MTV spots, a talk show appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, and MySpace tour video blogs called Trailer Talk. But what really catapulted them out of the underground was the release of their fifth album, The Con.

Produced by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and indie rock producer Chris Walla, The Con was hailed critically for its pop gems and lyrical laments of love gone wrong. Videos in conjunction with singles for the title track and “Back in Your Head” gave the duo more visibility, landing them on the cover of national music magazine Under the Radar and a guest spot on NPR’s Bryant Park Project.

Following on the success of The Con, Tegan and Sara released an EP that offered B-sides and remixes, I’ll Take The Blame, in November. The same month, Sara Quin was featured in Canadian rock band The Reason’s music video for a single, “We’re So Beyond This,” that she recorded with the band for their new album.

Also becoming a cover girl this year was Beth Ditto of The Gossip. As the band’s fat-positive, queer front woman, Beth has been an outspoken feminist who posed nude on the cover of British music rag NME. She spoke out against the fashion industry, declaring that designers and stores ignore plus-size women. In response, model Kate Moss and actor Keira Knightley showed their support for her in the press, praising Ditto’s body and image. The U.K. press especially took note of her growing popularity and began to cover her in the tabloids. At the same time, Ditto began penning a bimonthly advice column for British newspaper The Guardian, answering readers’ questions such as, “How do I come out at work?”

The Gossip’s one-off gigs included a spot at fashion show/concert Fashion Rocks alongside music heavyweights BeyoncĂ© and Paul McCartney. And The Gossip’s song “Standing in the Way of Control” was sung by an Australian Idol contestant, showing that the band had reached international popularity this year.

The Gossip signed to Sony’s LGBT-themed Music with a Twist label in 2006 and toured extensively in 2007 on their own and as part of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Tour. Benefiting the Human Rights Campaign, the True Colors tour played to large audiences in auditoriums across the United States over the summer and also featured Rosie O’Donnell, Indigo Girls, Debbie Harry, Margaret Cho and others. A compilation of music from artists on the tour was released in June.

Vocalist and pianist Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, one of the artists on the True Colors tour, came out as bisexual while doing press for the tour dates.

Another band on the tour, The Cliks, fronted by transgender vocalist and guitarist Lucas Silveira, released their first album, Snakehouse, on Tommy Boy’s gay subsidiary, Silver Label, in April. The Cliks also includes bisexual band members Nina Martinez, Jen Benton and Morgan Doctor. The video for their single “Oh Yeah” stayed on Logo’s Click List for most of the spring and summer.

 

Continuing her reign as the most well-known lesbian musician of the past two decades, Melissa Etheridge received a different kind of recognition this year: She was awarded an Oscar for her song “I Need to Wake Up” from Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth. When she was announced as the winner, Etheridge kissed her partner, Tammy Lynn Etheridge, later telling the press, “I was kissing her because that’s what you do, you kiss your loved one when you win an Oscar, that’s what I grew up believing.”

Etheridge kept a busy schedule for the rest of the year, performing at Live Earth on July 7, 2007, and later releasing her first post-breast cancer album, The Awakening, along with a live performance DVD. She co-hosted a CBS special My Night at the Grammys in November alongside Alicia Keys and Faith Hill, and performed her Oscar-winning song at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in December. Also working with stars like Alicia Keys was out songwriter Linda Perry. Known for the No. 1 hits she wrote for Pink (“Get the Party Started”) and Christina Aguilera (“Beautiful”), Perry wrote tracks for Keys’ 2007 album, As I Am, as well as Celine Dion’s Taking Chances, Vanessa Carlton’s Heroes and Thieves and Gina Gershon’s In Search of Cleo. Alicia Keys’ album debuted on the Billboard charts at No. 1, and Celine Dion’s album peaked at No. 3.

The end of 2007 signified awards season, and two out female musicians were recognized for their talents. Kaki King was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for her contributions to the film Into The Wild. She also played on the Grammy-nominated Foo Fighters album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Meshell Ndegeocello was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Alternative Performance for “Fantasy” from her album, The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams.

To Come Out or Not to Come Out

For every artist willing to expose a little of their private lives to their audiences, there were two or three still unwilling to talk about their sexuality. In the past year, a handful of artists have refrained from speaking to AfterEllen.com because they were not ready to be identified as out musicians. They ranged from a major-label artist whose publicist didn’t understand why a lesbian audience would be interested in her, to an openly queer musician who just “didn’t want to be a spokesperson for gay women in music.”

This shows that the choice to be out still comes with baggage. Some artists may be concerned that being identified as gay means their appeal will then be limited; others may believe that by being openly lesbian or bisexual, they will be expected to become a gay rights activist. In some musical genres, such as hip-hop, being gay is simply not possible if one wants mainstream success.

But there were some who spoke out about their sexuality, including Australian singer/songwriter, Missy Higgins, who has faced speculation about her orientation since the release of her single “Scar.” She finally came out this fall to Australian lesbian magazine Cherie, admitting she wasn’t straight and saying, “I think sexuality is a fluid thing and it’s becoming increasingly more acceptable to admit that you’re that way.”

She later released a statement to clarify her comments, writing on her website, “I’ve been in relationships with both men and women so I guess I fall most easily under the category ‘bisexual.'”

Maori singer-songwriter Anika Moa also came out this year, and in doing so stated that she was not certain whether or not it would affect the sales of her latest album, In Swings the Tide. Her concern mirrors the often legitimate worries of many closeted LGBT performers who struggle with the decision to come out. In a sign that being gay may not be the death knell that some still believe it is, one chart-topping artist managed to cheekily acknowledge the lesbian rumors surrounding her this past year. While singing her hit “Since U Been Gone” with Reba McIntire on CMT’s Crossroads, Kelly Clarkson changed the pronouns from “him” to “her” – and she has reportedly been doing it on tour as well. Indie Exposure

On the underground circuit, queer women could be found on the mic or on the decks. In July, Le Tigre announced they were officially on hiatus, giving queer member J.D. Samson the opportunity to DJ regularly and go on the road with Le Tigre cohort Joanna Fateman as the performance DJ duo Men. Samson was also featured in Junior Senior’s single, “Can I Get Get Get.”

Also announcing a hiatus this year was British band Electrelane, whose album No Shouts, No Calls was a critical favorite. Canadian band The Organ broke up, leaving lesbians to wonder who would be left for The L Word‘s fifth-season soundtrack.

Thankfully, many new acts came onto the scene including Girl in a Coma, discovered by Joan Jett and signed to her label, Blackheart Records. The rock trio released a hit video for “Road to Home” starring Amanda LePore from their debut album, Both Before I’m Gone, and were invited to open for Morrissey on his winter tour.

In April, Montreal-based electro group Lesbians on Ecstasy released their first album since 2004’s cover of famous lesbian anthems, Giggles in the Dark. We Know You Know featured a cover of Betty’s L Word theme song. Lesbians on Ecstasy performed at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival and toured internationally throughout the year. L Word actress and former Murmurs band member Leisha Hailey made a return to the music business this year with a new partner in crime, Camila Grey, to form Uh Huh Her. A keyboard/bass duo that shares vocal responsibilities, Uh Huh Her released their debut EP I See Red in July and started playing on both coasts.

Another new band with former members of influential lesbian groups is Ex-Members, comprised of ex-Butchies and Team Dresch drummer Melissa York and ex-Gerty vocalist Shirlé Hale. They released their debut EP exclusively online in the fall.

In the electro and indie scenes, lesbians staked their claim just as much as gay male and straight artists, and they were endorsed by them as well. They played main stages of festivals such as Siren Nation in Portland, Ore., Ladyfest Chicago, and Queer Fest Midwest and were critically judged based on their music rather than their sexuality by reviewers and fans alike.

Putting the Dykes on the Mic in Hip-Hop

Despite the fact that mainstream hip-hop is still largely straight, while the emerging homo-hop scene is mostly male-dominated, several lesbian MCs did release new albums featuring explicitly gay content this year.

Interracial queer couple Bunny Rabbit and Black Cracker released a hip-hop album, Lovers and Crypts, in February on indie label Voo-doo Eros (run by CocoRosie’s gay half, Bianca Casady). Hanifah Walidah remained a favorite artist on Logo, and also launched a vlog with her girlfriend, Olive Demetrius, titled U People. She is currently working on her film project of the same name, which will feature a soundtrack of songs made by women artists and DJs.

Queer hip-hop staple JenRO released her album My Window at the tail end of the year. The San Francisco-based rapper released the song “Thug Girl,” which is sure to be a hit in 2008. With her strong gay themes and tough exterior, JenRO raps with conviction: “You know you looking for a thug girl.”

Seattle-based MC duo Team Gina released their debut album, Gina Gina Revolution, on Crunk’s Not Dead Records. Their video for “ButchFemme” was a YouTube favorite, as the ladies rapped about being femmes looking for butch girlfriends to court them. They went on a national tour in support of the release, including a stop in Atlanta to play at the gay arts festival, MondoHomo.

The biggest newsmaker in hip-hop and homo-hop alike this year was Yo Majesty, a duo from Tampa Bay, Fla. After playing a rousing set at South by Southwest and getting more press than most bands on major labels could hope for, Yo Majesty were hailed as the new Salt N Pepa by critics from Pitchfork to LA Weekly to Time Out London. Songs like “Kryptonite Pussy” got them signed to Domino Records this summer, home to Franz Ferdinand and Artic Monkeys. Mainstream Inclusion

As in every other form of media, lesbians and bisexual women were a part of the music industry’s bigger picture, being featured in mainstream videos such as Dragonette’s “I Get Around,” Shiny Toy Gun’s “Le Disko,” Valeria’s “Girl I Told Ya,” EndEverAfter’s “Baby Baby Baby” and Queen of the Stone Age’s “3’s & 7’s.”

While the women in these videos exist purely as a fantasy for mostly male viewers, the inclusion of lesbian types in the videos show women together as a normal rather than secretive lifestyle. When well-known bands utilize same-sex relationships in their media, it’s a rather odd endorsement, but an endorsement nonetheless. If the lesbian characters survive unharmed and end up looking just as good in the end as they did in the video’s beginning, the mention can’t hurt.

Or, perhaps these straight artists are just gay friendly, like pop star Hilary Duff, who made mention of all the “lovely ladies logged on” to AfterEllen.com in a good will-generating video greeting earlier this year.

In 2008, look for new albums from Yo Majesty and The Dresden Dolls’ out vocalist Amanda Palmer to be big hits. Sarah Bettens will release her album Shine in the United States. The Gossip have a live album and DVD release planned and a new CD to be released by the end of the year.

Surely the artists who have made a name for themselves in both the mainstream and LGBT community will continue to be fixtures in pop culture, but there’s also room for new artists to promote themselves and prosper. Bands like Girl in a Coma and New York City’s Boyskout look to be even more promising acts in the indie world’s future. Certainly the face of the lesbian or bisexual musician has changed, and is no longer definitely that of a singer/songwriter and her acoustic guitar.

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