Queer Music News is a smattering of what’s going on in music by LGBTQ artists and the artists we love.
Normally we wrap-up several tunes we’ve received in recent days for new music Monday but we can’t help but devote this week’s to one North Texas native and queer singer.
Allison Ponthier releases new single “Karaoke Queen”
We love hearing when Allison Ponthier releases new music. The North Texas native did just that on Friday with a new single. And from what we hear, “Karaoke Queen” is a preview of her forthcoming debut album.
The track was shared with an exclusive interview she did for Variety, which praised the single. “Karaoke Queen” was written four years ago with Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, Ryan Beatty) and Micah Premnath during a time of uncertainty when Ponthier was confronting her greatest fear—being dropped by her major label.
Thriving as an indie artist, the song arrives as a reflection on “the fragility of dreams and the resilience to face our fears head-on, offering a comforting reminder that even when our worst fears materialize, things will turn out okay.”
“I wrote ‘Karaoke Queen’ four years ago, after I signed my first record deal,” Ponthier said in the song’s press release. “The most terrifying outcome I could imagine was losing my deal by getting dropped, something that felt really possible because I came from Texas with no real knowledge of music business beforehand. With Ethan Gruska and Micah Premnath, we wrote a story about a girl who gets signed to a major, gets dropped, and has to move back to her hometown. She’s embarrassed and discouraged, but then she finds herself becoming the star of the local karaoke bar in town, and ultimately happy.”
Ponthier first broke through with the 2021 EP Faking My Own Death followed by her collab with Lord Huron for the single “I Lied.” In 2022, after Ponthier’s sophomore EP Shaking Hands with Elvis she ended up on tour with Bleachers, Hayley Kiyoko, NIKI, and Maren Morris, and been lauded by queer music icons Elton John and Brandi Carlile. Ponthier was featured in the Oscar nominated documentary, Elton John: Never too Late.
She was also the cover story of our own Out North Texas magazine in 2023.
Along with her new tune, Ponthier will go on the road with a Dallas appearance set for set for June 20 at Club Dada.
Watch the visualizer for “Karaoke Queen” below: