With Transgender Day Of Remembrance around the corner, it’s important to remember that trans musicians are everywhere, and have always been everywhere, as forerunners in the musical industry. From standing in the spotlight back in the 60s with gospel notes to leading punk rocks bands in the 2010s, trans musicians are here to make their voices heard.
Ryan Cassata
Ryan was one of the first transgender singers I had come across that I was aware of being trans. His music often sings of the reality of being a trans man in the world of rigid gender binaries and speaks openly about not wanting to take the Hormone drug, Testosterone — otherwise known as just “T” — because of its unpredictable effects on his vocals. T lowers the voice of the person in question, sometimes meaning they can’t control their voice the way they used to.
My favourite song by Ryan has to be “Gender Binary (Fuck You)”, which came out during the first Lockdown, and the video project saw many other trans and queer people across the world singing along and being unapologetically themselves. I know I blasted this song for a good few weeks, being the perfect pick-up that I needed during the tough times.
Claud
Claud is a non-binary artist, combining pop with soft indie sounds to make for relaxing, easy to listen to tunes. Their 80’s-esque aesthetic makes them very identifiable and is a perfect mix to go with the musical aesthetic.
I discovered Claud last year, after listening to Billie Eilish’s “Wish You Were Gay” and thinking that we needed an Actually gay version of this song, and….voila! Claud’s “Wish you were gay” tells of them falling in love with a straight girl, and the struggles that come with accepting your sexuality in such away. The video shows the comparison of the “expectations” of seeing someone, versus the reality of them not being interested in you, in fact, being interested in someone else entirely.
Shea Diamond
If pop isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for something a little more soulful, Shea Diamond is the girl for you. Singer-songwriter from Arkansas, Shea puts her heart and soul into her songwriting, drawing from influences like Whitney Houston and Tina Turner to create something passionate and powerful.
Her writing has been described as “demonstrating a rare gift to portray raw, dynamic emotion in a way that moves the body as much as the spirit”. Desperate to find any way to pay for her gender reassignment surgery after years of being forced to be the gender she did not identify with, Shea committed a crime which leads to her spending 10 years in a men’s correctional facility. This is where she found her community, but also faced heavy transphobia, often being isolated, or having privileges taken away for her own protection.
Her song “I Am Her” is a powerful funky ballad about being an outcast in society, and owning that idea. Shea describes it as “A statement to a world that says I shouldn’t exist”. “I Am Her” was written during her time in prison, and once released, she was picked up by a record label for the “extreme passion” displayed in her vocals and lyrics.
Peppermint
Although Peppermint rose to public fame in the 9th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, she has been killing it in the New York drag scene for years. Her appearance on Drag Race raised a few eyebrows, after RuPaul came under fire for transphobic discourse and ideologies, expressing that transgender women have “an unfair advantage” at drag after their surgeries, however, allowed many non-trans queens to compete after heavy plastic surgery.
Her song “Civil War” is about the internal battle between being who you are inside versus who society sees you to be. It is an uplifting pop ballad with a video full of incredible costumes and her drag transformation — exactly why Peppermint rose to fame.
Laura Jane Grace — Against Me!
Laura publicly came out in 2012 as transgender, using her musical platform as a way to educate and raise awareness of trans struggles. As one of the first major rock artists to come out, she leads the way for many other gender non-conforming musicians to feel safe and welcome in the community.
She remained married to her wife, expressing that “For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news…But she’s been super-amazing and understanding.”
Transgender Dysphoria Blues is an anthem for anyone struggling with their gender identity, but with the typical Against Me! angsty punk sound. If you have never heard of Against Me!, you should definitely check out other songs such as I Was A Teenage Anarchist and Pints of Guinness Make You Strong.
Jazmin Bean
Combining cute and creepy, Jamin Bean is the self-proclaimed “Genderless monster” from London taking strides in the music industry with their hard rock. Proving that non-binary can literally be whatever you want it to be, Jazmin is unapologetically themselves, even going to Disneyland in full-blown monster gear to take pictures with the unsuspecting princesses.
Saccharine is a sour-sweet song about loving someone so much it hurts, but with a gory twist, just as all of Jazmin’s songs contain. The video is a parody dentist, showing how pretty much all of us perceive a checkup. Their constant mix of sickly sweet and incredibly dark aesthetic is a branch of the classic punk style Kinderwhore, which combines seemingly innocent dresses and cutesy clothing with unattractive dirty and, in this case, gory aspects, all as a middle finger to gender roles.
Show these artists some love during Transgender Awareness Week, along with other trans and non-binary musicians.
skype – quitegr8