It’s Black History Month in Ireland and we have compiled a list of Black LGBTQ+ artists we have on repeat right now. Popular music has long been indebted to Black culture, so these are just a handful of the queer Black musicians that are exciting us today.
Doechii
Doechii is a major force in the contemporary music landscape. Whether it’s her incredible NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Fred Again’s ‘Victory Lap’ which samples her song ‘Swamp Bitches (with Rico Nasty)’, or the collab with Lady Gaga for The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack, her music has been all across the mainstream, and we are not complaining! With a signature sharp lyricism and quick flow that is intoxicating to listen to, she is a Gen Z icon making music that is singular.
Amaarae
Raised between Accra and Atlanta, Amaarae’s music dissolves borders of nation and genre. After the virality of ‘Sad Girlz Luv Money’ from her debut album, Amaarae followed up with Fountain Baby, a record which leans into dance-pop and funk. This was succeeded by her most recent release, BLACK STAR. A fun take on the classic club album, BLACK STAR integrates Afrobeat rhythms with EDM and elements of house and also includes features from PinkPantheress and Naomi Campbell. Across her work, Amaarae explores sexual fluidity, and her music encourages open expression of one’s sensuality.
Cat Burns
A storytelling singer-songwriter, Cat Burns has an intimate discography that can be playful, tender, and candid all at once. Speaking to Gay Times about reconciling her sexuality and ethnicity as a Black LGBTQ+ musician, Burns has said, “If you’re a Black woman, I want you to feel heard and seen,” because “We are vulnerable people who are capable of having lots of emotions. And, being a Black queer woman adds a layer to that.”
In late 2025, the public got to know Burns away from her music on Celebrity Traitors. While she took that role seriously, her latest single, ‘Is It That Deep?’, is a mantra for the carefree. The track dropped with a music video on October 9.
Kaytranada
A producer and DJ lauded by his contemporaries, Kaytranada’s 2013 Boiler Room set in Montreal is etched in the platform’s history as one of the most memorable and frequently revisited for his ability to move seamlessly between Hip-Hop, R&B, and Electronic music.
In 2016, whilst promoting his 99.9% album, Kaytranada came out as gay in an interview with The Fader. The same year, when speaking to the radio show Sway in the Morning, he said: “I see like, when people come out, they always get put in a box and I don’t think it’s right. I want my music to reach out to everybody”. That he has achieved; his music truly is for everybody who wants to dance.
Arlo Parks
With mellow indie-pop and an astute storytelling ability, Arlo Parks’ debut album peaked at number three on the UK charts. This propelled her to opening for Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, and even garnering a shout-out from Michelle Obama.
In an interview, she commented on the relationship between her bisexuality and artistic work, saying, “My queer identity has always made its way into my music because it’s who I am”. Themes of queer love and loss are interspersed throughout her first two albums, Collapsed In Sunbeams and My Soft Machine. In her third album, Ambiguous Desire (whose deluxe edition was released on October 9), Parks conjures a tone of the night by experimenting with UK garage and house to complement the lyricism that keeps us coming back.
Kehlani
Kehlani has been a staple of R&B music since 2014 when she released her debut mixtape, Cloud 19. In 2021, the Black LGBTQ+ artist announced they would be using non-binary ‘she/they’ pronouns, which she described as “really affirming” for them. Their most recent release is the self-titled Kehlani which draws upon their past sounds and includes features from their influences such as Missy Elliott and Brandy.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X has been a groundbreaking artist since he released his debut studio album Montero in 2021. With chart-topping hits like ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’, Lil Nas X’s songs have always been unapologetically queer, often accompanied by steamy gay music videos; who could forget Lil Nas X giving Satan a lap dance?
The Georgian rapper and pop star rose to fame when he was featured on Billy Ray Cyrus’ 2019 country-rap remix of ‘Old Town Road’. Lil Nas X later performed the smash hit onstage at the 2020 Grammy Awards alongside Diplo and BTS. The star has since stunned fans at the Met Gala and other awards shows, decked out in campy ensembles designed by the likes of Christopher John Rogers and Versace. At the beginning of October, Lil Nas X returned with a new single ‘World’s Greatest!’.
Victoria Monét
One of the most reliable voices in the R&B pop genre, Victoria Monét’s career has been a steady climb. From winning Best New Artist at the 2024 Grammys, she recently opened for Bruno Mars on the European leg of his The Romantic Tour. Monét will soon commence a tour of North America for her latest album, Frequency Of Love, which includes guest vocals from SZA, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller and Leon Thomas.
Monét was in a relationship with Kehlani, who featured on their song ‘Touch Me’ off her 2020 EP Jaguar. Speaking about her bisexuality in an interview with Variety, Monét said, “I thought that conforming would make me go further. Being picturesque, straight…”. She goes on to explain that being a Black LGBTQ+ musician, “It almost felt like you didn’t want to add any more weights to your ankles trying to win a race. It’s like, you’re already a woman, you’re already Black – you’d better pick a struggle.” Safe to say we are glad she never conformed and has been true to herself in her artistry.
kwn
A Londoner with an Irish mother and Nigerian father, kwn is a self-identified “girl who likes girls”. Her collaboration with Kehlani on ‘worst behaviour’ was a hit amongst the sapphics, and so was the passionate music video that accompanied. Kwn’s most recent release is the album and all pride aside, which continues the sensuous R&B sounds that we so fondly associate with her. The soothing, melodic runs are entrancing, and kwn is only at the start of her career, so now is the time to become a fan.
Honey Dijon
In 2017, Honey Dijon burst onto the scene with her debut album entitled The Best of Both Worlds. She is a Chicago-born house DJ who frequents queer clubs, art galleries and fashion events around the world, even curating soundtracks for runway shows like the Louis Vuitton menswear show in 2018.
Dijon is a proud Black trans woman and vocal advocate, leading roundtable discussions at activist events. Her latest project THERAPY AT THE CLUB: Club Therapy with Honey Dijon is a remix of FLO’s second studio album, THERAPY AT THE CLUB.
Mykki Blanco
From Madonna to Charli xcx, Mykki Blanco has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music. A non-binary artist who has been contributing to the music industry for many years, they recently released a new playful album, CAFE PARADISO.
Speaking on how the mainstream interacts with their queer identity, Blanco said, “In the mainstream media, we’re fed this palatable idea of what it is to be queer – this clean-cut, whitewashed idea; a queerness that plays by heterosexual rules. There are queer people who, in their authenticity, fit into that way of being, and that’s fine. But, for most of us, that’s not true to our lived experience. In my own trans journey, I was always a gender-nonconforming person. I was always a target, highly visible yet invisible at the same time.”
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah’s debut album, All Hail the Queen, was released in 1989 when she was only 19! It is still lauded for harnessing the powers of Jazz, Pop, and Hip-Hop, with the jewel in the crown of the album being the feminist anthem ‘Ladies First’. Since then, Queen Latifah’s career has bridged generations. Her musical presence on screen has endured decades, from Living Single to Chicago to Hairspray and now with her latest venture as a coach on the 30th season of NBC’s The Voice.
Whilst not often discussed in the canon of Black LGBTQ+ music (she avoided questions about her relationships for much of her career), at the end of her speech accepting the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, she acknowledged her longtime partner, choreographer Eboni Nichols, and concluded with “Happy Pride”.
For more Black LGBTQ+ and other artists of colour to add to your playlists, look here!
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