Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Sam Smith, Lucy Dacus, Japanese Breakfast & More
Looking for some tunes to help you celebrate a queer-inclusive Valentine's Day? Allow us to help: Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ+ artists.
From Sam Smith's lovestruck new single to Lucy Dacus' stunning new track, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
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Throughout their decade-plus in the music business, Sam Smith quickly became defined as a once-in-a-generation singer turning heartbreak into gorgeous ballads. Their most recent LP took Smith in a new, more joyous direction, embracing high-camp club pop aesthetics and lighter emotional these. Now, Smith is bringing those two worlds together on 'Love Is a Stillness,' their new song marketed as a Valentine's Day gift to fans. Bringing the beautiful balladry of In the Lonely Hour and melding it with the jubilant lyricism of Gloria, 'Love Is a Stillness' sees Smith stripping themself down to their sparest elements in order to deliver a short, gorgeous ode to the simplicity of love.
When you take away the admittedly excellent artifice surrounding Lucy Dacus' new single 'Best Guess' — including its star-studded music video paying homage to 'hot mascs' everywhere — you're left with a rich love song that deserves more credit for its gorgeous lyricism. Dacus has long been one of the best songwriter's currently working in the business, and that poetic streak certainly does end here. Add onto that the singer's emotionally resonant and understated alto voice, and you've got a must-hear love song for this Valentine's Day.
Got any toxic men in your life that need to be checked really quick? Press play on Japanese Breakfast's new single 'Mega Circuit,' and you'll hear Michelle Zauner commiserating right along with you. Over a sometimes-spooky, always-catchy shuffle provided by legendary guitarist Jim Keltner, Zauner looks at the state of masculinity in 2025 with a rueful shake of her head: 'Plotting blood with your incel eunuchs,' she sighs. 'I could be the home you need.'
It's a sentiment that you do not need a reminder for yet bears repeating all the same: the world is chaos right now. But instead of succumbing to the inherent pain of that idea, Jake Wesley Rogers wants to embrace it. On 'God Bless,' the singer invokes an original gospel-style hymn to point out all the inherent contradictions and paradoxes in our modern society, both good and bad, before settling on a mantra we all can get behind: 'God bless, it's a beautiful f–king mess.'
After releasing their excellent album Love Hate Music Box in 2024, Rainbow Kitten Surprise is taking a victory lap with their new single 'Espionage.' Over some truly groovy pianos and guitars, frontperson Ela Melo lets her laid-back vocal speak for itself, as she and the rest of the band join in to deliver this 'anti-love anthem's' irresistible chorus. If you're not really feeling the love this V-Day, then let Rainbow Kitten Surprise take you somewhere else entirely.
Morgan Saint's debut album Out of the Blue is an LP that might take some time to digest — the singer herself says that it took her a while to untangle all the emotions involved. But that's also what makes this album such a remarkable listen; across 11 tracks, Saint explores a series of constant themes in all of our lives, from love (on the stunning title track in particular) to trauma ('Deep'), all over a series of increasingly great indie-pop tracks. She may have appeared Out of the Blue for you, but keep an eye on Morgan Saint. Now that she's here, she's sticking around.
Let's close this out with a certified club banger, shall we? Queer pop paragon Madison Rose's 'She's the One' isn't interested in being taken seriously, or being taken in any particular way for that matter — as Rose cooly declares halfway through the track, 'if you call her a bitch, but that in front of it.' A growling beat, some banging production and Rose's unparalleled confidence make for the perfect strut soundtrack. Looking for a pick-me-up this weekend? Look no further, because this song is, in fact, the one.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard's Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
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