When playwright Marco Ramirez was growing up in Hialeah, music from Cuba’s great orchestras could be heard through his grandfather’s small Sony boombox on cassette tapes at family gatherings, from Nochebuena celebrations to weddings.
Music
The backdrop for Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada’s last performance in Miami could not have been more dramatic. It was a brunchtime show at the 2023 Ground Up Festival on a sofa-strewn second floor with huge plate glass windows looking out at the beach. As Estrada sang, accompanied only by her Venezuelan cuatro, rain poured down in torrents behind her, waves the size of semi-trucks crashed ashore and palm fronds stood out sideways from their trunks, whipped from the north by tropical storm-force winds. Both the singer and the weather gods put on a spellbinding performance.
It would be inexcusable to write about LGBTQ+ recordings and exclude the limited-edition reissue of “’Howl’ and Other Poems” (Craft Recording) by legendary gay poet Allen Ginsberg, pressed on “eco-friendly green blend vinyl” and re-released to commemorate Ginsberg’s centennial (he was born June 3, 1926, and passed in 1987).
Brace yourself. It’s been 31 years since the release of “Maxinquaye,” the acclaimed and groundbreaking debut album by trip-hop innovator Tricky.
Let’s be blunt here. Madonna has been desperately seeking a comeback following her misspent years on Interscope, which produced three inferior albums in seven years. Beginning with the embarrassing “MDNA” and concluding with the daring “Madame X.”
Released during Pride Month 2026, “American Rough” (Bloodshot) by queer singer/songwriter Andrew Sa isn’t just one of the best LGBTQ albums released this year; it’s also one of the best country albums.
Not every artist who has kept us waiting for more than a dozen years for new music succeeds in recapturing their former glory.
Out, English singer/songwriter Calum Scott first grabbed our attention almost 10 years ago with his striking cover of Robyn’s dance hit “Dancing On My Own.”
The number two resonates with the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF). Two shows, two venues, two sellouts, $200,000. Over the weekend, the chorus did two ABBA shows at two different spots, selling out both. They also announced that grant cuts at the federal and state levels have seen $200,000 in funding evaporate. More LGBTQ-targeted cuts are expected next year.
Ask any queer person, and they will tell you that we are virtually everywhere. Next door, across the street, holding political office, on the pulpit, on stage, in movies, in books, and on TV, falling in love in hockey rinks. Even performing with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as is illuminated in gay director Paris Barclay’s documentary “Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It,” about the titular, late, gay, singer/songwriter and keyboard player.
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