The text mostly focused on queer media in regards to visual media such as television, but queer representation in media is also important in music. One musical artist that I believe connects well to the concept of queer media, as well as to the concept of identity, is Girl In Red. Girl in red is a Norwegian singer song writer who has become pretty popular in the past few years. Some of her most popular songs are about queer romance. One of the reasons I wanted to talk about her music in particular is because of the fact that listening to her is seen as a marker of queer identity or at least lesbian identity to some. As fully explained in the article linked below asking someone if they listened to girl in red became a sort of short hand or way to semi covertly ask someone about their identity. People who didn’t listen to the artist or maybe did not identify as queer would not necessarily get the reference, but those who did would. Not only was girl in red a new artist working to create media for other queer people, but she became a part of greater queer culture and identity. I have also included a link to an interview with the artist where she is asked about being a “queer icon” and a link to one of her songs.
note: girl in red is not capitalized when used as her stage name, but I capitalized it in a few places to make the sentence a little more readable
“Do you listen to girl in red?” article: https://www.them.us/story/girl-in-red-tiktok-gen-z-sexuality-identity
Girl in Red interview: https://www.papermag.com/girl-in-red-2639222000.html?rebelltitem=16#rebelltitem16
I find it so interesting how for a while, and still now tbh, that listening to girl in red has been seen as a distinct representation of identifying as lesbian. For a while, there existed on tiktok the question of asking someone if they listen to girl in red as an indirect way of asking if they’re queer, and I think that its profound how music can quite literally become an extension of someone’s identity. After a while though, people who didn’t identify with queer began to relay that question, which I think is pretty wrong considering how well the notion of this question was. It just shows to tell that while the globalization of something, such as girl in red, may benefit the artist, create a community, etc. At some point, individuals outside the intended group will began to participate, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I think it can come across as dominating a minority group, which is inherently wrong.
I think music is an important form of media to look at through a “queer lens”. For far too long, mainstream music and the marketing machine that promotes it have pretty much exclusively portrayed heterosexual relationships and romances. Recently, queer artists have been able to reach mainstream audiences far more as society has become increasingly more accepting of different forms of gender expression and sexuality. This is important in breaking down the stereotype you mentioned in your post; that if you listen to music that discusses queer life or relationships, you must also be queer. This stereotype is barrier that prevents queer artists from reaching broader audiences and breaking down these norms through their music.