From sci-fi epics to stories of growing up trans, queer artists have made some incredible concept albums
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE VIA ALBUM COVERS
Few tell a better story than queer artists. LGBTQIA storytellers have a way of weaving a yarn more heartbreaking, exhilarating and exciting than most of us thought possible. It’s no surprise then that they’ve made some of the best concept albums known to man.
A concept album is a record unified by a theme or story. Often, the tracks come together to form one narrative. Here are four such albums, by queer artists, to listen to now…
Preacher’s Daughter
Ethel Cain
The debut studio album from American singer-songwriter and producer Ethel Cain is centred on the fictional character of the same name, inspired by the artist’s own experiences as the trans daughter of a Southern Baptist deacon.
Set in 1991, 10 years after the death of a small town’s preacher, also Ethel’s father, the album discusses the transgenerational trauma and toxic relationships that can arise from living within a cultist Christian environment. Her character runs away from home, but finds herself falling into worse and worse situations. Though Ethel’s second album, Perverts, released today (8 January), does not continue the story, she has expressed a wish to return to the tale in what she calls “the Ethel Cain Cinematic Universe”.
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
Back in 2007, Janelle Monáe released an EP called Metropolis: The Chase Suite, inspired by the 1927 German film of the same name. This album, released three years later, makes up the second and third part to her Metropolis concept series.
The story as a whole follows Cindi Mayweather, a messianic android sent back in time to free the citizens of a city from a secret society that uses time travel to stop them from finding love. If that fun concept isn’t enough to sway you to listen to the album, it is also the record that features one of Janelle’s most famous songs, Tightrope.
![Janelle Monáe - Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) [Official Music Video]](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/pwnefUaKCbc/hqdefault.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Halsey
Halsey’s fourth studio album was a stark contrast to her previous works, not least because of the use of a concept album format. Co-produced by Trent Reznor and Attitcus Ross of Nine Inch Nails and Challengers fame, the album dives into the “joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth”.
El Mal Querer
Rosalía
This sophomore album from the Spanish singer was originally part of her graduate thesis at Barcelona’s Catalunya College of Music. It is a retelling of Flamenca, a 13th century novel written by Occitan and each song represents a different chapter and plot point.
The album is critically acclaimed for its experimental production, fusing flamenco with pop and urbano themes. Since June 2021, it has held the record for the longest-charting album in Spanish history.
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