5 Must-Hear Gay Albums In January 2023
From a world-famous drag queen to a history-making nonbinary performer, these January albums are of interest to the LGBTQ community.
January is typically a fairly quiet period in the music industry. Many major stars release their new collections in the summer or sometime in the fall, allowing them to produce several singles and sell well during the important holiday shopping season.
But while this January isn’t packed with tons of blockbuster full-lengths, that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything new to check out!
From a world-famous drag queen to a history-making nonbinary performer, the albums coming in January will not only be loads of fun, they’ll also be of particular interest to the LGBTQ community.
RuPaul – Black Butta
Release Date: January 6
Even though he is now one of the busiest presenters on TV, RuPaul has not abandoned his love of making music.
The drag queen of the world is set to release her 15th album Black Butta on Friday, January 6. Coincidentally – or perhaps not so – that’s the same day that the new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres. Based on her history, it’s safe to assume that the single from Black Butta – whatever it is – will be prominently featured in the fifteenth season of the show, which is back on MTV and is slated to be bigger than ever.
Låpsley – Cautionary Tales of Youth
Release Date: January 20
January is all about trying new things, so for those who are interested in discovering an artist they might not already know, there is one, in particular, releasing a new album this month who is very much worth checking out. Låpsley, an extremely talented singer, songwriter, musician, and producer out of England, is slated to deliver her third full-length Cautionary Tales of Youth on January 20.
For those who aren’t familiar with Låpsley, she is wholly original, blending many different unique genres such as soul, alternative, R&B, and art pop into something the world has never heard before.
Måneskin – Rush!
Release Date: January 20
The same day that alt-leaning pop artist Låpsley is releasing her album, another beloved queer-friendly act with a slightly difficult-to-type name is slated to do the same. Italian rock outfit Måneskin is planning on dropping their third album Rush! on January 20, and it is already one of the most highly-anticipated sets of early 2023.
The group blasted onto the global scene in 2021 after winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Since then, they have remained not only an alternative rock staple around the world, but they’ve reached fans beyond that single genre. The current Grammy nominees are bringing glam rock back with coordinated outfits and plenty of makeup, and thankfully they have the music to back it all up.
Ava Max – Diamonds & Dancefloors
Release Date: January 27
When Ava Max dropped her debut album Heaven & Hell in 2020, she had already produced a handful of hit singles that demonstrated that she was one to watch. Since then, her superfans and the pop world at large have been waiting for that smash that will catapult her into the stratosphere and prove that she may be the next great pop star.
Based on the teaser videos she has released from her upcoming sophomore full-length Diamonds & Dancefloors, Max may very well have created not just a radio winner, but a collection of electro dance-pop goodies. While the first several singles underperformed, Max and her label pushed the album into early 2023 and likely changed up some of the content, so there’s no telling just how great the final release may be.
Sam Smith – Gloria
Release Date: January 27
Sam Smith promoted their last album Love Goes for several years, doling out nine songs that were promoted as singles somewhere in the world. While there was clearly a lot invested in the project, it didn’t perform quite as well as their previous releases, and the singles, while moderately successful, didn’t stick around like some of their older smashes.
It looked for a minute like the same might happen with the singer’s upcoming album Gloria, as first single “Love Me More” didn’t take off as expected. Thankfully, that was not the end of the story.
Smith returned in mid-2022 with the song “Unholy,” a collaboration with trans powerhouse Kim Petras. The tune became something of a shocking global giant, reaching No. 1 in many countries, including both the U.K. and the U.S.
n doing so, Smith became the first openly nonbinary musician to reach the top of the charts, while Petras made history as the first openly trans singer to do so as well. Gloria is Smith’s fourth full-length album, and based on the performance of the latest single, it could wind up becoming one of their biggest.
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