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Lesbianism (or at least the idea of it) held a special place within music culture in the early 2000s. Perhaps the most (in)famous example of this is the Russian band t.A.T.u., whose song “All The Things She Said” became a pop cultural phenomenon. The video for the song depicted t.A.T.u. members Julia Volkova and Lena Katina, who were teenagers at the time, wearing school uniforms and kissing. They continued to play up this dynamic with their performances, making out on stage at the Swedish Music Awards in 2002. (During other performances, like on MTV Russia in 2001, the kiss was censored.) 

The concept of teen lesbians on TV was controversial enough at the time, but the controversy really exploded when it was revealed that neither Volkova nor Katina were lesbians, and in fact, both of them had made homophobic comments. (Katina once said she thought their behavior was “sinful,” while Volkova said she would reject her son if he were gay. Katina condemned Volkova’s comments and Volkova kind of apologized.) t.A.T.u. is the brainchild of Russian producer Ivan Shapovalov, who cast the duo in the group when they were 14. The band was quite literally created to appeal to the male gaze, as Shapovalov has described t.A.T.u. as an “underage sex project” that he founded because he “found it funny.” Though the song is undeniably catchy, the group’s legacy has been tarnished by what is arguably the most shocking example of queerbaiting in music history. 

In 2003, America got our very own lesbian kissing controversy in the form of Madonna and Britney Spears’ smooch at the VMAs. (Christina Aguilera also partook in the kissing, but the camera cut to Justin Timberlake during her big moment.) The kiss was a huge pop culture phenomenon and a flashy news item that is still remembered twenty years later. When Madonna and Britney locked lips at Britney’s wedding, it was seen as a throwback to that famous kiss. A picture of the kiss even became an NFT in 2021. 

Like the t.A.T.u. song, the Madonna/Britney/Christina kiss was clearly done for shock value, and it was successful at making headlines. But Madonna occupies a very different cultural position than t.A.T.u.. Madonna is queer herself and has been involved in the queer community since the 1980s, not to mention the fact that she is one of the most famous pop stars of all time and had much more agency in the situation than two teenage girls did. (Five years later, Katy Perry released “I Kissed A Girl,” a song that has definitely given sapphics around my age some light brain damage.) Regardless of the intention of these moments, music culture around this period made it clear that lesbianism was defined exclusively by eroticism, with little room for a more nuanced understanding. 

In 2023, we’re living in a very different era when it comes to queerness and music. For one thing, there are many more out queer artists making music today, and many of them operate in the realm of pop. Pop music is often accompanied by provocative performances, and lesbian and sapphic artists have taken this legacy into their own hands. 

One of the most-discussed moments in sapphic music this year was MUNA’s performance at Coachella, which lead singer Katie Gavin christened “Dykechella.” When they performed their hit single “Silk Chiffon,” Phoebe Bridgers, who features on the track, joined the band for the song. Gavin and Bridgers danced together on stage, performing what can only be described as an intimate grind in front of thousands of people. Fans immediately latched on to this moment, and it quickly went viral on Tik Tok and Instagram. “I was very moved by it honestly,” Gavin said of the dance, writing on Instagram that “coachella was a dream come true. specifically the dream of 7th grade katie who was obsessed with grinding.”

Gavin and Bridgers’ sensual moment at Coachella is reflective of the energy at all of MUNA’s live shows, which is equal parts sexy and heartfelt. Gavin kissed bandmate (and former significant other) Naomi on stage at a recent concert, and then followed it up by kissing guitarist Josette at a later show. Lorde surprised fans at a New York City concert by performing “Silk Chiffon,” and Gavin found another person to grind with. “LORDE GRINDING ON KATIE GAVIN IVE PRAYED FOR DAYS LIKE THESE,” was one fan’s response to the performance on Twitter. (Gavin didn’t get a chance to grind with Taylor Swift, who the band opened for on her Eras tour, but Gavin did give Swift her homemade bath salts.) 

2023 began with another sapphic performance in the form of Miley Cyrus’ New Year’s Eve special. Cyrus invited queer singer FLETCHER on stage, and she performed her own (sexy) song “Becky’s So Hot” in addition to Cyrus’ track “Midnight Sky.” During the sensual performance, FLETCHER gets on her knees and straddles Cyrus’ legs in a decisively PG-13 manner. Unsurprisingly, the duet was a hit with sapphic viewers, and JoJo Siwa literally spit her water out watching the performance in a Tik Tok video. FLETCHER, it should be noted, has a long history of serving sexy sapphic content, having released an entire EP and video project called The S(ex) Tapes. 

On the surface, these recent performances aren’t a whole lot different from the titillating lesbian stunts of the early 2000s. But it’s clear that these contemporary moments occupy a distinct cultural space because of how they are received and our assumptions about their intentions. Lesbians and sapphics are now able to speak for themselves and define desire on their own terms, something that was much more difficult 15 or 20 years ago. In some ways, these performances can be seen as a reclamation of earlier modes of lesbian representation in pop music. 

It’s obvious to us now that the VMAs kiss was done to create headlines and t.A.T.u. was formed to generate revenue. Performing queer desire today doesn’t exist outside the realm of commerce or commercial viability, but it’s now perceived through the lens of self-expression rather than titillation – though the two frames needn’t be totally separated. These current performances are necessarily in conversation with earlier pop culture moments – The Kiss is still clearly a part of our cultural consciousness – even if they are saying something different.

There are also those contemporary artists who play with desire in ways we’ve rarely seen before. Janelle Monáe’s video for their song “Lipstick Lover,” off their upcoming album The Age of Pleasure, is a stunning appreciation of sensuality. Not just a celebration of queer desire but queer black desire, the video defines pleasure strictly on Monáe’s terms. Images of black lesbian desire were almost entirely absent from the mainstream in the era of t.A.T.u. and Madonna, a vacancy that makes Monáe’s work all the more striking and original. 

As with any portrayal of sexuality, there are some who will find images like these fetishistic. For example, there is a group of Gen-Zers on Tik Tok who are alarmingly sex-negative and might take issue with media like this. But for the most part, these sapphic moments are generally received with joy and a requisite amount of thirst from viewers. There are those who will take it out of context – unfortunately, beautiful women and femmes are always at risk of objectification – but artists like MUNA, FLETCHER, and Monáe are very aware of who their core audience is and always keep their fans in mind.

Rather than fighting to refute or reverse previous fetishization, these artists are instead leaning into sensuality and pleasure in ways that feel fulfilling. If you see these performances and your mind goes straight to the male gaze, that probably says more about you than it does about the work. It’s time to mark the onset of a new era: sexy sapphic singers who are sexy just for sexiness’ sake. Tongue twisters are gay now.

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