Summer's Best Queer Music Videos Part 1

The new music videos we're celebrating today are filled with allllllll kinds of emotion! We've got videos for a rage anthem in response to the loss of bodily autonomy and abortion rights; a gentle, self-soothing song about being misgendered at your birthday party; and a video about friends who daydreamed of escaping their real life by getting high, and going to the beach. We truly have it all: a super fun video off the "Barbie" movie soundtrack, a drum-centric video for an emotional breakup song, a video featuring shirtless men dancing together in the gym locker room, and so much more!

Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice (with Aqua) - "Barbie World"

The "Barbie World" video is already iconic for featuring two Black kids playing with Barbies modeled after Nicki Minaj and queer artist Ice Spice, but it continues to rock our worlds with the two rappers recreating imagery we've seen from the upcoming "Barbie" film. Between the artists enjoying the Barbie dollhouse, the classic hit "Barbie World" being sampled on the track, shirtless men surrounded by pink clouds, and Ice Spice riding in a pink convertible while a giant Nicki Minaj twerks for tiny men in suits, there's so many reasons to keep this on repeat.

KiNG MALA – "sunny side up"

"sunny side up" is a breakup bop with a super relatable, potentially inspirational video. We watch this couple being chained together on the couch with their TV dinners while KiNG MALA sings killer lyrics about being bored of mediocre, performative domesticity. Who among us wouldn't love to sit our ex down and make them watch our memories of how it felt dating them, pinpointing exactly when they messed things up on a little VHS tape playback? It's a catchy song with an equally catchy "yes, go ahead and break up with them if any of this feels familiar" vibe that we encourage you to lean into.

Demi Lovato – "SWINE"

Demi Lovato released this video a year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and everything from the rage in their voice to the stunning visuals conveys their feelings about the way bodily autonomy was ripped away. Lovato posted that "I want this song to empower not only the birthing people of this country, but everyone who stands up for equality, to embrace their agency and fight for a world where every person's right to make decisions about their own body is honored." This video absolutely does that. From the men in suits delivering "the witches verdict" to the blood-stain-esque outfit Lovato wears to pour out their fury on the makeshift stage, the song's medieval setting nods to the painful past of burning suspected witches, making its energy feel even more powerful and poignant.

LA CRUZ – "Quítate La Ropa"

With the video for "Quítate La Ropa" LA CRUZ delivers his signature ReGAYton with a sexy rhythm in the boxing ring, and we are simply living for it. The video has shirtless men in jeans grinding on the boxing ring, leaning back against the ropes seductively, twerking in the locker room, and dancing to this banger of a song together after they leave the gym shower. This is a steamy summer track with a video to match. It's very gay, openly horny, filled with half-naked hot guys, and made for us to dance to. What more could we ask for?

Raveena – "Mystery"

Raveena always delivers with sapphic Desi dreams come true of fantasies and hopes we didn't even know we had. "Mystery" is a Bollywood movie meet-cute that sees a sapphic love story reach all the cinematic tropes and timeless scenes that Indian films have allowed heterosexual stories for generations. It's sweet and summery, filmed in India with a retro vibe to capture Raveena's vision of it being an homage to early Bollywood's golden era, complete with colorful costumes and stunning locations. This video is gorgeous and unforgettable, the kind of moment that will inspire daydreams in the hearts of queer women all over the world.

FIZZ – "High In Brighton"

You may recognize the artists in this video as some of your queer indie faves. "High In Brighton" is their debut as a group named FIZZ; an introduction with a vibe that's equal parts silly and psychedelic. The song is playful and easy to sing along with, making sure we know that they don't take themselves too seriously. "Real life is boring," says the group of their debut single. "'High In Brighton' is a psychedelic yearning to escape to a fantasized seaside town complete with a key change, honky tonk piano, high speed drums and even a clarinet solo." The carefree video sees them taking their van on a seaside adventure where everything's a little mixed up... for reasons the song's title explains.

G Flip – "The Worst Person Alive"

"The Worst Person Alive" is a powerful song about a relationship coming to an end. The video makes it feel as if G Flip is singing the song directly to us, and we simply can't look away as they get more emotional about it. We watch them sing "Last year I was the love of your life... now I'm the worst person alive" while playing the drums on the back of a truck that's driving through a field. With every percussive beat, we are brought along on the emotional journey of the artist's relationship, the lyrics "now I'm the worst person alive!" becoming more emphatic each time they belt it out.

Halsey ft. SUGA – "Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)"

Queer artist Halsey collaborated with BTS star SUGA again to reimagine their song "Lilith" for the launch of the new Diablo, a game that they both grew up playing. It's always fun to see openly queer performers experience full circle moments of success, especially when it comes with richly imagined visuals like this. The "Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)" video has all the absorbing darkness and twisted mythology we expect – complete with Halsey under attack in costume and special effects makeup injuries, increasingly dangerous VFX trouble creeping towards them.

Miki Ratsula ft. Semler – "blue balloons"

There's a deep spiritual magic in artists who manage to capture the feeling of being wronged in the unique moment of vulnerability that is your birthday party. A moment so personal can't always be conveyed with nuance, but with this wonderful music video, Miki Ratsula and Semler harness the power of queer solidarity to tell a story that makes us all wanna shout along to the gently sung lyrics. This song is about coming to terms with your gender, being misgendered by people who've known you for years, trusting your feelings (and knowing who you can't trust with them), and about knowing you can always lean on your queer family to make things feel okay again. Almost painfully sweet, and wrapped up in soothing melodies, "blue balloons" is like a gift box with an impossible amount of loud, messy feelings squished into it... yet still somehow neatly wrapped up with a beautiful bow and a very thoughtful card.

Becca Mancari – "Over and Over"

The magic of this video is in its everyday hanging-outside-in-the-city-together casualness. This is the kind of day out with queer friends we wish everyone could have, and the upbeat carefree song feels made to soundtrack those times. Becca Mancari and friends are visibly queer, kissing through fences, leaning back in leather jackets, doing nothing but feeling everything. It's all low-key, but monumental if you recognize yourself in it; this is a lovely song to listen to with friends who know you. Featuring lyrics that tell a story many queer people can relate to – a regular life that pulled you in many directions, one of them back into the closet – "Over and Over" feels like a conversation with a queer friend; a reminder of the days that we felt invincible together, and knowing that we can have that again.

Reneé Rapp – "Snow Angel"

No one's doing songs that reach deep down inside you while exposing so much of themselves like Reneé Rapp right now, and the way she dropped "Snow Angel" with these visuals really solidifies that. From the sharpness of sunlight reflecting on snow, to the sharpness of her chrome-covered nails, "Snow Angel" is a winter wonderland representing a type of unrelenting, inescapable sense of cold that many who have experienced depression will find familiar. Rapp is vulnerable here about how heartbreak changed her, but the song, and Rapp's phenomenal voice, is fierce and determined that she will escape it.

Amaarae – "Wasted Eyes"

With Ghanaian American artist Amaarae crooning lyrics like "I can't be your lover, too many things to lose" and cinematic scenes that feel like a futuristic "Kill Bill" meets "Lost in Translation," "Wasted Eyes" is captivating on so many levels. The video stars gorgeous women doing badass undercover activity in various clubs and bars, with a particularly beautiful fight scene near the end, filmed in front of an expansive fish tank. This video is sexy, stylish, and telling a mysterious, thrilling story!

Johnny Manuel – "End of the Night"

Johnny Manuel's "End of the Night" video uses vibes as a storytelling technique, and we can't get enough of it. As neon lights and bright colors shine and move rhythmically behind Manuel as he sings and dances out his feelings of adoration, we can't help but feel them too. This song is about a night that feels like forever in the best way, and we love that we can recapture the energy of a never-ending night with a crush that feels like a rush by playing this video on repeat.

More of our favorite music videos from this month were featured in our latest round-up of new sapphic Pride anthems. Make sure to check out the cheeky video for Jules Paymer's "Mommy Issues," the sweet sapphic storytelling of Rosemary Joaquin's "Erika" and Baby Queen's "Dream Girl," and the playfully sexy magician-themed video for Chappell Roan's "Red Wine Supernova."