Lil Nas X to Kick Off Tour in Detroit, Snubs Texas
The one and only Lil Nas X has announced his first tour. The “Long Live Montero” tour will kick off Tuesday, Sept. 6 in Detroit at The Fillmore. Tickets are on sale now. Lil Nas [...]
Meet Reginald Hawkins: Wayne State Student By Day, Pop Artist By Night
Ferndale Pride performer and Detroit-based Reginald Hawkins is living a double life. By day, they’re a college student worrying about a looming lab deadline. By night, they’re becoming a pop and dance music sensation, expressing their [...]
Keep Your Pride Season Going With These 8 Queer Artists (and Allies with Receipts)
Between sips of White Claw or while sweeping cicadas off of your patio, you’ll want to turn up your speakers to some of our favorite rising LGBTQ+ musicians — and a few allies — that [...]
At Long Last, Live Shows Return to Michigan: 11 Must-See LGBTQ+ Artists Coming To Town
For those of us who love live music — and for those employed by the concert industry — the wait for in-person shows has been very, very long. Here are some much-anticipated live shows featuring [...]
John Grant’s ‘Boy From Michigan’ LP Is His Most Personal Album Yet. And One Of Its Biggest Fans Is Elton John.
You won’t find musician John Grant’s new autobiography on the bookstore shelves or via ebook platforms. It’s not that kind of autobiography. Instead, Grant’s memoir, “Boy From Michigan,” is a purely audio experience. A melodic, [...]
7 Funky Tracks Bringing Vaccine Vibes to Your Spring
Listen, you don’t need some pretentious glob about spring being intrinsically linked to change and growth from me. Still, staring at my vaccine card and counting the days in between shots one and two, this [...]
Pale Waves Frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie Is the Gay Goth Role Model the Community Needs
Three years after the Pale Waves’ breakout album “My Mind Makes Noises,” the band is back bolder and gayer than ever with “Who Am I?” On tracks like “She’s My Religion,” “Easy,” and “You Don’t [...]
Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Daniels Among Performers Featured in 44th Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival At Home
Like most entertainment venues in the state and, indeed, across the country, The Ark in Ann Arbor has struggled to find its footing in the midst of a pandemic that continues to rage. “Ever since [...]
In Conversation: Gloria Estefan On Her Struggles With Her Gay Daughter
She admits it took several painful years, but gay icon and Latin pop trailblazer Gloria Estefan is now in a "really good place" with her 25-year-old daughter Emily, who is openly queer. After working on [...]
Out Musician Bright Light Bright Light Centers LGBTQ Culture With Disco-Laden Third LP
The name Rod Thomas might not be instantly recognizable, but it’s likely you’ve come across the one he uses on stage. As Bright Light Bright Light, Thomas has been a staple of the international LGBTQ [...]
Lesbian Detroit Rapper Miz Korona Riffs on COVID-19 with her ‘The Virus’ EP
Developing, writing and recording an album is no easy feat, but sometimes, when the environment is just right, one new idea can set off a creative chain reaction — one strong enough to pull a [...]
R&B, Dance Diva Sybil to Perform on July 25 at Hotter Than July Virtual Picnic
R&B and Dance Diva Sybil is set to perform at The Hotter Than July Virtual Picnic on Saturday, July 25. LGBT Detroit organizes the event annually and is the producer of HTJ, which has become [...]
Heather Mae, Crys Matthews to Headline Singing OUT Virtual Pride at The Ark
Even at the best of times, Pride festivals are a reprieve from many of the daily struggles faced by the LGBTQ community. There, acceptance is given freely, and if done right, the celebration allows any [...]
Melissa Etheridge Has Chosen Hope for ‘Beautiful Change’ Over Fear in Uncertain Times
Throughout her dynamic three-decade career, Melissa Etheridge has beat cancer and weathered the devastating emotional toll of the AIDS crisis. Having overcome her own battles, the music legend consequently became a beacon of strength, resilience [...]
Jax Anderson Talks New ‘Heal’ EP Before El Club Show Feb. 8
Regular self-reflection might seem like it's part and parcel of being a musician, but as with any career, it's easy to get bogged down by the everyday responsibilities. Things like touring, writing music and planning [...]
The Ark Hosts 43rd Annual Folk Fest Jan. 31-Feb. 1
A mutual love of campus, coffee and community merged in 1965 when four Ann Arbor churches created The Ark. Originally a meeting house and creative outlet for artistic students, it wasn't long before music acts [...]
Just Some Gay Guy’s Best Albums of 2019
10. Miranda Lambert, 'Wildcard' After flooding a sublime double-disc album with her post-divorce feelings (hey, divorce is hard!), Miranda Lambert got her groove back and then finally decided that life is “pretty bitchin,’” a sentiment [...]
Trixie Mattel brings her ‘Moving Parts’ to Detroit
Since first rising to fame as a fan-favorite on season seven of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and then becoming the show's "All-Stars 3" winner, drag queen Trixie Mattel has done anything but slow down. In fact, [...]
Patti Smith at The Royal Oak Music Theatre
On Monday, Sept. 16, and Tuesday, Sept. 17, Patti Smith will perform at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. The internationally known and Grammy Award-winning artist has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of [...]
Accidentally Perfect
Breakups hit hard. Some hit harder than others. For Alyse Vellturo, better-known by fans as pronoun, three years after she broke up with her ex-girlfriend and it's still much of the creative fuel for her first full-length album "i'll show you stronger."
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at The Fillmore
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats blends classic elements of folk, Americana and rhythm and blues to create a unique sound that's been taking the music world by storm. Detroiters will get a chance to [...]
Carly Rae Jepsen Dance Party at El Club Sat. Aug. 24
On Saturday, Aug. 24, El Club will host Party For One: A dance party dedicated to the music of Carly Rae Jepsen. DJs will be announced. General Admission is $5. Find out more information online [...]
The B-52s 40th Anniversary Tour
Since they got their start 40 years ago, The B-52's have reached audiences worldwide and sold more than 20 million albums. On Saturday, Sept. 14, the group will keep that momentum going when they visit [...]
Heart With Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Elle King Aug. 5
Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson are heading on the road in 2019 for the first time in three years for their "Love Alive" cross-country summer tour. Joining them at the DTE Energy Music Theatre on [...]
Robyn Keeps You Guessing: Pop Icon Talks ‘Pure Bond’ with LGBTQ Fans, Doing Drag & Next LP
If you’re not a Robyn fan, you’re not gay. Or so they say. I told Robyn about this POV from the gay Twitter collective when I called her direct on Skype recently – it was [...]
The Music of Queen Featuring the DSO July 14
When Queen shot to fame in the '70s the band's bridging of rock and classical music shook the music industry in an unforgettable way. Now, heading to the Meadowbrook Ampitheatre on Oakland University's Campus, audiences [...]
A ‘Good Day’ in Detroit: UK Artist Lucy Spraggan Visits Michigan on US Leg of Tour
In 2012 U.K. artist Lucy Spraggan took the music world by storm when at 19 she auditioned for "The X Factor" with an original song "Last Night (Beer Fear)." An instant hit, the track got [...]
Taylor Swift Calls Out Gay-Hate On New Single. Plus, 7 Other Summer Songs
Taylor Swift is a gay icon on the job! Céline Dion is flying! Katy Perry is not sexualizing buffets! And then, there’s MIKA, your “Ice Cream” man, and country queen Tanya Tucker’s stately comeback single, [...]
‘Pride & Joy: The Marvin Gaye Musical’ at Fisher Theatre
"Pride & Joy: The marvin Gaye Musical" is the story of the Motown legend who, among his other accolades, earned 18 pop Top 10 hits and was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall [...]
Movement Music Festival May 25 – 27
Located in Hart Plaza, Detroit, this Memorial Day weekend thousands of people across the U.S. and the world will gather for the Movement Music Festival. Attendees will be able to celebrate Detroit's electronic music and [...]
Slushii at The Fillmore Detroit May 16
Los Angeles-based DJ Slushii has worked with artists like Marshmello, Ookay and Jauz. Now coming to Detroit, he'll be performing hits from his latest album "Dream." Find out more about tickets on ticketmaster.com.
Rick Springfield at Motorcity Casino Sound Board May 23
Known for such hits as "I've Done Everything for You," "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Jessie's Girl," Rick Springfield has been a heartthrob since the '80s. Fans of the Grammy Award-winning musician can mark off [...]
Review: Pink Soars, Affirms ‘Forgotten and Invisible’ During Powerful Show
Have you balanced atop and dangled from an aerialist in midair, nothing holding you to him but his strength and yours? Or boomeranged Spidey-style from end to end of a sports arena, like Detroit’s Little [...]
Florence + The Machine at DTE Energy Music Theatre May 24
PHOTO Credit: Lillie Eiger Returning to the Detroit area after a critically acclaimed tour last year, Florence + The Machine is coming back to the Detroit area to play at the DTE Energy Music Theatre. [...]
9 Albums to Hear This Year, From Ariana to Madonna
There’s something for every color of the rainbow included in this year’s music-release roster. The list is long, but here’s a taste: debuts from "Pitch Perfect" star Ben Platt and hair-toss kween Lizzo, songwriter showcases [...]
Best Albums of 2018
10. Jussie Smollett, "Sum of My Music" No way "Empire" star Jussie Smollett was about to let a label – in his case, not just any label but Sony – stifle his musical ambitions. So he [...]
Angel Vivaldi Wants to Re-Introduce you to Instrumental Guitar
Whether escorting fans on a seasonal tour of the universe, providing a musical accompaniment to some of the brain's most key neurotransmitters or removing song titles from an EP altogether, Angel Vivaldi's artistic vision has [...]
Brennan Villines ‘Make(s) It Work’ with Brand-New EP
After overcoming a battle with drug addiction and an HIV-positive diagnoses, musician Brennan Villines jumped into the national spotlight with a showstopping performance on Fox's "The Four." Villines imprinted upon viewers not only his musical [...]
Siena Liggins Will Steal Your Girlfriend and Give Her Body Confidence, Too
Only a few months after the success of her pop song "Flowerbomb," Siena Liggins is back with the release of her second single, "Naked," out today — with a tailor-made campaign to promote body confidence, [...]
Temperatures Rise on Jazz Singer Ben Sharkey’s New Album
Whether it was the result of fate or serendipity won't ever be clear, but it was a fortunate thing for Ben Sharkey that he knocked over a pile of his roommate's CDs as he cleaned [...]
Taylor Swift in Detroit: A Pop Queen Earns Her Crown
If Old Taylor Swift was dead, the massive animatronic cobra that slithered onto Detroit's Ford Field on Tuesday night was the 28-year-old music luminary's incarnate, as New Taylor deliciously acted the insidious part written for her [...]
Sarah Shook Talks Positive Change in Country Music and Community
Sarah Shook had the makings of an artist from an early age. By 9 years old it wasn't uncommon to see her writing songs, poems and short stories that would become the precursors to the [...]
Detroit Artist Siena Liggins Debuts Single ‘Flowerbomb’
Dress off. Hair down. "Flowerbomb." Like many sexual experiences, there's a slow but powerful build, and it takes Siena Liggins' brand-new song a full minute to drop. But at that point, it's still far from over. As [...]
Trans Singer Shea Diamond Moved Prisoners With Her Music While In Jail. Now, the World.
Even in prison, Shea Diamond was a star. The concrete floor her stage, the men her audience. And the acoustics? “The best,” Diamond says. The 40-year-old soul songstress stretched her body over the hard ground, [...]
Liz and the Luckouts Offer up ‘Raw Rock ‘n’ Roll’
The pessimism of their name aside, Liz and the Luckouts are a safe bet if you’re looking for “Detroit rock 'n' roll, just raw rock 'n' roll,” said Gretchen Domino, who plays bass and joins in on vocals. “Our sound is hard to describe.”
Jump to your feet and support ‘Concert for a Cure’
Will the opportunity to spend an intimate evening of song and music with cast members from the national touring production of “On Your Feet” motivate enough people to jump to their feet on the evening [...]
Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers Talks Empathy, Creativity and New Projects
Few artist are willing to take on topics as complex as the prison industrial complex, painkiller addiction and faith — let alone on one album — but the Indigo Girls certainly don't shy away from [...]
LGBTQ Artist Rachael Cantu Debuts ‘Love Rush’ EP
Falling in love, as thrilling as it is, requires a huge level of vulnerability. That immensely happy and slightly uncomfortable feeling is encapsulated in Rachael Cantu’s most recent music video “You’re the Most.” Its dreamy [...]
Hear Me Out: 7 Albums (Britney! Robyn!) That Will Make This Year Suck Less
That Britney album better come quick – preferably before the world combusts from nuclear warfare. On the horizon for the rest of what’s shaping up to be a very gay 2018 outside of Brandi Carlile’s recently released must-hear masterwork? New Robyn, new Kylie, new Troye. If only our current political era was as promising as this year’s albums-release slate.
The Colorful World of Simon Black
Take a look at his picture, and there’s no getting around it: Detroit native and dance music sensation Simon Black is a little unusual. “I’ve always danced to the beat of my own drum,” Black said. “I used to think that was something bad. But now I don’t.” Black traces his love of music to his formative years in the 1980s. “I was an ‘80s baby and MTV was new,” he said. “The artists that were hot at the time are the ones who inspired me to be who you see today: Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson.” Madonna, especially, spoke to young Mr. Black.