Romance comes in all kinds of hues. Move beyond its straight depiction and watch these music videos that celebrate LGBTQIA+ people
A music video has the ability to enhance the feel of the music, while transporting you to a different universe. It's almost as if the music comes alive when you watch a masterfully-crafted music video. No wonder then, that many musicians put a lot of thought into what they want to say and how they want to say it, through their music videos.
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Electronic musician Ritviz, of Udd Gaye fame, courted controversy when he created the Pride Anthem for Tinder. Both the musician and the company were called out on social media for not involving LGBTQIA+ people in the so-called pride anthem and therefore, capitalising on queerness.
Given that queer musicians and media are often neglected, we have curated for you a selection of our favourite music videos with LGBTQIA+ themes.
Don't Pull Away by J Views and Rhye
Pic/@j.views, Instagram
This video is a tender one. The lyrics hint at a relationship that's coming to an end. "The time you're trying to breathe into the heart of a relationship a final breath of emotion so it remains alive. It's a helpless moment—you go, 'Please don't pull away' to something that had already begun pulling away," J Views told Out magazine. The video has been directed by Tamar Glezerman, a queer person herself, who cast queer people Indya Moore and Elliott Sailors in the video. Glezerman tried to explore the power dynamics in a withering relationship through this video. We liked that it ends with a passionate kiss between Moore and Sailors on the beach.
Meant To Be Yours by GrapeGuitarBox
Queer singer-songwriter GrapeGuitarBox, aka Teenasai Balamu's song Meant To Be Yours warms the heart instantly. It is the third single from their debut EP, Out. "It's the first openly gay love song that I've written," they admitted. We really liked their soothing vocals and the trumpets section towards the end.
Pic/@grape guitarbox, Instagram
Radio Romance by Mashrou' Leila
Mashrou' Leila is an indie rock band from Beirut, Lebanon. Although it has four members, its frontman Hamed Sinno always steals the show with his mesmerising vocals and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. The band's song Radio Romance has an animated video. The video shows two lovers who are desperately trying to hug each other as they are pulled apart by external forces. The video serves as a testament to the power of love even in places where the simple act of loving someone might be illegal. We liked that the forms of the lovers are ambiguous such that you can't tell which gender they belong to.
Pic/Mashrou' Leila, Facebook
Bar Talk by Raghav Meattle
Raghav Meattle is one of the finest musicians in the indie scene. His soft vocals and meaningful lyrics make for a soothing combination. The music video of Bar Talk depicts two couples in a bittersweet relationship—one gay couple, another lesbian. You see them doing ordinary things like washing the dishes or playing Scrabble together. Meattle wrote on his Instagram page, "It's time to lift the veil of sensationalism from telling the stories we should have heard a long time ago." We liked that we got to see Sushant Divgikar in the video as he is always a treat to watch.
Pic/@raghav meattle, Instagram
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