Sky Ferreira photographed by Grant Singer for Night Time, My Time (2013)

JAPANESE BREAKFAST

Once death was really close to me, I suddenly became very fearful of it. I think that lit a fire in me like, ‘What do you have to say before it happens?’ [...] I wanted to just explore a different part of me: I am capable of joy and I have experienced a lot of joy. All the songs are different reminders of how to experience or carve out space for that. [X]

• raveena aurora: bisexual, she/her, american and indian ancestry. her music is so soothing and angelic, and her mvs are super diverse sapphic goodness, with warm colours and soft visuals. incorporates desi aesthetics with lo-fi and r&b. please watch her headaches mv (she romances hitomi mochizuki in it, yet another soft queen), it's like a sofia coppola film if the latter actually had good rep.
• rina sayawama: pansexual, she/her, japanese born british. absolutely bomb sapphic pop discography if i may say so myself. just a long string of bops here keep scrolling. not a bad track on the sayawama album. i recommend cherry, bad friend and akasaka sad. ily queen pls collab with kim namjoon :(
• janelle monae: pansexual (i think? correct me pls if wrong) she/they. pretty much one of the best voices in this goddamn industry, has a whole sci-fi extended universe of their own complete with an alter ego, and the music on those albums is psychedelic social commentary. their dirty computer ep is gold star from start to finish, i think my fave is i like that.
• zolita: lesbian, she/her, german american. am super new to her music but i ADORE her aesthetic, she incorporates her witchcraft into her mvs and music motifs and she has some seksii ass bops. her immaculate conception ep said zoyalina rights. watch the holy mv, it has like, witchy cults and lesbians and a woodsy vibe.
• victoria monet: bisexual, she/her. absolutely lush voice and sings of erotic experiences and sexuality which is v.v important for fellow queer and/or woc women especially when we are either absolutely desexualised in media as uwu cotton candy angels or fetishized by men. has collabed and worked with several pop artists. do yourself a favour and stream the jaguar ep, especially the title track and touch me (smutty sapphic song :*)
• japanese breakfast (aka michelle zauner): bisexual, she/her, korean-american. mostly sings chill, vintage style whimsical indie numbers that remind me of coming of age films. REALLY loves bisexual lighting in her mvs. more subtle motifs about the queer experience in her songs than the other artists on this list.
• phoebe bridgers: bisexual, she/her. you have probably heard of her but idc because i want her to compose the ost of my life, her music is HAUNTING, there is something very whimsical, light and otherworldly about her songs; dare i say camilla macaulay thinks she looks and sounds like this. i would could and should recommend the entire stranger in the alps ep, also killer + the sound. PLEASE listen to this song it's the very essence of dark academia meets an odd sort of tenderness???? idk.
• kailee morgue: pansexual, she/her. initially started out as a cover artist. i think she is a practising witch too, like zolita. ok i actually really love her music, the medusa ep is the kind of effervescent punk rock i really vibe with, and i like how she subtly uses greek mythology in her lyrics. siren is my fave song of hers (mv is aesthetic af), and i've also seen medusa as a rec on many lists.