Chloe Star unveiled her latest single, ‘Walking On The Sun’, this past weekend via Chloe Star Records. The 28-year-old Persian and Indigenous singer-songwriter, visual artist, and tribal advocate was raised between her family’s reservation in San Bernardino and Los Angeles, drawing early creative inspiration from her cultural heritage. Beginning with journaling and art as a pre-teen, she developed a songwriting style rooted in emotional candor and authenticity, which has steadily expanded her audience since her emergence in 2023. Her track ‘Bad Habit’ was highlighted by Rolling Stone in the 2025 Best New Music: Songs You Need to Know feature. Star’s live presence has included main stage performances at London Pride, as well as appearances at New York Pride Festival, Back Lot Bash in Chicago, Out & Abt in New York, and The Dinah in California.
‘Walking On The Sun’ finds Star honing her alt-rock foundation, fusing trap-influenced percussion with distorted, overdriven guitar textures. The track builds tension through layered instrumentation before breaking into an anthemic hook, where raw rock intensity collides with modern urban rhythms. Star’s commanding and magnetic vocal performance anchors the song, lending it a sharp, contemporary edge likely to resonate with listeners of Julia Wolf, MachineGunKelly, and SleepToken.
Chloe Star shared: “This song is about the corruption I’ve seen in the treatment and rehab industry, where profit often seems to matter more than genuinely helping people recover. I’ve been through facilities that made me feel like they were more interested in keeping me sick so I would keep coming back. Fortunately, I was later blessed to find an incredible rehab center that truly cared about its clients and wanted them to get better. That experience changed my life, and it was the last rehab center I ever attended.”
Latvian modern metal outfit Morphide are continuing their rapid ascent with the release of Mental, a powerful sophomore album that marks a significant step forward for the band both creatively and commercially. The release arrives as the group surpasses 7 million combined streams across digital platforms, further establishing them as one of the Baltic region’s fastest-rising heavy acts.
Since first emerging in 2019 with their debut single Mayhem, Morphide have steadily expanded their presence beyond their home territory, bringing their sound across Europe with performances in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Their momentum accelerated with the release of debut album Anhedonia, created alongside producer Forrester Savell, known for his work with Animals as Leaders, Twelve Foot Ninja, and Karnivool.
Now, with Mental, the band appears focused on pushing its sound into even more ambitious territory. Mixed and mastered by producer GeorgeLever, whose credits include SleepToken, Loathe, and Thornhill, the new record combines progressive complexity with emotional depth.
Described by the band as their most personal work to date, Mental explores themes of grief, healing, and transformation through crushing riffs, atmospheric textures, and dynamic vocal performances. At the centre of the record is Of Healing, a five-track conceptual suite inspired by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief model, featuring chapters such as Denial, Anger, and Bargaining. The album also highlights the band’s range through tracks including Reborn, Epicaricacy, Save a Lie, and cinematic closer Take Me Back to the Other Side.
Pop music has always reflected and supported the LGBT community, giving people a way to express themselves and come together. From disco’s early days, which welcomed queer audiences, to today’s pop songs that celebrate identity, the genre has created spaces for joy and resistance. Stories of love, strength, and self-discovery become anthems that echo through Pride celebrations. As Pride Month 2026 wraps up, a new group of songs has stood out, blending catchy melodies, energetic production, and themes from queer life. These tracks shaped this year’s Pride soundtrack and captured its spirit of unity and freedom.
Here are five songs that stood out as the top Pride anthems of 2026.
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter – “Bring Your Love”
This energetic collaboration is all about dancefloor freedom, with pulsing house beats and bold lyrics about strong connections and resilience. Released in spring 2026 as part of Madonna’s Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II, the song took off after Madonna performed it live at a surprise free Pride Month concert in Times Square on June 4, in partnership with Grindr. The official music video, released June 15 and directed by TORSO with a cameo from JuliaGarner, puts viewers in a lively nightclub full of dancing and attitude, reflecting the queer club culture at the heart of Pride. The song’s message of bringing love despite challenges really connects in LGBT spaces, where joy and community have always been powerful forms of resistance.
Watch the official music video:
Zara Larsson & Tyla – “Hot & Sexy (Girls Trip)”
This unapologetically bold and sensual track from Zara Larsson’s 2026 remix album Midnight Sun: Girls Trip delivers a confident celebration of female sensuality and self-assurance. Featuring South African star Tyla, the song’s infectious rhythm and empowering lyrics revolve around the iconic hook “Beautiful, fly, hot, and sexy.” The track directly samples the famous catchphrase from reality TV star Tiffany “New York” Pollard, who is widely regarded as a gay icon for her sharp wit, unfiltered personality, and enduring appeal within the LGBT community. Released in early May 2026 as part of the star-studded Girls Trip project, it quickly gained momentum heading into Pride Month. The official visualizer brings high-energy, sun-soaked visuals that match its playful yet fierce vibe. Critics have praised it as “radiant, sexy, and erotically charged,” highlighting how it pushes back against prudishness and celebrates women owning their desirability on their own terms, which is a message that resonates strongly within queer and feminist spaces during Pride.
Watch the official visualizer:
PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
This slick, viral remix mixes modern production with confident, uplifting energy, making it both futuristic and easy to dance to. The official music video, released in January 2026 and directed by Charlotte Rutherford, shows off the artists’ unique styles- PinkPantheress’s dreamy tartan world meets Larsson’s sparkling sequin vibe, creating a visual treat that fits right into Pride celebrations. The song appeared on many 2026 Pride playlists and “New Pride Anthems” lists, thanks to its bold attitude and club-ready beat. It’s a modern pop highlight that connects underground electronic music with mainstream sounds, showing how queer and queer-friendly artists keep shaping pop’s most exciting trends.
Watch the official music video:
Hayley Kiyoko – “Girls Like Girls”
Few songs carry the cultural weight of this sapphic classic, and many publications touted its 2026 revival through Hayley Kiyoko’s film Girls Like Girls (with a new version and full soundtrack released in June) made it feel more vital than ever. The song’s tale of queer longing and first love has been a touchstone for countless LGBT listeners since its debut, and the new lyric video, woven with scenes from the movie, breathed new life into it during Pride Month. Dubbed “Lesbian Jesus,” Kiyoko remains a trailblazer in queer pop. With the film’s mid-June 2026 release, the song became both a nostalgic anthem and a fresh invitation to embrace authentic love and self-acceptance. Its presence at this year’s Pride events reaffirmed its enduring legacy.
Watch the official lyric video (2026 motion picture version):
Tinashe – “No Broke Boys” (Disco Lines Remix)
This energetic dance remix turns the original into a true party anthem, with strong beats and lyrics about self-worth and not settling. It was featured in Tinashe’s own Pride 2026 (DJ Mix) on Apple Music, where she put together a special set for the month’s celebrations. The remix’s catchy disco-house vibe makes it perfect for clubs, parades, and after-parties, matching the freeing spirit of dance music that has always welcomed queer communities. While the original song has a visually striking music video, the remix’s popularity on the dancefloor and its spot in official Pride mixes made it a 2026 highlight. It’s the kind of song that gets everyone moving and ends a Pride playlist on a high note.
Stream/performances of the Disco Lines Remix (original video for reference):
THE ILLUSTRATED MAN has released his debut album, The Skin Of Time, on ILINX Records, building on the momentum of recent singles ‘Dance of Shadows‘ with Aquarius Heaven and ‘The Heart of Fire‘ featuring Robert Owens. Originally from Yerevan and now based in Dubai, he stands out as a compelling new presence in electronic music, drawing support from Adriatique, Bedouin, TownshipRebellion, RichieHawtin, and JorisVoorn, alongside airplay on BBCRadio1 and IbizaGlobalRadio. His productions are layered sonic narratives, balancing tension and emotion while maintaining a sense of intrigue. Each track is meticulously constructed to resonate physically and emotionally. In live performance, this energy translates into sets that pulse with movement and atmosphere.
The Skin Of Time reveals itself over eleven tracks, blending indie dance, melodic techno, and house into a vivid, immersive soundscape. The album forges its own path, pairing surging dancefloor energy with moments of quiet introspection. On ‘When Everything is Said’, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN and SashaCarassi craft a hypnotic melodic house journey, where Carassi’s lush pads float beneath sharp, driving percussion. Swedish artist Jonatan Bäckelie steps in with a powerful vocal, elevating the track from a detailed instrumental to a song that truly comes alive.
THE ILLUSTRATED MAN had this to say: “Rather than following a traditional narrative, the album moves through emotional and existential states: from an initial condition of absence to the gradual emergence of rhythm and tension, ultimately leading to fragmentation and dissolution. Each track unfolds as a chapter in this evolving process, leaving the listener suspended in a space of reflection.”
The Skin Of Time Album Tracklist
1. A Body Without Marks
2. The Eye of the Abyss
3. Dance of Shadows with Sasha Carassi feat. Aquarius Heaven
4. The Ashes of King with Sasha Carassi feat. Mønölitio
5. The Heart of Fire feat. Robert Owens
6. The Last Drop of Memory
7. Broken Mechanism feat. Nat James
8. Hunters of the Dawn
9. The Hour of Wolve
10. The Roar of Silence
11. When Everything Is Said with Sasha Carassi feat. Jonatan Bäckelie
