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The Best Sapphic Artists (in my professional opinion)

Since we read "The Three Girls" this week, a very queer-coded piece, I made a list of my favorite sapphic artists:

5) Chappell Roan

It seems impossible to compile a list of sapphic artists without including Chappell Roan. After her viral Coachella performance in April this year and her subsequent release of "Good Luck, Babe!" Chappell seems to have come out of nowhere. She is known for her love of drag and won Best New Artist at the VMAs. In some ways, she reminds me of the Marilyn Monroe we studied in "The Three Girls," especially in her desire to escape fame in some moments. However, she is also the opposite, incredibly vocal about her queer identity in every aspect of her life.

I can't list her as my favorite, simply because I have not listened to her music enough, especially because she is so new to the spotlight. However, I absolutely love her unapologetic nature and can't wait to see what she does next!

4) LYVIA


LYVIA is definitely the smallest artist on this list with only ~180k monthly listeners on Spotify. She has a unique style of music, a combination of pop and free-verse poetry. She first gained attention after her performance on The Voice UK, and she released her breakout single "Trippin" in 2023. 

I found her randomly while scrolling on Instagram, and since then, have fallen in love with the sound of her voice and her one-of-a-kind compositions. Her British accent makes everything better.

3) Reneé Rapp


Reneé Rapp garnered attention after her role as Regina George in the Broadway musical Mean Girls and later in the movie version released in 2024. In terms of her queer journey, she has shared her experiences with her fans, especially as she came out as a lesbian after identifying as bisexual for many years. In addition, her relationship with Towa Bird, her guitarist, has gained media attention after their appearance together on the red carpet in March 2024. Reneé Rapp is known for her humor and reliability, especially during her interviews in which she is often labeled as "having no filter."

I got into Reneé Rapp through the song "Pretty Girls," but after a deeper dive, I have come to love some of her older music as well. Her songs "Don't Tell My Mom" and "Bruises" are huge tear-jerkers and incredibly relatable.

2) FLETCHER


FLETCHER is one of the first artists I started listening to as I explored sapphic music. She has X-rated lyrics and is very vocal about her past relationships and experiences. FLETCHER's fan base is almost solely queer women, likely due to her openness and honesty about queer love in her music. Through her music, she details the emotional human experience, the successes, failures, and mistakes.

FLETCHER is so close to the top of this list because she is probably going to be #1 on my Spotify Wrapped this year. She is the reason I ended up finding a love for sapphic music. I didn't rank her at #1 because a lot of her songs sound similar and her lyrics lack the amount of depth that my #1 carries.

1) Billie Eilish


Billie Eilish is the most streamed monthly artist on Spotify as of June 2024 and has achieved other record-breaking achievements. Billie and her brother Finneas have risen to fame after the song "Ocean Eyes" became a hit. In her newest album, Eilish released the song "LUNCH" and did a remix with Charli XCX of "Guess" in which Eilish's sexual identity is explored. Billie reminds me a lot of the Marilyn Monroe character as she voiced her wish to be able to go back into the closet and become anonymous once again.

I think Billie deserves this spot because of her (and Finneas') lyrical genius, each line bringing joy to any English teacher willing to tear it apart. The level of complexity, especially emotionally, in every song brings a whole new purpose to her music.

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