“Earlier this spring, 20-year-old former Dance Moms star turned disconcerting solo act, JoJo Siwa, declared she wanted to start a new genre: “gay pop.” After internet backlash (and side-eye from the likes of Tegan and Sara), Siwa doubled down: though she no longer claims to have invented it, the “Karma” singer still wants to see an “official” gay pop genre established, one that’s searchable on iTunes.
If JoJo had checked in on some of the coverage coming out of Coachella this spring, she might have realized that gay pop—and queer music across styles and genres—is already dominating the mainstream. Coachella is one of the biggest, most profitable, most famous music festivals in the world; it’s a good reflection of where popular music and all of pop culture at large is headed. And if I had to sum up Coachella 2024 in three letters, I’d choose these ones: G-A-Y…”
