Callie is back with this week’s playlist created in honor of Pride Month. A little shoutout to all the ladies out there who may not feel either seen or heard. You are both, and you are loved, too.

  1. “Honey” – Kehlani. Putting aside for a moment how incredible and refreshing and validating it is to hear a woman sing about how she likes her girls, “Honey” is generally an essential love song. It is perfect. Kehlani, who has the uncanny ability to improve every song and album that she graces with her presence, shines most when the instrumentals aren’t clamoring for attention — and her vocals are supported by subtle, summery, tropical melodies. Bonus points: listen to the remix by Geoffro.
  2. “Strangers” – Halsey, Lauren Jauregui. It’s rare to hear a love song by a queer woman — one that explicitly uses she/her pronouns in reference to the love interest — on the radio. It’s even more rare to hear a romantic (or, in this case, anti-romantic) duet between two women. This song gives us both, neatly wrapped up in a catchy underlining beat and garnished with lustrous harmonies.
  3. “Cool for the Summer” – Demi Lovato. You may remember that Demi Lovato caught some backlash for this song — specifically criticism from the very woman whose song is featured above. Demi has become open about the fact that she dates both men and women and the power vocalist has also repurposed this song into a pride anthem. While performing this song on her “Tell Me You Love Me” tour, the massive screens broadcast rainbows and Demi changes the lyrics to “Go tell your mother,” rather than “Don’t tell your mother.”
  4. “He’ll Never Love You (HNLY)” – Hayley Kiyoko. You could easily replace this song with any other in Hayley Kiyoko’s catalogue. I chose this one because I’ve never heard a song written by a gay woman for another woman who is also dating a man. That visibility for the various shades of queer youth, that uniqueness in perspective — paired with the irresistible, radio-friendly melody — makes this track a standout for the woman whose fans call her “lesbian Jesus.”
  5. “True Disaster” – Tove Lo. Truthfully, I will listen to any song that begins with the lyrics, “Pretty boys, they didn’t teach me things I didn’t know / They don’t have the thing that I need, but they don’t know they don’t.” The bluntness! The sass! But luckily, Tove Lo is also an exceptional hitmaker. She sings the kind of songs that make you feel sexy and dangerous.
  6. “Pynk (feat. Grimes)” – Janelle Monáe. This masterpiece isn’t truly complete without its accompanying visuals, and so I highly recommend that you pause this reading experience to go watch Janelle Monáe’s “Pynk” music video right now. Okay, now that you have and you’ve returned, you’ll understand why there’s nothing more for me to say.
  7. “Only a Girl” – Gia. It’s important and personally validating for many people when art reflects their own experiences. Gia’s account of finding a girl who loves her properly — after leaving a man that did not — is extremely relatable for many women in the LGBT community. Plus, her syrupy voice interlaced with a skulking, rasping beat makes this song an extremely unique and enjoyable listening experience.
  8. “Girl” – The Internet, KAYTRANADA. Syd, the lead singer of The Internet, has produced a number of excellent solo projects. But the group’s “Girl” is singularly delightful in nearly every way. Syd has written that she “wanted to make this song feel like a love trance,” and she succeeded; it’s a melodic, silky, hypnotic account of passion and pining — and that chase of exclusivity.
  9. “Bang Me Box” – Miley Cyrus. As Miley has said, this one is “pretty self-explanatory.” It’s charmingly sincere and weirdly spellbinding, futuristic while also evoking the funky vibes of 1960s pop rock.
  10. “Everything” – Muna. As far as this playlist goes, a three-piece queer girl band is kind of like hitting the jackpot. The band’s entire album is an exhilarating reminder of everything I love about larger-than-life, emotive rock ballads — with a splash of dance music and a heavy dose of pop. “Everything,” in particular, is Muna at its best. Here, the girls’ unabashed poetics, brooding vocals, and unapologetic perspective are entirely necessary and perfectly deployed.