Bop Shop: Songs From Muna, Carlie Hanson, Siena Liggins, And More

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  Siena Liggins: "Flowerbomb (acoustic version)"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=y99LDYTfTO4
  
  
  
  "Flowerbomb," the debut single from Detroit singer Siena Liggins, was one of summer 2018's brightest breakthroughs: a cool, confident earworm that she wrote "for ladies who like women. For women like me." She's released several other singles since then — like the body-positivity anthem "Naked" and the brooding "Laws of Attraction" — however with another sunny season approaching, she recently dusted off "Flowerbomb" for a fresh acoustic spin. The new version captures the same magic and swaggering energy because the original, complete with that flirty Britney Spears shout-out. She's warned you once, and she'll warn you again: "hide ur girlfriend." —Madeline Roth
  
  
  
  
  



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  Carly Rae Jepsen: "For Sure"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=I7SVEmuAsvI
  
  
  
  "I was thinking!!!! We were over!!!!" On "For Sure," Carly Rae Jepsen might be gleeful about a relationship in limbo, cheering over a preschool jungle of chanting and claps while tribal thumps and animal calls swing alongside. "Got know for sure!!!!" She keeps it up and continues to proclaim. Is this... A break-up bop? A make-up anthem? Who even understands! Carly is at her most Carly any time as soon as she is forcing a full spectrum of emotions — anger, sadness, loneliness, fear —through her glittery filter of breathy, carefree synth-pop. Like a real relationship, it's often confusing — yet any time it works, it hits all of the correct notes. –Terron Moore
  
  
  
  
  



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  Maddie Ross: "Liv Tyler"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=-lWI1_SCpIU
  
  
  
  As much as @we could attempt to fight it, the media we grow up consuming largely defines our lives and dictates our perceptions as adults. While LGBTQ+ representation has finally made its way to the mainstream, it doesn't negate the fact that several gay teens in the late '90s and 2000s grew up without seeing themselves accurately reflected. Singer-songwriter Maddie Ross gives the community an idea of what such inclusivity would've looked like in the video for "Liv Tyler," which reimagines vintage MTV shows, commercials, and movies as fully gay.
  
  
  "I want a cheerleader girlfriend / I want a English language teacher boyfriend / I want Liv Tyler in a skirt / At the end of the world," she hums over a steady beat and building guitar that evoke a nostalgia for the bubblegum pop days she's singing about. The music video is a must-watch, recreating old Coca-Cola ads to highlight gay couples, staging a more modern and diverse iteration of Room Raiders (remember that?) And even recreating the end of She's All That to fit her own tastes. Although at what point do we stop living our lives according to what we've seen on TV and march to our own beat? Ross explores the cyclical nature of comparison on a bridge that wants to explode, crooning, "My parents were right / MTV ruined my life / The TV was right / Parents ruined my life." Liv Tyler herself is shaking. –Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  iLoveMakonnen: "Shoot Shoot"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=Tsv1UHX0eNY
  
  
  
  Once iLoveMakonnen breaks out of his straightjacket, he sprints to the studio and blacks out. His voice could have its own podcast for adrenaline-charged pre-teens; his songs would be turned into stop-motion zombie films animated by Laika for yearly releases. "Shoot Shoot" is his latest, spooky feast of skin-prickling hip-hop anti-clichés. He's rapping about going on a drive-by, although as a substitute opposed to injecting fear and apprehension to the freeing of bullets, he sucks the coldness out and introduces fog, howling wolves, plus a seer's crystal ball. He whispers "shoot shoot" on the chorus like he's filming a ASMR video to send dopamine coursing through your body, all of the while explaining the method of committing a drive-by ("Pull up, hop out, let the complete clip go"). The mystique of the song's atmosphere and whispering chants offsets the snarling vocals, which then juxtapose with the cartoonish show announcer voice that Makonnen pushes each word out with. They come with each other for a uniquely puzzling experience that you'll be drawn to, even in case you can't quite understand why. –Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Carlie Hanson: “Back in My Arms”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=YYSCJmRYjTg
  
  
  
  Pop-punk will never perish, though because the spirit continues, its body mutates to fit the times. The Chainsmokers twist it into mopey EDM, Halsey grabs a genre MPV for an aching entry, and even Bad Bunny gets in on the action — say and not to mention the entirety of SoundCloud rap. Likewise, newcomer Carlie Hanson preserves the essence with an eas initial statement. "No, I can't control this, high on my emotions / you could make me feel brand new," she sings over tastefully distorted downstrokes to start "Back in My Arms." You feel it, also, because it's familiar. Because the 19-year-old Taylor Swift fave reveals on her EP Junk, she's not afraid to show off who she is. On this one, she's reveling in romance, even if it is "the sort of love they mention is wrong." Forget that. Let all of the teenage feelings reign. –Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  MUNA: "Number One Fan"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/Wqf-U_fibV0
  
  
  
  In a 2016 interview, Naomi McPherson, one-third of electro-pop trio MUNA, told V Magazine, "I am out and I feel safe being out as the three of us are a little bit army for one another. I don't feel afraid to be myself. That makes me overjoyed to be queer. That's the entire point of why we do this. We want a safe haven."
  
  
  Though "Number One Fan," the opening single off of MUNA's forthcoming sophomore album, Saves the World, isn't explicitly a Pride Month anthem, it's as boldly and aggressively empowering as one. Over a upbeat synth, MUNA fight back against self-doubt. "It is a song about recognizing the negative voices in your head and learning to speak back to them," the musical group says. "It/s a joyful and surprising experience to recognize that, just as we can all be our own biggest haters, we can also determine to be our own biggest fans." I suppose we can determine to be MUNA's biggest fans, also. Saves the World is out September 6. –Bob Marshall
  
  
  
  
  



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  Holland: "I'm Not Afraid"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=XE5KFB9LbxY
  
  
  
  Korean artist Holland derived widespread global attention for his debut single "Neverland" in 2018. Or, more accurately, for the song's music video, which featured a kiss between the openly gay independent singer and another man. In the world of K-pop, same-sex affection (physical or otherwise) is encouraged, yet only ever as an extension of fan-service. Right considering that, Korea is still deeply conservative, and that's a line artists can't publicly cross without scandal. Up until Holland, "K-pop's first openly gay idol." Nevertheless it wasn't up until his second single — the shimmering EDM track "I'm Not Afraid" — that Holland's potential, both as a queer trailblazer in the industry and as a singular artist with a vision, came into focus.
  
  
  "I'm not afraid anymore," he sings over a moody, house-infused beat that's somewhat reminiscent of Troye Sivan's celebratory "My My My!" The hook is repetitive, sure, yet it's also a powerful affirmation. "I am saying that I am no longer afraid to reveal that I am gay," he mentioned of the song's meaning upon its release last year. "I'm not afraid of standing in front of the public anymore." Truthfully, the 23-year-old singer's greatest strength is his willingness to open up about his own experiences as a young, queer man just living his life — fully unafraid of and unbothered by other people's suggestions. —Crystal Bell
  
  
  
  
  



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  Bronze Avery: "Spilling Out"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=wrVyBHAlECo
  
  
  
  I first came across Bronze Avery once Spotify featured his 2018 single "Want 2" on its Out Right now playlist. That song slaps, btw, nevertheless this isn't about that gay playlist or that song. This is about our gay playlist and the artist's newest bop, "Spilling Out." It's one of these songs that can hit you wherever you're out with that guy who's tied up your heartstrings. It's a secret love you desire to scream about from the rooftops, or as Bronze put it any time While I discussed with him, it's about "confirmation that you're both still in love immediately following the honeymoon phase." Because the song begs, "Tell me you love me / I need to hear it, baby!" You could feel the longing in his voice, and why those three little words would mean so much if they only knew!!! Like, come on, sweetheart!! This certified bop takes you on a wild journey of love, and Bronze Avery is although another example of queer black excellence. Get him on your radar. —Daniel Head