Need a new soundtrack for your family’s Pride celebrations—or all year ’round? You’re in luck, because queer artists have you covered with new music from disco grooves to soothing lullabies. Listen here!
Listen below or click images for links to this music on major streaming services. And check out the other LGBTQ-inclusive music for kids in my database!
The Many I Am
Just out today is “The Many I Am,” from nonbinary and queer singer-songwriter Carrie Ferguson. They call it “a gender queer disco rock dance party anthem,” and it will have listeners of all ages dancing and singing along with the affirming lyrics.
The song starts slowly as Ferguson’s clear voice sings, “You say it’s not true/But can you explain this?/I stand in front of you/And I will always exist.” The tempo picks up and the percussion kicks in as the lyrics paint a broader picture of all-gender inclusivity. Soon, it’s a full-on dance celebration, with a vibrant horn section, grooving piano and electric guitar, and lyrics affirming, “We are beyond between/woman and man./There’s not enough words for the many I am,” and challenging listeners to create a vision for change.
The song is first and foremost an anthem for nonbinary and gender diverse folks, and that’s hugely important right now—but really, it should appeal to anyone who contains multitudes. And don’t we all?
Crank this one up during Pride and all year ’round—and stay tuned for the upcoming video!
Ferguson is also one of the artists featured on last year’s “Rainbow Superpowers,” a kids’ song for Pride (or any time) from Strawbitty Yops in collaboration with other artists. Their 2021 kids’ music album, The Grumpytime Club, is also a great listen, with one song, “The Hope Parade,” that feels like a reference to Pride. And their single “She, He, They” is a bouncy tune about pronouns.
Rainbow Seekers
Also recently out is the fourth album from the Philadelphia-based music trio Ants on a Log, a celebratory, affirming exploration of gender identity, gender expression, and queer families.
The album features songs from the original musical of the same title, written by Ants members Julie Be and Miles Crabtree, two trans and nonbinary music therapists. They are joined on the album by the third Ant, elementary science teacher Anya Rose, and a variety of guests.
The music covers a range of genres and styles, making this an album that even adults won’t tire of when the kids have it on repeat. (And heck, there wasn’t music like this when we were kids; I suspect some of us grown-ups will have it on repeat, too.)
- “Rainbow Seekers” opens the album as the Rainbow Seekers swoop in with their rainbow capes (and a dance party) to bring all the colors of the rainbow to the neighborhood, encouraging listeners to let their true selves show!
- “Some Girls Have Short Hair” (2024 Mix) was originally part of the Ants’ album You Could Draw the Album Art, and makes a happy return here. In addition to the titular observation, the grooving song also notes that “some boys have long hair” and “some nonbinary kids have that really cool haircut where it’s shaved on one side and kinda longer on the other.” (You know the one!)
- “River’s Coming Over” is a punk-pop ode to a nonbinary role model coming over to visit a nonbinary child, who is clearly excited about being able to play with someone who doesn’t see them in terms of a girl or a boy. (Featuring Evan Greer and Fureigh.)
- “The History of Blue and Pink,” featuring Grammy winners the Alphabet Rockers, is a melodic hip hop track dispelling the myth that blue has always been for boys and pink for girls—or that those colors have to be used that way now.
- “Terry the Nonbinary Canary” tells the story of the titular avian, who likes to dress up in costumes. It’s a silly folk-jazz song, which the album notes suggest you sing to practice they/them pronouns!
- “They’re My Best Friend” (2024 Mix) was the first song on national radio with all nonbinary pronouns It also appeared on the multi-artist Trans and Nonbinary Kids Mix produced by Julie Be, and on the Ants’ Make It Myself. This updated version includes a sing-along portion featuring Carrie Ferguson and Lavender Blues. It’s a sweet song in which a friend’s nonbinary identity is just a part of who they are, and seamlessly accepted.
- “Moppa,” featuring Austin-based family music band Strawbitty Yops and Lindz Amer of Queer Kid Stuff, is a gentle, bedtime-worthy tune in which children address their nonbinary parents, using a variety of parental names, including Moppa, Baba, Zeze, Renny, and Maddy (with a mention of niblings as well). I’m thrilled to see these names that reflect some of the names (nonbinary and otherwise) that more than 400 real LGBTQ parents have submitted to The Mombian LGBTQ Parental Names Project. (Add your own!)
- “My Suspenders” is a boppy earworm (you’ve been warned!) that features trans and nonbinary children’s voices answering the question, “What clothing makes you feel most like yourself?”
Each of the songs is terrific in its own way; “Moppa” particularly hit me in the feels because of how it simply overflows with the love between children and parents. Nonbinary and gender creative kids and those with nonbinary parents may particularly appreciate the album, but really, with so many kids today having nonbinary or gender creative friends and relatives, this is an album with important and empowering messages for everyone. And I still have “My Suspenders” stuck in my head….
