Pride Month 2025: 5 LGBTQ+ Artists To Watch

As Pride Month 2025 comes to a close, we're celebrating the visionary LGBTQ+ artists shaping the future of music. Queer musicians have long been trailblazers in sound, style, and storytelling and today is no different. With artists like boygenius, Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Troye Sivan breaking into the mainstream and topping charts, queer voices are more visible and celebrated than ever. But beyond the spotlight lies a new wave of talent waiting to be heard. Here are five rising LGBTQ+ artists you should have on your radar this year.

1. Nxdia 

Nxdia (Nadia Ahmed) is a non-binary, Egyptian‑British alt-pop artist who has been praised for their ability to blend vulnerabilities, queer identity, and multicultural storytelling into their songwriting.

They have an alt-pop with punk and New Wave flair that combines guitar-driven, energetic pop with gritty production. They have music that lets old‑school pop-punk meet modern attitude. Born in Cairo in 2000, of mixed Egyptian-Sudanese ancestry, they moved to Manchester at eight, and they frequently sing in both English and Arabic, letting mixed language use add depth and emotional texture. 

Their lyrics explore identity, queer love, dysphoria, and inner conflict. They have a 2023 EP In the Flesh and just released their Debut mixtape I Promise No One’s Watching (June 2025). They’re forging a space where marginalized identities feel seen, heard, and celebrated. If you're into emotionally charged, boundary-pushing music with a multicultural twist, they’re absolutely one to watch.

Must listen: “She Likes a Boy” (2024) “Jennifer’s Body,” (2024) “Body on Me” (2025)  “More!” (2025)

2. Shygirl

Shygirl (Blane Muise) is a queer British rapper, singer, and DJ whose boundary-pushing sound has made her one of the most exciting figures in experimental pop and club music. She blends grime, hyperpop, and industrial club beats into bold, sex-positive anthems that center queer desire and feminine power. Raised in South East London, she came up in the city’s queer nightlife scene and co-founded the NUXXE collective. Shygirl’s music often leans into dark, seductive textures with glitchy production and commanding vocals. Her 2022 debut album Nymph earned acclaim for its genre-fluid energy, and her 2023 deluxe Nymph_o saw collaborations with Arca, Tinashe, and Björk. She also was featured in a remix of “365,” the closing track of Charli XCX’s 2024 BRAT. She explores heartbreak, lust, and self-love and does so with vulnerability and unapologetic confidence.

Must listen: “Slime” (2021), “Firefly” (2022), “Coochie (A Bedtime Story)” (2022), “Come for Me” (2023)

3. TORRES

TORRES (Mackenzie Scott) is a non-binary, queer indie-rock artist whose emotionally intense songwriting and genre-defying sound have carved out a space of radical vulnerability. Born in Georgia and raised in a conservative Christian household, Scott blends their Southern roots with brooding indie rock, synth-pop, and country influences. Their music explores themes of identity, faith, queerness, love, and personal upheaval. Across albums like Sprinter (2015), Three Futures (2017), and Thirstier (2021), they’ve embraced both raw rock and experimental electronics. Their most recent project, a 2025 queer country collaboration with Julien Baker titled Send a Prayer My Way, showcases their lyrical prowess in a more Americana-leaning sound. TORRES challenges gender norms while telling deeply personal stories with grace, grit, and poetic force.

Must listen: “Sugar in the Tank” with Julien Baker (2025), “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes in My Head” (2021), “Hug From a Dinosaur” (2021), “Tuesday” (2025), “Bottom of the Bottle” (2025)

4. aleksiah

aleksiah (Alexia Damokas) is a queer indie-pop singer-songwriter from Adelaide whose diaristic lyricism and angsty guitar-driven sound have made her one of Australia’s most promising new voices. Her songs explore growing pains, girlhood, sapphic crushes, and emotional vulnerability, all told through a lens of poetic honesty. She rose to prominence with her 2022 debut “Fern,” a coming-of-age anthem about falling for a girl in high school, and continued with powerful singles like “Ant Song,” “Pretty Picture,” and “Clothes Off.” Her 2024 debut EP Who Are You When You’re Not Performing? solidified her as a Triple J favorite and earned her a spot on Rolling Stone AU’s “Artists to Watch” list. Inspired by Phoebe Bridgers and Julia Jacklin, aleksiah brings queer intimacy and feminist rage to a genre that thrives on authenticity.

Must listen: “Fern” (2022), “Pretty Picture” (2023), “24” (2024), “Clothes Off” (2025)

5. Wafia

Wafia Al-Rikabi is a queer, Iraqi–Syrian–Australian artist known for her smooth blend of alt-R&B, electro-pop, and soul. Her music often navigates personal identity, heartbreak, empowerment, and family, infusing pop sounds with political and cultural nuance. Originally studying biomedicine, Wafia pivoted to music after her early SoundCloud uploads gained traction, and her breakout 2016 track “Heartburn” earned praise from Pharrell. She identifies as queer and frequently discusses both cultural and romantic identity in her work. Tracks like “Bodies” were inspired by her family’s refugee background and the Muslim ban, while others like “I’m Good” and “Pick Me” speak to queer heartbreak and resilience. She’s collaborated with artists like Ta-ku, Louis the Child, and G Flip. Wafia’s voice is rich and emotive, and her storytelling is both personal and politically aware.

Must listen: “Heartburn” (2016), “Bodies” (2017), “I’m Good” (2020), “Pick Me” (2023)