As a queer person, it can often be hard to find good representation, which means we often settle for sub-par media because something is better than nothing, right? That being said, there are (of course) wonderful representations of queer media made by queer people and one of them is the band MUNA. MUNA is a queer trio who write wonderful queer music. They have two albums out currently, About U (2017) and Saves The World (2019) and both are intentional and honest pieces of art that highlight queer identity and queer issues. MUNA doesn’t shy away from being labeled a queer band—although they don’t like the idea of being placed in one specific category—and the lyrics, written primarily by Katie Gavin, the lead singer, showcase their ability to make relatable, queer coded music. While they are very vocal about their queerness (including a lot of AMAZING activism work), their music leans toward the covert side of representation in my opinion. I think that’s why I became obsessed with them so goddamn quickly: they took me by surprise.
They are a capital ‘P’ Pop band, which means at first glance, you can leave their work without realizing what you actually just listened to. The first song I heard by them was called “I Know A Place” and I was like, “. . . damn, this is some dancin’ music,” and then I really listened to the lyrics and was like, “. . . damn, are these tears coming out of my eyes?” You’ve got lines like “I can tell when you get nervous/you think being yourself means being unworthy,” which isn’t inherently queer but also…. yes it is?? In my queer eyes that is a very real and validating line, especially paired with my (and now your) knowledge of the band’s queerness. They also released a version (which they boldly played on Late Night with Seth Meyers) with additional lyrics that read, “Even if our skin or our Gods look different/I believe all human life is significant/I throw my arms open wide in resistance/he’s not my leader even if he’s my president” which, again, I know isn’t explicitly about queerness but also…YES, IT IS. Queerness is resistance; and they are proud, unapologetic, and purposeful with their lyrical choices as an act of resisting normative, exploitative, harmful ideologies. One more cool tidbit; they left binary pronouns out of their first and (most of) their second albums as a statement of inclusion and homage to their, as well as a large portion of their fans, queerness.
MUNA’s music offers stunning queer-coded commentary on difficult emotions and living honestly. They don’t shy away from tough topics like sexual assault (“Loudspeaker”) or changing belief systems (“Around U”), leaning into the discomfort to create records that showcase their truth and push boundaries.