2021 was the year of the sapphic bop. Lesbian, queer, and sapphic singers/bands really stepped up their game this year, releasing more great songs than ever before. And with more artists coming out, and more queer artists getting chances in the industry, the state of sapphic pop has never been brighter!
There are love songs, breakup songs, sex songs, party songs, and pump-up songs. These are the songs we want to hear at queer dances in 2022. These are the songs we’re singing along with and making out with our girlfriends to. These are our 21 favorite sapphic bops of 2021, ranked by how much we love them!
Actress Cynthia Erivo released this ode to love between women in 2021, and we were loving it. With a beautifully cinematic music video, this is a fun, jazzy song we’ll be listening to for years.
Joy Oladokun has one of the best voices in all of music, and she really showed it off on her 2021 album in defense of my own happiness. This song is a great, uplifting track that will help you feel better after a long day.
Grammy-nominated rapper Chika remains one of the best MCs in the game, releasing great songs like “FWB” and “Cinderella pt. 2” this year. This is a mellow, chill song, perfect for smoking a joint with your friend with benefits.
While the sound of this song may be upbeat, the lyrics are anything but. But that just makes it more relatable to sapphics everywhere. Sing along with girl in red as she sings about intrusive thoughts, mental health, and crying. Same, girl.
Lesbian Jesus Hayley Kiyoko entered a new phase of her career this year, releasing the tracks “Found my Friends” and “Chance,” which take a more optimistic look at sapphic life than her previous project I’m Too Sensitive For This Shit. With a music video featuring Hayley dancing and bopping around, it’s a song we want to dance to with her.
“Hey, I should be your next girlfriend/and she should be your ex-girlfriend,” Gia Woods sings in this song that would be perfect to dance to once crowded clubs are safe again. I’ll be your next girlfriend, Gia.
This isn’t the Tracy Chapman classic, instead it’s a brand new bop for the new generation. “Help me take my seatbelt off, and put it park babe,” Syd sings, about hooking up with your dream girl in a car. It’s not just a bop, it’s aspirational.
This Utah-based band is lighting up lesbian hearts everywhere. With their new song “Don’t Freak,” they made a song about mental health that's both fun to dance to, and deeply relatable.
FLETCHER took Katy Perry’s hit “I Kissed a Girl” and turned it a billion times gayer with this sexy song about girls. I kissed a girl and I liked it, indeed! With FLETCHER it’s definitely not a phase.
Dizzy Fae is a terrifically fun new artist from Minnesota, and her song “Body Move” shows why you’ve got to add her to all your playlists. The song is fun to dance to, sexy as hell, and overall, nonstop fun.
Remi Wolf is putting out a ton of bops, and our favorite this year was “Liz,” her ode to a beautiful woman who taught her how to live. It’s a song that long-time fans will know from her performing it live, but she finally released a studio version this year.
Halsey’s pounding declaration off their latest album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was a powerful message about the new parent’s gender, personhood, and strength. The song is dark, complicated, and sexy, just like Halsey.
Young M.A. is hard as hell, and shows it off on this track that sounds like it could fit in on one of Kanye’s early albums. She’s the undisputed Queen of New York, and she's one word, ten letters, “Successful.”
Ashnikko and Princess Nokia collaborated on what’s probably the sexiest song of the year. Ashnikko sings, “I gave your girlfriend cunnilingus on my couch,” while Princess Nokia adds that “it’s an all-girl party, clothing optional,” and we all wish that’s the kind of slumber party we were invited to.
This was the year Kehlani came out as a lesbian, and the year she released this beautiful, romantic, and witchy track. Add this one to your sex playlist today.
Yes, that Rebecca Black. The queer singer who went viral with her song “Friday,” years ago is back and is releasing bop after bop after bop! “Girlfriend” really established her as a serious artist who demands airtime on pop radio. This is the Rebecca Black we’ve been waiting for.
When we talk about fun sapphic songs, there’s no way to leave this one out. It’s a little pop punk ditty about going over to your guy friends’ house and ignoring him for his sister. I’d love to sing this at karaoke.
Zolita brought us this absolute bop, with its adorably hot, '00s teen-movie-based music video. Is this love, or is this just a one-night stand, the band asks, and we sing along.
Tiger Goods’ ode to mean girls has a hook you’ll never forget and a beat you’ll want to dance your ass off to. We’ve all been there, we’ve all wanted a girl who was a little too mean to us, but kept us hooked anyway, and now we have a song to sing about it.
This song had every WLW across America shouting along with its great, unforgettable hook. This was the year we learned the true power of a sapphic collaboration. “Silk Chiffon” also has an iconic music video, recreating the plot of the lesbian classic But I’m a Cheerleader.
We’ve endlessly praised this absolute banger from two of today’s best queer artists. The song and video are both sexy, fun, flirty, and great for dancing. It’s everything a sapphic bop should be!
