An early contender for one of the best albums of 2024, “Stellar Evolution” by queer singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan is modern pop perfection. For his captivating and varied fourth, full-length solo album (available on orange vinyl!), Tasjan expertly navigates meaningful subject matter in songs that reveal something new with every listen. From the accessible experimentation of “The Drugs Did Me” and “Alien Space Queen,” to the new wave nods “Horror Of It All,” and “Dylan Shades,” to club banger “Nightmare” and gorgeous numbers including “Young” and “Ocean Drive,” Tasjan never fails to keep u ..read more

Maia Sharp is one of those queer singer/songwriters who deserve a larger following in the LGBTQ+ community. I mean Britney large. Her songs are beautiful and accessible. Even Cher thinks so! The recent expanded reissue of Cher’s 1996 album “It’s A Man’s World” features her cover of Sharp’s “Don’t Come Around Tonite” (previously only available on the import version). If that’s not enough, Bonnie Raitt has not only recorded her own interpretations of Sharp’s songs but has also brought her on tour as her opening act. Sharp’s latest, her eighth studio album “Reckless Thoughts” never disappoints fr ..read more

Powerful music will cross paths with grand vintage design when the Philadelphia Organ Festival makes its debut at venues throughout the city March 15-23. The festival will feature some of the region’s historic pipe organs and several of the area’s best musicians performing in architecturally significant spaces.  Joshua Castaño, producer of the Philadelphia Organ Festival, said that one of the goals of the festival is to show people how broad the appeal of the organ can be.    “It’s about music,” he said. “Music is the foundation of it. We want people to come out and hear mu ..read more

It’s only mid-February as this is being written, but there’s no doubt that the album “Blue Raspberry” (Anti-) by out singer/songwriter Katy Kirby will have a place on my best of 2024 list. Kirby is a distinctive young songwriter, and she performs her songs with a confidence that belies her age. “Blue Raspberry” has been on repeated spins since it arrived, and I’ve been enthusiastically recommending songs including “Drop Dead,” “Table,” “Cubic Zirconia,” “Fences” and “Redemption Arc” to friends and family. Kirby was kind enough to make time for an interview to discuss “Blue Raspberry,” ahead of ..read more

A week from the release of her latest album, “Hole in my Head,” and with a week to go before heading out on tour, Laura Jane Grace was in the thick of moving into a new home in Chicago. The musician took a break to talk with PGN about her music and the tour that will bring her to Philadelphia’s Underground Arts on March 6. This intense forward momentum seems appropriate when talking about “Hole in my Head,” an album written as the world returned to post-COVID-lockdown activity and Grace returned to touring. From 2021 to 2023, Grace’s live sets included brand new songs, many of which ended up o ..read more

About halfway through a North American tour in support of her debut album, “Now That I’ve Been Honest,” Maddie Zahm will bring a mix of confessional lyrics and upbeat pop to Philadelphia on March 7. Across the album’s 12 songs, Zahm shares pieces of her life story so far in chronological order. We meet the singer as a teenager grappling with the pressures and expectations of a leadership role in her family’s church, then follow Zahm into her 20s, where she comes out as bisexual and faces love and heartbreak. “[Placing the songs chronologically] came naturally,” Zahm said. “I was struggling so ..read more

“Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero,” debuting Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. on HBO, is an entertaining portrait of the out Grammy-winning rapper, singer and songwriter. Bookended by the start and finish of his first American tour, the film — co-directed by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel — provides a peek behind-the-scenes; musings by Lil Nas X about his life, songs, sexuality and family; and some dazzling musical performances.  Lil Nas X’s concert is pure theater, and his anxiety about it “being good” and worrying that things may not go well illustrates that the singer cares about delivering for his ..read more

Ahead of bringing easily one of the queerest pop shows to a sold-out crowd in Detroit, rising performer Chappell Roan made a request to Michigan fans on her Instagram — wear something rainbow. At the October St. Andrews Hall show, Roan explained that she wanted to give everyone a chance to go full-on gay; openly queer herself, she acknowledged an understanding that things aren’t great for LGBTQ+ people right now, and so to her queer fans, she conveyed a heart-filled message: “You are safe here.”  That night, there were so many rainbows that you would be spotted for not sporting one. Pride ..read more

It’s safe to say that not every queer person digs opera or classical music. But those who do border on being cult like. In a way, the classical crossover genre — which has its roots in the 1980s (remember Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe’s “Barcelona” album) — bridged that gap. Performers such as Charlotte Church, Jackie Evancho, Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli have found victory in the genre. All-male quartet Il Divo is also one of classical crossover’s greatest success stories. An early 21st century creation of Simon Cowell, Il Divo is still going strong after 20 years. Having survived ..read more

With her newest album, “Avalanche,” Jenny Owen Youngs wrote songs about heavy themes, including heartbreak, grief and childhood trauma. But despite what friends and other journalists have told her about the subject matter, Youngs does not believe this is a sad record. “I feel like this is my happy record,” Youngs said with a laugh. “I feel like this is the happiest record I’ve ever made by far. It feels great to me.” She added that she doesn’t “find singing a sad song to be inherently sorrowful.”  “I like sad songs,” Youngs said. “And I think they feel kind of comfortable to me. It’s safe ..read more