Marking our second feature of On The Rise, we decided to showcase our favourite emerging LGBTQ+ artists and producers, who are making waves in their respective scenes and pushing genre boundaries forward with their stunning music. Some of these singers, songwriters and producers are known for helping transcend music with their unmatched innovation and creativity, while others are rather known for their active role within the LGBTQ+ community and their outspokenness towards inspiring fellow queer people and openly talking about their experiences.
In one way or another, both sentiments expressed above can be said about all 5 of these rising talents, thus we couldn’t be more excited to present them to you, and hopefully help you discover some new and exciting sounds.
Moore Kismet
At only 16 years old, Moore Kismet is one of the fastest rising talents within the bass music scene right now. Widely known for their glitchy drops, mind-bending sound design, and heavenly melodies, Moore Kismet recently released their latest track “Rumor” alongside WYN, taking inspiration from their experience coming out at the age of 14.
Wreckno
Wreckno has been called “a huge inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community,” going from growing up in a small town in Michigan to performing on some of bass music’s most prestigious stages. The rapper, producer and DJ’s biggest song to date is “Medusa,” an infectious and hard-hitting collaboration with fellow bass music queer icon GRiZ, while his most recent EP ROYGBIV was a Pride month celebration, exclusively featuring collaborations with LGBTQ+ artists.
SAKIMA
SAKIMA’s long catalog is filled with infectious and fresh pop jams, as well as collaborations with some of the electronic scene’s finest, among them R3HAB and Robokid. The singer, songwriter and producer is often vocal about the lack of queer representation in pop music, with his lyrics actively fighting against heteronormativity and the closets many are forced into due to societal norms surrounding queer expression.
Fraxiom
Crafting their own lane within the buzzing hyperpop genre, Fraxiom has gone from unknown name into breakout star seemingly overnight. They were inspired by nightcore and video game music when they began experimenting with vocal recording back in 2016, before releasing their debut single in 2019, and teaming up with Gupi to release their self-titled debut album food house last year.
osquinn (aka p4rkr)
osquinn (found on streaming services as p4rkr) is a 15-year-old transgender rapper, producer and singer who has been making waves within the underground for some time now. Bringing together the worlds of hyperpop and hip-hop, osquinn is widely loved within the community, with her most successful song “I don’t want that many friends in the first place” having racked up over 8 million streams on Spotify. She is currently working on her debut album, with “lots of big names listed as features,” as she recently told The Fader in an interview.
