Fringe benefi ts
His absence at Pride events might have been noticed, but has got a decent enough excuse: he’s been rounding up the best new sounds between shows in Edinburgh
I’m at the Edinburgh Fringe for the whole of August, which is great except for the fact I’m missing Kylie at Brighton Pride and Ariana at Manchester Pride. Am I even gay?
Of course I am! And I’m back with a fi erce round- up of the hottest music from queers and our allies. Pop sensation Ava Max returns with a stunning EP this month and you’ll need to sit down. The Sweet but Psycho queen is serving up an epic ABBA- inspired disco anthem — it’s either an off icial sample or Ava’s going to have a Swedish lawsuit on her hands. Torn follows the huge success of So Am I, one of the UK’s most downloaded songs of 2019. It features big Eurovision energy and synths reminiscent of early Lady Gaga. Ava is fast becoming a new princess of pop.
Brazilian megastar drag artist Pabllo Vittar just dropped a huge team- up with Charli XCX.
Flash Pose is a euphoric dance- hall banger, laying down major queer empowerment. Pabllo’s also an outspoken critic of Brazil’s conservative president, Jair Bolsonaro, which gives us major The Good Place points just for listening. She recently told Billboard that her success is an / act of activism: “We have to show those kinds of people that you can be who you want and do whatever you want. I am an LGBTQ artist and I am proud of it, and no one can tell me what I can or cannot do.” Slay.
I’m beyond excited for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. With Jade Thirwall ( queen), Alan Carr and Graham Norton all set to judge, we’ve now had it confi rmed that MNEK has joined the forthcoming BBC Three show as a guest vocal coach. Yas! He called RuPaul “sweet and tall” and MNEK’s latest song Bruised Not Broken, with Matoma and Kiana Ledé, is all over my Spotify right now. Check it out.
Lizzo just followed her amazing Glasto performance with a “tiny- ass desk concert” for NPR in the States, and dedicated Truth Hurts to the LGBTQ community. “Bitches ain’t shit sometimes. And all the non- conforming genders in- between, you can all be ain’t shit too. Love is love, man.” Her trap tune Tempo, featuring Missy Elliott, also just got an off icial video and they getting thicc. Lizzo’s got her famous fl ute on deck too, and with body positivity front and centre my number one babe is a force to be reckoned with.
Taylor Swift is in full promo mode and to celebrate the release of her next album she’s giving fans access to her actual diaries… “Dear Diary, today I single- handedly ruined Katy Perry’s career.” JOKES! I’m so happy they’ve become friends again and I’m genuinely in love with Tay’s new album. Lover ( out 23 August) features Me! and LGBTQ anthem You Need To Calm Down as well as some achingly authentic song writing. The Archer is probably Taylor’s most honest and compelling refl ection of her life since becoming famous
“I never grew up, it’s getting so old.” Here’s to speaking the truth.
“Taylor Swift has given fans access to her
actual diaries”