There are few years in recent memory where queer artists performed as well as they did in 2024. Throughout the calendar year, reigning queer artists continued their trajectory toward the summit of the charts, while up-and-coming acts saw huge breakthroughs that shook up the field.
Billie Eilish released yet another massive album with Hit Me Hard and Soft and watched “Birds of a Feather” become one of the biggest crossover successes of her already impressive career. Chappell Roan went from being a beloved DIY pop femininomenon to one of the most famous artists in the world in a matter of months. Doechii cashed in on years of good buzz to deliver an all-time great rap project with Alligator Bites Never Heal. At Sunday’s Grammys (Feb. 2), queer artists are nominated across multiple genres as well as being represented each of the Big Four categories. By almost every metric, 2024 saw LGBTQ+ artists gain more ground than almost any year prior.
With such a big year in the rearview, can 2025 possibly stack up? According to Mercury Record’s Tyler Arnold, the sky is the limit when it comes to artistic breakthroughs. “More artists will break than we have been seeing in recent years,” he recently told Billboard . “We saw it with Noah Kahan and this year’s best new artist nominees. Artist development is now a longer process, but if you’re patient, persistent and invest in the right talent, you can have these incredible moments 5-10 years into artists’ careers.”
Below, Billboard takes a look at 10 LGBTQ+ acts that could have big years in 2025, from cult-beloved stars to bubbling under artists. See who made our list below:
