Gay Music: In the Key of Q

‘Not only are you not supposed to be gay, and you’re somehow choosing this horrible life, well guess what now if you’re going to have sex you’re probably going to die.’’ This week’s guest is a star on America’s Queer Country Music scene. His horny sex-positive songs are filled with all the sexy traditional Country tropes but with a cocksure man-on-man spin. In this episode, Daddy discusses beating...

‘It’s not boiled down to the people you have sex with, but with everything around you; the way that you express yourself through clothing, or music…’ Dhorin has been releasing music for a number of years, including several singles and the 2021 EP, ‘Viking Rave Comp I’. His most recent single is the 2021 release ‘Olof’ and he intriguingly describes his sound as ‘Techno Viking Pop’. This week’s epis...

Enjoy volume 1 of our artist-curated playlist by clicking here . The podcast itself can be found by clicking here .

‘I was so scared to say “he”, “him”. I was making reference to pussy that I’ve never even been involved with. So it was like, I can’t keep doing this anymore.’ IZM writes deeply personal beats striking at themes of self-acceptance, sexual rejection and toxic masculinity. In the episode he challenges the homophobia he perceives within Black American culture; his recovery from sexual trauma and abus...

‘There’s something fun about performance. There’s something fun about being a character. And when you can marry that with some personal songs, a bit aggression, and a bit of an edge, it’s just such a wonderful way to get that out of your system.” This week, Dan’s guest on In the Key of Q is Canadian singer-songwriter MATTHEW PRESIDENTE (pronounced “President-ay”). Matthew Presidente hails from Van...

‘I don’t like labelling myself, or labelling anything. That’s why I use the term Queer because it’s widely used. You can use it in so many ways.’ This week’s episode heads to the European mainland and the German capital city of Berlin. Neyon has been releasing singles since 2019 including ‘Disco Punk’, ‘Top Dog’ and the 2021 single ‘Glammed Up’. His sound is fused with 1980s retro pads and a dash...

‘If you can’t be witty or funny without tearing someone down, then you’re not funny.’ JR writes light, catchy pop as showcased in his first album the 2021 release, ‘Daydream’. But beneath the catchy melodies and Britney-inspired production are tales of body shame, Queer toxicity and growing up poor in the American South. JR is a trailblazer in the Queer community, battling against the body fascism...

‘I was angry. I was sad… and I was suicidal. Music saved me.’ HELP FOR PEOPLE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS Aish writes intelligent and personal pop with echoes of his Indian heritage woven within the beats, production and lyrics. In the episode he mulls the concepts of mother and motherland, having himself a complex relationship with both. From the gruelling summers of India, the violent homophobia of N...

‘It’s not a crime to not understand. But when that knowledge is presented to you, and you still refuse to grow from it, then we have an issue.’ Carrington’s most recent release is ‘Baptize Me In TNT’ an acoustic collection of songs that showcase his smokey, gravelly voice to a tee. This has come on the back of his 2018 album, ‘Baptize Me’ featuring original studio versions of many of his tracks on...

‘I still face a lot of judgment from the gay community because I’m different. Because I like different things.’ In this week’s episode, Tom talks about his experiences as a young man in a Catholic seminary, being a misfit within the Queer community, and the painful but rewarding honesty that comes from infidelity. He shares his love of authenticity within his music, his thoughts on Lady Gaga, and...

‘I’m making the music that I wanted to listen to growing up. And I think if nobody else like’s it, it’s there for me to enjoy.’ This week’s guest hails from Chicago. In 2018 he released his first long-player, ‘Rituals’. And then in 2020 a five-track EP called ‘33’. Most recent is his 2021 single, ‘But a Dream’. In this episode, Nick discusses growing up in a trailer park and the challenges he face...

‘David Bowie has it all: style, fashion, attitude, compassion.’ This week, Dan’s guests on In the Key of Q are Jazz musician Janette Mason and singer-songwriter David McAlmont. A special episode this week celebrating the new EP, ‘Wall to Wall Bowie’. The five-track record contains amazing, fresh, Jazz-driven new interpretations of David Bowie classics including ‘The Jean Genie’, ‘Suffragette City’...

‘I felt isolated. I also felt like I had to obey because it was better to obey and be in a space that I knew than to branch out and touch unchartered waters.” This episode contains references to suicide. Please  click here  for help and advice. Rebel Will hails from Toronto in Canada. He has a number of singles out including, ’Til the Sun Comes Down’, ‘Better’, and the 2021 release ‘Rock...

‘Even if you are living your truth, you still fear that people won’t accept you for it.’ This episode contains references to suicide. Please click here for help and advice. In 2019 Emmet released his first EP, ‘I Feel Like I Just Woke Up’ and followed this up with the 2021 release, ‘I Hope You’re Home’. The title track of the album deals with his close friend whose own internal struggle ended in s...

‘There’s probably another little black boy somewhere in Flint, Michigan that feels unrepresented. He feels that he can’t really be himself because it’s not there. He can’t see it.’ Please note this episode contains a discussion about a young person's murder. Support can be found by clicking here. In 2018 FURILLOSTAR released his first EP, ‘Pride’ and has since then released a series of catchy R&am...

‘As hard as we work, nobody attacks us as Black, gay artists the way other Black, gay men do.’ (Sampson McCormick) In the Key of Q has so far published several episodes featuring American artists who identify as Black and Queer. These include Ty McKinnie (episode 2) , SADBOY (episode 5) , Wuhryn Dumas (episode 7) and The IZM (episode 10) . There was a consistency of messaging coming out from these...

‘As hard as we work, nobody attacks us as Black, gay artists the way other Black, gay men do.’ (Sampson McCormick) In the Key of Q has so far published several episodes featuring American artists who identify as Black and Queer. These include Ty McKinnie (episode 2) , SADBOY (episode 5) , Wuhryn Dumas (episode 7) and The IZM (episode 10) . There was a consistency of messaging coming out from these...

‘There was not a day that went by that I was not called fairy, queen, faggot. The typical slammed into lockers and all that stuff. Food thrown at me. People saying that they wanted to hit me with their trucks or their cars.’ Vincent has a beautiful lo-fi feel to his music, as can be heard across his two albums ‘Not Again’ (2009) and ‘Think. Strings. Machines.’ (2015). His 2020 single ‘1950’ is a t...

‘I want so much of gay life to be normalised. Where it’s just part of everyday living.’ Paul writes and performs complex, beautifully produced records with a touch of maturity and even melancholy. His 2019 album Light and Dust is a testament to love, loss and living. Paul talks about his experiences writing and remixing for artists such as Madonna and Phyllis Hyman; he reveals how the murder of a...

‘People are allowed to make mistakes. I make mistakes every day. I think we just need to be more open to the idea of growing as people.’ Jsky is known for his brilliantly inventive outfits, charismatic personality, and celebrity-filled address book. He fronted Channel Four’s controversial reality series Naked Beach and featured in the long-running series, First Dates . He has released two 6-track...

You've heard the trailer in the episodes, now find out more about the Song Surfing Podcast from the presenter and producer, John Kehl. These are not paid ads! I think his is a great show and would be of interest to those who subscribe to IN THE KEY OF Q. I hope you think so too! In The Key of Q publishes every Tuesday (‘Quesday’) and is available at inthekeyofq.com , on Apple , Spotify , Google ,...

“It is possible to be this entity, this identity, this fearless Black, Queer person.” Wuhryn Dumas was born in Atlanta, Georgia and makes beautifully positive music. His style is a blend of funkadelic Pop, R&B, House, Jazz and not to forget an undertone of Soul. His first six-track EP, ‘Glitter On Fire’ was released in 2020 after 2018’s premier single, ‘Chemistry’. Topics covered in the episod...

“Music is healing for queer people because we find codes and messages that are hidden within songs, and we hear ourselves in them. And we see that caught in other people’s eyes.”  Sydney-based singer-songwriter joins Dan Hall to talk about growing up gay in the Christian suburbs of Australia, singer-songwriter John Grant, the power of performance and his complex relationship with his commerci...

“Drake really opened the door for Rap to get that vulnerability.” Hip Hop singer SADBOY shares with us his upbringing, his blinding work-ethic and of course his percussive and deeply atmospheric tunes. Links: Episode transcription SADBOY’s Spotify playlist featuring his songs from this episode and his five tracks to save from Armageddon. SADBOY‘s forever home online . Vox’s short on Afrofuturism....

“So much of my journey with not just my sexuality, but my spirituality, has been returning to a childlike version of myself.” WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS REFERENCES TO SUICIDE. Blake Mundell speaks about his highly personal journey through Faith and the clash with his Queer identity. He discusses his fear of coming out as an NFL employee, a shame that drew him to attempt suicide, and the emerge...