January 2, 2016 | Arts / Entertainment

Queer musicians you should be listening to

Need some amazing new music in your life for 2016? Does your MP3 player deserve a shake-up? 

Well, here are five queer artists we think you might have missed over the past few years that you really should be listening to.

5. Hi Fashion

Hi Fashion is campy and fun. Jen DM and Rick Gradone are the masterminds behind the music, which is a mix of electronic, upbeat pop songs with ironic and humorous lyrics. The two actually met at a gay bar when Rick thought Jen was a drag queen. Oops!

Sample single: "Where is the Party?" This was released as a single in mid-2015.

4. John Grant

John Grant is a talented American singer-songwriter. Some of you may know him better as the front man for the Denver-based alternative rock band The Czars from way back in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010 he decided to head out on his own, and has so far released four solo albums (the most recent being 2015's Grey Tickles, Black Pressure).

Sample single: "Ernest Borgnine." The song is from Pale Green Ghosts and features Grant opening up about being HIV+.

3. Pentatonix

Probably one of the better known artists on the list, Pentatonix is the acapella group that has made a mint off of reworking popular pop songs. What you may not know is that the group just released a self-titled album of original material.

Sample single: "First Things First." Amazing, considering no real instruments - aside from the human voice - were used to create these songs!

2. Grimes

Hailing from Canada, Grimes was born and raised in Vancouver. She started her career by exploring underground sounds and experimental music, but eventually settled on slightly alternative-pop music for her signature style. Art Angels is her fourth studio album and was released in 2015.

Sample single: "Flesh without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream," which is a nice change from the endless Taylor Swift songs being played on the radio these days.

1. Troye Sivan

Troye is the youngest artist on the list. Although he's only 21, the South-African born Australian has appeared in several TV shows and movies, and has developed a huge following as a YouTube personality. He came out in 2013. A year later he secured a record deal with EMI Australia.

Sample single: "Happy Little Pill." From his debut album TRXYE, this sing debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in over 55 countries.