In the music industry, there are many tools that record labels, management teams, promoters, choreographers and artists can use to market themselves to the masses. On the whole, marketing is one of the biggest parts of building an artist's platform, and the effectiveness of marketing can make or break an artist. It is key that an artist stays on trend to appeal to listeners and stay relevant.
But more recently, following on from what has been an incredibly successful year for musicians who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, or have a large fan base in this community, are we seeing labels now use ‘Lesbianism’ as a marketing tool in a society where views are, fortunately, becoming more progressive each day? Most people would hope not, but there is so much evidence to say this is exactly what is happening, so let's delve deeper.
Why is marketing so important in music?
Marketing is arguably the most crucial part of a musician’s success story in the industry, which is becoming more fierce and competitive every single day. Marketing music includes all the promotional efforts required to reach out to the target listeners and get them to like your music and trust you as an artist. Music may be an important part of being a musician, but so is the branding and identity. When creating a campaign, artists can’t just pick a genre and hope it finds its way to their target audience; they need to consider strategy, tactics and initiatives to captivate this target audience.
Every single piece of the puzzle needs to be carefully crafted to ensure the image is not just who the artist wants to convey, but there has to be the crucial element of uniqueness, too. It comes down to fashion choices, visual aspects, and a presence online so that artists can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, creating a niche that fits their unique style and musical vision.
In today’s age, you sadly can’t just turn up with a guitar and a dream; there is so much more to breaking out into being a star. The market is incredibly competitive, with roughly 24,000 songs released every day and more than 1 million every six weeks. So if you want to make it, you better invest time and energy into this and make it unique.
Examples of ‘lesbianism’ used in marketing
Recently, the VMAs took place, a night surrounded by celebrating music and the musicians who put their souls into creating this art for us to enjoy and escape into, but sadly, the VMAs, a night of appreciation and joy, is also exactly what sparked this piece.
Katy Perry performed what has been deemed as a ‘raunchy’ performance at this year's awards. Was it really raunchy, or was it ‘lesbianism’ as a marketing tool after so many successful LGBTQ+ artists succeeded this year? Well, some music enthusiasts think so. In Perry’s performance, she did a whole host of her songs, including the new single, which features rapper Doechii. Their performance involved locking their legs and touching their crotches, culminating in a near-kiss to close the segment.
As one viral post put it, Perry and Doechii essentially “scissored each other on stage.” It’s important to note that while doing all this, Perry was singing a song about a man. Many social media users were left completely outraged by Katy’s performance, stating it “reinforced stereotypes that a lesbian is for the pleasure and gaze of men,” with another agreeing, adding the performance was “foul” and “reinforces problematic stereotypes.”
However, this isn’t Perry’s first time being called out for a similar subject as she came under criticism a few years ago with her song ‘I Kissed a Girl’ which has been branded as having “homophobic undertones,” and other critics have suggested the song’s lyrics “reflect the trivialization of queer female sexuality and the cultural norms which state that female sexuality exists for the pleasure of men.” In 2018, Perry told Glamour she would rework some of the lyrics and said, “Your mind changes so much in 10 years, and you grow so much,” but some may suggest the change and growth is minimal following on from the 2024 VMAs performance, and may be even a step backwards from progression for Katy Perry.
Another star who received some criticism is Sabrina Carpenter. This may shock some readers because she is clearly at the top of her game right now and also in the early stages of a worldwide tour. But recently, she came under fire after the kiss between her and Jenna Ortega in the ‘Taste’ music video. Now it's fair to say here, narrative-wise, this kiss does make sense in relation to the video and the lyrics, but people have suggested the star is “queerbaiting”, with another adding, “It is kinda weird when neither of them is LGBT.”
One music enthusiast felt extremely strongly about this, saying, “She doesn’t owe us anything, but I’m unfollowing until she confirms she has lived experience of the type of oppression she’s appropriating and profiting off of.” Fandom Wire also reported fans had suggested she did this to “draw the audience in and further her fame.” However, Prestige described the kiss as “a moment of empowerment, of reclaiming control over a situation that was totally out of hand.”
Sadly for Sabrina, the accusations of “queerbaiting” discourse didn’t stop there. On her latest album, ‘Short n’ Sweet,’ one track titled ‘Slim Pickins’ has not gone down well with some fans. In the track, there are lyrics that read, “Since the good ones call their exes wasted, and since the Lord forgot my gay awakening, then I’ll just be here in the kitchen serving up some moanin’ and bitchin’.” One social media user branded this as “queerbaiting” and when one fan defended Carpenter, suggested “No, she’s basically saying men are sh*t and she wishes she was gay,” the user responded, “That's even worse. Imagine disregarding all difficulties lgbt people face in their lives and not appreciating the fact that you're privileged”.
It is so difficult to dissect discourse like this because music is art, and art is famously open to interpretation. And who really knows what an artist meant to convey in their lyrics without being inside their head? However, it is key to look at the reasons why an artist may have made these choices.
Why could this be used?
It is key to suggest before diving into this that queer music consumers “have always been loyal and lucrative customers.” In the words of author Bobby Box, “Pop culture is the gay religion and pop stars are our goddesses.”
So, why are artists doing this? Well, “Queerbaiting" is one of the most commonly used terms around these issues. “Queerbaiting” is often defined as a marketing technique in entertainment where a person/company is purposely ambiguous about sexuality to profit from queer people without necessarily claiming to be part or supportive of the community. It has been reported that “Queerbaiting” has an enormous impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
This baiting but never fulfilling queer representation invalidates this community, "erased, dismissed, or told we don't matter in the world." Journalist Isobel Hollings said, “Damage is done when non-queer artists are taking up spaces and talking over LGBTQ+ artists when discussing queer issues.” Hollings goes on to discuss why there are issues and why there was so much negativity in the examples used above. She said: “For example, fetishisation of queer women in music videos and in their promotion on social media is a problem because it caters to a straight, largely male audience. Whilst exploring identity through lyrics is deeply personal to an individual, the oversexualisation of women can be exploited for profit. There is a difference between sex positivity that has queer artists at the centre and straight people using it as an aesthetic.”
This brings me to another part of “Queerbaiting,” which is the “Male Gaze.” The “Male Gaze” is a theory by Laura Mulvey that suggests “a structure of men who look and women who are looked at,” adding, “this reproduces patriarchal gender relations and means that the audience can only take the ‘male gaze’ through looking at the objectified woman.” Relating this more to the use of ‘lesbianism’ in music, Tricia Jenkins wrote, “Lesbian sexuality in popular culture has often been used to pander to the heterosexual male spectator.” Similarly, Elio Wilder said: “Queerbaiting is record labels portraying their straight industry plant as LGBTQ+ in order to attract streams.”
However, Wilder also said that it is important to note that “individuals cannot queerbait, only brands can. However, sometimes, a brand is so connected to an individual that it can be difficult to separate a person from their brand, particularly when they use the same name. For example, it’s reasonably easy to understand that Katheryn Hudson is a person and Katy Perry is a brand.”
However, we simply cannot ignore the elephant in the room, which is the fact this year has been tremendously successful for queer artists and artists who are gay icons/allies.
One queer artist who has really smashed the year 2024 is Chappell Roan. In March, the singer performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, which described her as “The utterly commanding artist who takes the Tiny Desk stage with a magnetic performance and a towering wig.” With a glowing reference like that, it’s no wonder the video went viral with 5.7 million views and counting. This performance also sent her monthly Spotify listeners skyrocketing by an astounding 500 percent. In June, she was the most prominent story of the Governor’s Ball and had recently just played Lollapalooza, with reports suggesting she attracted the biggest crowd of all time.
Other queer artists who have done brilliantly this year include Troye Sivan, who is currently on a 22-date tour with Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, who won Song of the Year with ‘What Was I Made For?’ and Renee Rapp, who starred as ‘Regina George’ in the Mean Girls musical as well as contributing to the soundtrack.
Another artist who has done absolutely incredible this year is Charli XCX, a through and through Gay Icon and ferocious ally. Pink News described Charli’s early works as “Critics didn’t get it, but the gays did,” adding, “the queer community’s connection to the star has become palpable, and Charli has become synonymous with queer pop-music lovers.” Charli has collaborated with a number of queer artists, including well-known stars such as Troye Sivan and Kim Petras, but she’s also “she’s championed drag artists”.
Similarly, Charli “posted on social media about the Tory government’s “violent act of hatred” when it promised to ban trans women from same-sex hospital wards” and in a more trivial sense, Charli is also an ally when it comes to “yelling “Gay rights” while holding poppers.”
With all these examples of queer artists and Gay Icons alike simply smashing the industry this year, it's hard to dispute the fact that artists may be using ‘lesbianism’ as a marketing tool to appear to gay audiences for the “male gaze” and pursuing all this through ‘queerbaiting’ in their appearances.
