Are you in the mood for a soundtrack that reflects the vibrant energy of the trans and non-binary community? Look no further! This playlist is bursting with anthems, heartbreakers, and dance floor fillers – all created by incredible non-binary and trans musicians.
I asked for your recommendations for celebrating the spectrum of trans+ voices, from established hitmakers to rising stars – and wow, did you deliver! Whether you’re into soaring pop ballads, pulsating techno, or introspective indie rock, there’s something here to move you.
Tomorrow, 31st March, marks International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to recognise the existence of trans+ people around the world. And what better way to join the celebration than with a playlist that amplifies the voices of our incredible community?
I’ve carefully curated the tracks to take you on a sonic journey. The songs are arranged by BPM, starting with introspective low-fi beats and building to energetic dance tracks that will get you moving.
So, crank up the volume and get ready to discover your new favourite artists! This playlist is available on both Spotify and YouTube, so you can listen wherever you are. Let’s celebrate the power of music and the beauty of trans and non-binary creativity and visibility!
Breakdown by Ms. Boogie
You can follow Ms.Boogie (she/her) on Instagram.
Dysphoria Hoodie by Laura Jane Grace
Check out Laura Jane Grace (she/her) on Instagram.
Like This by Phoebe Hall
Recommended by @melliottphotography. See more of Phoebe Hall on TikTok.
Doll by ghostdaughter
Recommended by @sosakollektiv.eu. ghostdaughter is Naomi Ren Harper (she/they).
Change Has to Come by Mo’Ju
Recommended by Jayden. Mo’ju (they/them) is on Instagram.
Man to Man by Dorian Electra
I had the best intro to the genderfluid musical sensation that is Dorian Electra (they/them). I was at Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona in 2022 with some queer friends, and they convinced me to come check Mx Electra out. They launched onstage in the early morning hours, complete with backup dancers, to an audience filled with LGBTQ+ folks who seemed to know the words to every song. I was instantly obsessed and couldn’t stop dancing. If you get the chance to see them live, don’t miss it.
Ode to T by Saint Precious
“Come on all my trans girls hop up to the front /Jump with me love, sing from the bottom of your lungs,” purrs Saint Precious (she/her) on this gentle 2023 anthem. The Swedish-Barbadian artist is based in Berlin these days and creates electronic music infused with reggaeton vibes and soft, soothing vocals.
Refuse the Rules by Pink Suits
Pink Suits are Lennie + Ray (they/them), and you can check them out on Insta.
Trash by DAMAG3 and Changeline
Recommended by @_llleeeooonnn. DAMAG3 (she/they) and Changeline are both on TikTok.
Babyface by Artio
Recommended by @sylversea_. Check out the band, fronted by Rae Brazill (they/them) on TikTok.
Fall Into Me by Eve Parker Finley
This self-described “Chamber Pop Songstress” hails from Montreal, which is why my lovely Canadian friend Renée Yoxon (superstar trans vocal coach who interviewed me on my video podcast) recommended Eve Parker Finley (she/her) for this playlist. Expect “lush orchestration and colourful pop sensibility” from her music – those are Exclaim! ’s words, not mine, but it sounds pretty fun, right?
My Lady Story by Anohni/Antony and The Johnsons
Anohni (she/her) is on Insta.
Grace by Kae Tempest
You can check Kae Tempest (they/them) out on Insta.
Heart of a Dog by Tami T
Recommended by @transnytt. You can follow Tami T (she/her) on Instagram.
Meg Ryan by Ah-Mer-Ah-Su
“I’m a white woman, I can do whatever I want,” sings Star Amersu (she/her) – aka Ah-Mer-Ah-Su – in a Valley Girl voice on Meg Ryan as she twirls around the mall in a blonde wig. It’s a humorous take from this multidisciplinary trans musician on the idea that Becky from Beyonce’s Lemonade could be a racial slur. Recently, Amersu was chosen as OUTFEST LA’s artist-in-residence and created the visual poem, I Guess, which is well worth taking five minutes to watch.
Polaroid Picture by Miles Temp
Recommended by @vivi.is.slay. You can check out Miles on TikTok.
Feeling Like a Woman Lately by NoSo
Recommended by @_llleeeooonnn. NoSo (he/they) is on TikTok.
If the World’s Not Gonna Love Me by Sateen
Sateen is Ruby Zarsky (she/her) and Queenie Sateen (she/her).
In The Image by Beverly Glenn-Copeland
You can follow the incredible Beverly Glenn-Copeland on Instagram.
Cisgender by Shamir
You’ve heard of Shamir (any pronouns) before, although you may not remember. He burst onto the indie scene in 2014 with the irrepressibly catchy On The Regular at 19. At the time, the press only wanted to focus on his femme vocals and non-binary identity. More recently, Shamir discussed in an interview how “(he) got signed because the head of my label, who is a cisgender heterosexual man, was so moved by Cisgender.” You can hear this track on the playlist.
Dysphoria by Tom Rasmussen
I strongly urge you to listen to Tom Rasumussen’s (they/them) whole first album, Body Building, and follow them on Insta.
Late to Love by Marcus Darling
You can check out my lovely genderqueer friend Marcus Darling (he/they) on Instagram.
A House in Nebraska by Ethel Cain
Okay, this track by Ethel Cain (she/her) is pretty sad but also beautifully haunting. Thanks to my lovely Mexican (by way of Barcelona) friend Alex for suggesting her for this playlist. If you’re a Lana Del Rey fan who hasn’t listened to Ethel Cain yet, what have you been doing? The Guardian described her as “mixing hazy ambience, gothic country, doom metal, and post-rock,” which kind of nails Cain’s sound.
I Am Her by Shea Diamond
Discover more about “Soul Chanteuse” Shea Diamond (she/her) on Insta.
Unholy (feat. Kim Petras) by Sam Smith
Check out Sam Smith (they/them) and Kim Petras (she/her) in the video above and on Instagram.
Friendship Lost by Sarah Sommers
Australian electronic artist Acidalius recommended Sarah Sommers (she/her) for this playlist, simply stating, “Melbourne represent.” If you’ve ever wondered what ‘This Barbie is a Berlin-based live hardware electronic dance music producer and performer’ would look like, here is your answer. Sarah takes influences from techno, 90s rave, dub, drum and bass, and breakbeat and blurs the boundaries of music on the dancefloor.
Real Hot n Naughty by I.JORDAN and Felix Mufti
How could I choose any track from I.JORDAN’s (they/them) upcoming debut album other than the lead single, Real Hot n Naughty? Featuring the vocals of Felix Mufti (he/they) of Sex Education fame, both the song and the video has a very queer, working-class sense of humour to it that will be instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the North of England. I’m a big fan of their danceable 2022 track, Always Been, so I can’t wait to hear their first album.
Jealous Guy by Hurray for the Riff Raff
Possibly one of the best band names out there, Hurray for the Riff Raff is fronted by singer/songwriter Alynda Segarra (they/them). If you’re looking for a big queer slice of Americana, then this is the artist to follow. Especially after you realise that Alynda is the one pictured in the cowboy hat at the top of this blog. While HftRR has a new album out this year, I opted for their incredible 2013 cover of the John Lennon classic. Be prepared for chills, it’s that lovely.
What They Call Us by Fever Ray
If something about Fever Ray sounds eerily familiar, it’s because Karin Dreijer (they/them) co-founded the political electro-pop group The Knife (of early-noughtie’s Heartbeats fame). My friend Nomes from Australia recommended Fever Ray for this playlist, and I’m so glad she did. When asked by the Guardian about the song on this playlist, Dreijer responded, “Being brought up as a girl and not having the words for understanding what you are, it’s just something very itchy. And every time you try to break out from that you’re being punished in some way.”
Your Reply by Francis Quinlan
Recommended by Jayden. See more of Francis Quinlan on Insta.
Be Your Man by G Flip
Everyone is buzzing right now about G Flip’s (they/them) Swiftie cover of Cruel Summer. But if I were to rock out to any of this Aussie icon’s songs, I would be giving Be Your Man a try at karaoke. Aside from being one of the most famous non-binary musicians around, G Flip is also known for their high-profile marriage to Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause. They even dressed up as each other last Halloween, which pretty much broke the internet.
Black by Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows
Recommended by @snox_04. Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows is the creation of Anna Varney Cantodea.
Revolution Lover by Left at London
Recommended by @cloudedpeach. Nat Puff (she/her) has a big following on TikTok.
Call My Name by Siren
Are you looking for a sensual track for your next T4T hook-up? Call My Name by the black and brown trans musicians collective Siren is exactly what you’re after. The group of friends decided they were stronger together and joined up to release their first album this year. The supportive vibes shine through in the fact that each vocalist is featured on at least one track. I’m also obsessed with Moody off the same album, so I recommend listening to it as well.
Rise and Grind by Noahfinnce
Recommended by @aimee.t.rivers. You can check out Noah (he/him) on TikTok.
I Belong Here by Teddy Geiger
You can follow Teddy Geiger (she/her) on Insta.
Lilac and Black by Ezra Furman
I’ve been a big fan of Ezra Furman (she/they) since the beginning. I remember my excitement seeing her perform in pearls and a skirt at Rough Trade NYC in October 2015 and then again at Glastonbury the following year. There are so many of her amazing songs that I could have added to this playlist, many of which make me want to cry. Yet, Lilac and Black is the trans+ rallying cry that makes you want to see empowered “queer girl gangs” roaming the streets.
CYA by Jamaica Moana
Recommended by Jayden. Watch Jamaica Moana (she/he) in the above video and follow her on Insta.
Rhythm and Rapture by SeeYouSpaceCowboy
Recommended by @kaidownguitar. SeeYouSpaceCowboy is fronted by Connie Sgarbossa (she/her).
Haircut by Alex the Astronaut
My friend Jayden also recommended this singer/songwriter, and I remember Alex the Astronaut (she/they) from a few years back. They wrote the lovely Not Worth Hiding around the time of Australia’s referendum on same-sex marriage. But the upbeat Haircut is the perfect track for this playlist. In the lyrics, Alex notes, “I’ll write I’m not a boy or a girl, I’m still filling that in,” later adding to this in an interview for Refinery29 that “I’m not at a definitive spot in my (gender) journey.”
Lipstick Lover by Janelle Monaé
Check out Janelle Monaé (they/she) on Insta.
Bad Man by Fightmaster
Recommended by Fiona, who thinks this is a “super sexy song.” See more of E.R. Fightmaster (they/them/snack) on their Instagram.
iT by Christine and the Queens
Chris/Red (he/him) from Christine and the Queens came out as trans in 2022, but his music has resonated with trans fans since the beginning. Described by Pitchfork as one of his “early transmasculine anthems,” iT announces plainly, “I’ve got it/I’m a man now,” making it a perfect addition to this playlist. Listen to his epic Paranoia, Angels, True Love for something more recent.
Get Equal, Get Even by Nervus
Recommended by @kaidownguitar. Nervus is fronted by Em Foster(she/they).
Say Gay or Say Goodnight by JER & Money Nicca
Recommended by @kaidownguitar. You can check out JER (they/them) on TikTok.
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