June 27, 2023
Watch: New Sapphic Pride Anthems We're Obsessed with Vol. 2
Andrea Marks Joseph READ TIME: 6 MIN.
When we shared our sapphic Pride anthems playlist last year, we rejoiced at feeling like we're living in a golden era of sapphic music. In the time since, queer artists have continued to drop heartfelt hits and seductive bangers, so we are thrilled to present you with another collection of new songs to soundtrack your celebration of Pride month, and beyond!
These are hopeful romantic tunes, catchy ballads, songs to sing with the windows down on the way to your first date with a new crush, and songs to belt out alone in your bedroom.
Maddie Zahm - "You Might Not Like Her"
The most emotional song on this list, "You Might Not Like Her" is also one of the most stunningly hopeful. In this song, written to her younger self, Maddie Zahm shares some of the beautiful, freeing experiences that came with embracing her bisexuality and leaving behind anyone who made her feel less than worthy of all the love she desired. The song doesn't shy away from the difficulties, but she doesn't make them the star of the show. The star of this song is Maddie, stronger and freer than she's ever been, because she allowed herself to be all that she is. "You'll lose your faith a bit and question if she's you," she tells her younger self, "And for a while you might not like her, but I do."
Zolita - "Ruin My Life"
The opening lyrics "I think I'm gonna crash my car, 'cause I can't keep my eyes on anything but you" perfectly encapsulate the narrative of this pop song. Zolita knows she's being "so dramatic, and probably problematic" but she doesn't care, because falling for this girl feels worth ruining everything she's built. Everything Zolita delivers has a vibrant cinematic energy, not least because of the exceptional music videos she creates to expand on her songwriting, but "Ruin My Life" especially feels like the kind of high-stakes love we've seen in rom-coms. When Zolita sings about tanking her career and leaving everyone she knows behind, it's reckless and ridiculous, but it feels so true of a very specific kind of queer crush.
Jules Paymer - "Mommy Issues"
This song leans into the rebellious nature of knowing better than to keep seeing someone – in this case, an older woman who taps into your very literal mommy issues – but not being willing to reconsider the relationship because "with every kiss I feel a little less sick." "Mommy Issues" is a tongue-in-cheek unabashed confession about knowing the relationship is probably only appealing because of the very issues for which you're seeing a therapist ("You got me so close, I'm boutta breakthrough") but also accepting that "my damage never felt this good." With a song that's built to jump around and shout along to, Jules Paymer makes it fun to joke about "working on those mommy issues" with a hot older woman. What can we say? The girls that get it... get it.
chloe moriondo - "Fruity"
With lyrics like "says I'm sweeter than a cherry and she likes it" and "I don't really give a fuck if it's a Monday, I just wanna hear this song on replay," this song is the head-spinning rush of "I can't believe she likes me back! Everything in the world is brighter and better now because she wants to kiss me." With cheers of "S-super cute! F-fresh as fruit!" this ecstatic pop song is the pure, fizzy cola of a crush come to fruition, when everything ahead feels rainbow-colored and dipped in sugar.
Dove Cameron - "Boyfriend"
"If I could give you some advice, I would leave with me tonight." Dove Cameron in her "I could be a better boyfriend than him" era is seduction on an unforgettable level. She nails all the sapphic fantasies of stealing the woman you want away from the man she's dating, making them come to life with a rasp in her voice as she convinces the woman to do exactly that. Cameron's voice is sultry, making all kinds of promises about being "up all night, I won't quit," and doing everything he never did. "Ladies first, baby, I insist..."
Chappell Roan - "Red Wine Supernova"
This upbeat romp is filled with sexual innuendo and lyrics we can't resist singing along with: "I heard you like magic? I got a wand and a rabbit! So baby, let's get freaky, get kinky, let's make this bed get squeaky." The video features a gorgeous magician in a sparkly leotard using magic tricks as foreplay, flirting with Chappell Roan, who gradually begins to dress more and more like her lover. With some of the lyrics abandoning the idea of innuendo completely and straight up singing about sex, "Red Wine Supernova" is the silly happy horny song to bob your head along to in the cab on your way to hook up with someone that truly makes your heart sing.
Janelle Monáe - "Lipstick Lover"
"Lipstick Lover" is a sensual, celebratory song. It's an ode to queer pleasure, and to the way Janelle Monáe loves to be loved: "I like lipstick on my neck. Let me know I'm your number one select." The video showcases the queer Black community in their element, at peace and in joyous love with each other, having the best time. The song tells all about the carefree, empowering, invigorating sensuality that kind of love supports. "Lipstick Lover" is about knowing what you like and feeling comfortable enough to ask for it, then having the freedom to bask in it.
G Flip - "Be Your Man"
"I know how you think, and what you like, and what your body needs," is such a fierce banger of a lyric, and the way nonbinary artist G Flip belts out this ballad to their wife, "Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause, feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of powerful love. When they say "I'm not what you planned... but I'll be your man" it is simply the epitome of romance. This song is made for wedding dances, timeless love stories, and being down on your knees enthusiastically singing to the woman of your dreams. We just know it's gonna rock the worlds of so many couples for years to come.
Baby Queen - "Dream Girl"
"If I kissed him, and he kissed you, it's almost like I kissed you, too." This song's got a bit of Dove Cameron's seductive "I could be a better boyfriend than him" energy to it, alongside the swoony thrill of Sarah Barrios' "Thank god you introduced me to your sister" (which we featured in last year's sapphic Pride playlist). This is sapphic yearning in song form. In the video, set at a party, Baby Queen kisses her dream girl's boyfriend in a game of spin the bottle. When the girl calls her out on it, Baby Queen confesses that she only kissed him because "I wanted to know what it feels like to kiss you." The chemistry between the women is electric. Sparks fly, and dreams come true.
Rosemary Joaquin - "Erika"
Sometimes all we need on a sweet summer day is a song about how a girl turned our world upside down in the messiest, most exciting way. "Erika" has Rosemary Joaquin singing about how she went from being "straight laced, out of place" to meeting Erika, who "taught me about liquor and how to skip school. Hickey on my neck, ooh I'm sneaking in your bed." It's a song about teenage exploration and how one person can shake up the very essence of who you are if you let them. It's fun and chilled, with a vibe where it's clear that the singer is getting in trouble because of Erika's influence, but has absolutely no regrets about it.
Brooke Eden - "Outlaw Love"
"A pair of diamonds, happy tears. Two white dresses sayin' yeses to the rest of our years. Leave the judging to Jesus, 'cause I don't care. Long as I got you babe, I'll go anywhere." With "Outlaw Love," Brooke Eden uses her magnificent voice to make classic country music tropes her own. Through Eden, the familiar "Us against the world" kind of love song is a rallying cry in defiance against the anti-LGBTQ+ laws being enforced across the country. This song is rich with romance, hitting all the beats of the love songs we grew up listening to, and woven together with a galvanizing hope that is very much needed right now.
FLETCHER - "Her Body is Bible"
"I found God the moment that I put my lips on yours. I thought: This is what they're talking about." This song majestically captures the holiness, the reverence, the righteous overwhelming liberating joy that washes over you when you come out to yourself, identifying and embracing your queerness, and allowing the possibility of glorious, sapphic love to pour into your soul. FLETCHER uses religious imagery and melodies ("Amen! Her body is Bible, the only heaven that I'll go") to encompass the groundbreaking idea of a woman being all the god-like energy she needs. It's impossible to listen to this song just once; "Her Body is Bible" is a song that you'll inevitably keep on repeat, like a prayer to a woman who's already saved your soul with her kiss.
