Since the release of their debut album The Record, the rock-alternative sound of boygenuis has become a hallmark of the unconventional. With songs like “Not Strong Enough” and “Cool About It” rising to fame on social media apps such as TikTok, the trio has evolved from a niche collection of famed artists to a household name. In fact, boygenuis’ popularity has proved to be successful enough to earn three 2024 Grammys: best rock performance, best rock song, and best alternative album.
To provide a bit of backstory, boygenuis was formed in 2018 when artists Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers decided to combine their genre-specific and avant-garde sounds into one inconceivably perfect harmony. The musicians originally released their EP The Record in 2018 and revealed to the world how serious your art could be while remaining unserious as people. The band is often recognized on the internet as a trio who love to make out with each other on stage, flash their boobs, and make absurd statements at their sold out shows. However, these three women have proved themselves to be something much bigger than social media makes them out to be.
One thing that Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus all have in common (besides their incredible artistry) is that they all identify as queer women. Now one may wonder why this is so important, but the queer joy boygenuis has spread to fans who felt underrepresented in mainstream music. Part of the group’s commitment itself is to showcase their sexualities in the rock genre when they themselves grew up with a lack of representation. However, the group also are distinct and honest with their fanbase when it comes to their presentation. In an interview with Vouge, Bridgers explains that she does not feel as if the band was created or celebrated just because they are queer icons. Instead, she insists that the band, much like any other, are set in sharing their experiences with their audience. Those experiences just happen to be those that most fans of alternative rock are not often exposed to.
“we don’t have the responsibility of being anybody’s role model…we may not be experts in these things, but we are the experts of our own lives. So, I feel better about talking about our experiences and representing queerness in general”
-Phoebe Bridgers for Vogue 2023
Now you may still be asking why you should care about boygenuis or their 3 grammy wins. I believe the answer itself is quite simple. The rise of boygenuis into the mainstream music scene, particularly in their categorical genres, is a huge step towards the celebration of LGBTQ+ community in pop culture. They are not sold on their gayness, but instead embrace their identity in a musical space that has not always been accepting. Often times with queer artists, particularly in pop music, there is a lot of pressure to have your sexuality shine through your art even where it may not fit. Now this isn’t always the case as many artists choose to present their sexuality boldly to fans in an effort to allow them to feel seen. However, as Phoebe has said, these artists are also often expected to be the face of what it means to be queer.
Boygenuis has alleviated this pressure on artists by allowing queerness to be a part of one’s identity as opposed to a selling point. They showcase different aspects of the LGBTQ+ community with varying sexualities and do not explain themselves when they don’t see it to fit. This indie band of three has helped redefine the queer communities place in the music industry. I can hope (and predict) that the 2024 grammys will not be the end of boygenuis’ major successes and the queer joy they radiate will only expand further.