Queer Music News is a smattering of what’s going on in music by LGBTQ artists and the artists we love.

Here’s a wrap-up of music we’ve received in recent days for your new music Monday. Add these to your July 4 pool party playlist.

Sapphira Cristál blooms with gratitude on new single “Get Your Flowers”

Sapphira Cristál had an iconic run on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She follows that up with  her new single, “Get Your Flowers,” an ode to gratitude that doubles as a dancefloor bop. The single is out now.

Written by Sapphira with Tazman Mekell Gillespie, “Flowers” is a cut from her forthcoming new album.

“The message of ‘Get Your Flowers’ is twofold: it’s a love song to all the fabulous people in this world that I want to acknowledge for being their wonderful selves, and it’s a love song to myself, because I believe we should all see the value of giving ourselves flowers,” she said for the single’s release in June. “I think it’s important to give people their flowers while they’re still here—to make sure they receive the love and acknowledgment others have for them.

Sapphira’s The Cristál Ball Tour will kick off July 11 in Vancouver and stops in Dallas on Aug. 2 at the House of Blues.

Listen to the single below:

Synth-pop duo Close To Monday releases new dance anthem

Europe’s Close to Monday showcases its musical versatility with the new single “Leaves” which came out on Friday. The track reveals a more uptempo, club-ready side of the darkwave duo, known for its brooding and haunting sound.

“Leaves” follows the success of CTM’s previous single, “Phantom.”

“We see ourselves as explorers of emotional states,” Close to Monday explains. “With ‘Leaves,’ we wanted to capture a moment in time that is both beautiful and poignant. The falling leaves represent the passage of time and the inevitable changes that come with it. The track is a tribute to those moments of reflection when the past feels close and the present feels fleeting.”

Listen to “Leaves” below:

Gayle is just an “internet baby”

GRAMMY-nominated, North Texas native Gayle returns with the new single, “internet baby,” out now.

“I wrote ‘internet baby’ because I grew up on the internet and I think it has heavily affected my generation’s personalities in various ways,” Gayle she said in the song’s announcement. “I find that funny and I wanted to give my ironic and sarcastic commentary on it.”

Gayle’s breakthrough single “abcdefu” was nominated for GRAMMY’s Song of the Year in 2022.

Listen to the song below:

The Knocks + Dolores Forever collab on “Lover”

This first collaboration by the American and UK duos resulted in this lovely bop that came out in late June for Pride. The single “celebrates Pride and general self-love and empowerment.” Check out the track here and keep the Pride going.

–Rich Lopez