Looking for some new queer tunes to spice up your weekend? Look no further! Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From Tayla Parx’s stunning new single to Katya’s debut EP, check out some of our favorite new releases this week below.
Tayla Parx, “Fixerupper”
Sometimes, you need someone to help build you back up after you’ve fallen apart — and on Tayla Parx’s new song, that feeling has never sounded catchier. “Fixerupper,” the latest single off of Parx’s upcoming album Coping Mechanisms, sees the singer/songwriter asking her lover to help her learn to love again, before breaking it down into a grade-A pop dance beat.
“‘Fixerupper’ marks a moment of growth,” Parx said of the track in a statement. “It came after I ended up meeting my next love. I recognized the need to get over some situations, be patient, and understand there are some bandages necessary to fix me up.”
Mxmtoon, “OK On Your Own (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen)”
In her new video for her Carly Rae Jepsen collab “OK On Your Own,” Mxmtoon is offering a visual representation of what quarantine feels like. Throughout the new clip, the singer imagines a whole world of cartoonish creatures, plants, and even planets manifesting before her eyes, all while she’s stuck inside her apartment. From the song’s soothing melodies, to the video’s out-of-this-world visuals, “OK On Your Own” is a must-watch for your weekend.
Katya, Vampire Fitness
With a drag queen as eclectic as Katya, fans will be delighted to hear that her new EP Vampire Fitness is just as wacky and wonderful as she is. From the overtly raunchy “Come In Brazil” (featuring fellow Drag Race alum Alaska Thunderfuck), to the trance-pop banger “Ding Dong!” (featuring UNHhhh co-host Trixie Mattel), Katya lives out her pop star fantasy in the best way possible all throughout her new project. “It’s a vanity project, kind of,” Katya tells Billboard of her new EP. “Well, not kind of — totally, because I’m not really a musician. It was just something fun to do.”
Gregory Dillon, Sad Magic
With his debut EP Sad Magic, rising pop singer Gregory Dillon proves why he deserves your attention. A dance-pop confessional from start to finish, Sad Magic sees Dillon embracing the sad boy energy to tell the story of a depressed-yet-hopeful adolescence. If the EP doesn’t have you dancing, chances are you’ll be crying. “It isn’t enough for this EP to just be euphoric or mysterious; I also hope to relay something very ordinary, very familiar, and very nostalgic,” Dillon said of the new EP in a statement.
Glass Battles, “Phantom Limb (feat. Mercy Collazo)”
Glass Battles truly outdoes himself on his latest single “Phantom Limb.” Filled to the brim with synthetic vocals and saturated beats, the insane dance track will have you pumping your fist and dancing along no matter where you are. And that’s to say nothing of the evocative, Sin City-meets-Blade Runner video, which will take you on a story-driven journey that you simply could not have anticipated.
“Phantom Limb is about getting lost in a personal fantasy so deeply that it still feels like it’s there long after it’s ended,” Glass Battles tells Billboard of the new song. “The city of Cyberia is the world I’m trying to create visually, something you won’t forget and want to escape back into. Something you beg to be haunted by.”
Vōx, “This Body”
Looking for a good song to cool down to this weekend? Press play on Vōx’s “This Body.” Throughout the ethereal single, the singer-songwriter waxes poetic on self-ownership, which is only further amplified by her out-of-this-world vocals. “This song sums up exactly what I wanted to express with my This Body EP,” Vōx tells Billboard. “It’s perfectly distilled by the chorus lyrics, ‘You were not here first. I was.’ In my body, I come first. It’s about ownership, boundaries, and self care. For me personally, this song was a healing salve I wrote while I was first facing my own sexual trauma.”
Ray Hodge, “I Am King”
Sometimes, all you need is your voice to make an impression. That’s certainly the case with Ray Hodge, whose new a capella version of his song “I Am King” will send you into a full-on state of bliss. Joined by three friends on a rooftop in Brooklyn, Hodge lets his voice speak for itself, as he croons out an anthem of self-actualization and triumph. “For all I am, my ancestors tell me so/ My blood it tells me so/ My being it tells me so,” he wails.
Anjimile, “Baby No More”
You ever just want to throw a party for yourself? Anjimile certainly does, as he shows in his new music video for “Baby No More.” Dancing his way through a party-decorated apartment, the rising singer shows that he’s down to have a good time regardless of whether or not you show up. Add his gorgeous, silky vocals, and you’ve got a music video that you’ll want to put on repeat. “Am I not supposed to hurt you? Am I not supposed to make you cry?” he sings. “Damn I just don’t know good loving the right way.”