"Ariana Grande bisexual?": The fascination with sexuality of today's pop stars
In a few words, Ariana Grande caused a stir on the internet a few days ago.
"I like women and men," Grande sings in Monopoly, a duet with her friend Victoria Monet recently released.
It's a passing comment, inserted between verses about copyright and her overwhelming workload ("I need a twin"), but it sparked a wave of speculation about the artist's private life.
"Is it bi or not?" Someone asked on Instagram.
On Twitter, another person commented, "Ariana doesn't have to tag herself, but she said what she said."
Grande replied, "I haven't done it before and I don't feel the need to do it now."
"My first love"
Grande is not alone.
After decades of secrecy and encrypted songs, a new generation of fluent gender and sexuality artists challenge stereotypes and celebrate their identity through music.
A significant turning point occurred in 2012 when American rapper Frank Ocean posted an open letter on Tumblr in which he described how he fell in love with a man when he was 19 years old.
"It was my first love, it changed my life," he wrote. "There was no escape, he couldn't get around the feeling. There was no choice."
What was remarkable is that Ocean decided to address his bisexuality early in his career (the letter was originally intended for the cover of his first Channel Orange album) and it didn't hurt him either in sales or in prestige.
"I think the landscape has changed dramatically for gay artists," Olly Alexander of the group Years & Years told the BBC.
"In the past, we all know of artists who came out in the middle of their careers, or when they were already successful.
"Now that seems to be changing, with artists who can come out as gay early in their careers and not become a tabloid headline," he opined.
In recent years, various artists have spoken in their lyrics about bisexuality or same-sex attraction.
Miley Cyrus has been especially direct: "I am fine with any adult, anyone over 18 who is fine with loving me."
And when Janelle Monae defined herself as pansexual in a Rolling Stone magazine profile last year, searches for the term in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary grew 11,000%.
Joe Nellist of the LGBT Foundation says the artists simply reflect their generation's attitude toward sexual identity.
"There is a growing number of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. The figure is currently at 4.2%, which is more than double the figure for the entire population.
"This indicates that we are moving towards a more tolerant and open society, where people feel comfortable, confident and able to come out at a younger age," he says.
Changes in the industry
Artists also have more freedom to express their sexuality because of structural changes in the music industry, says Rachel Brodsky, editor-in-chief of Grammy.com.
"In the past, popular artists were a bit more embedded, with executives clearly prioritizing record sales and profits," she explains.
"If you talked about a taboo subject on a record, you risked that some emporium like Best Buy or Walmart would not put that album on sale.
"But the way music is consumed today is totally different, with the spread over the internet and the power of social networks. Now record companies are after artists for their authenticity, which generally translates into the number of followers they have. .
"Artists have more power in terms of their image and what they say in their lyrics."
Bad interpretations
It is not always that simple.
Last year, Rita Ora was criticized by the backing vocals of her song Girls de ella, in which she says: "Sometimes I just want to kiss girls, girls, girls / Red wine, I just want to kiss girls, girls, girls" .
Some listeners were concerned that the lyrics perpetuated the stereotype that women only have sex with other women when they are drunk or because it turns men on.
Ora apologized and said that she would never intentionally harm "other LGBTQ + people."
The incident showed how things have changed since Katy Perry sang her smash hit I Kissed a Girl (2008) in which she says, "I kissed a girl and I liked her, I hope my boyfriend doesn't mind."
The idea of bisexuality as a taboo and a fantasy is outdated and harmful, notes artist Halsey, whose songs speak of relationships with women and men.
"That's something I've had to fight my whole life and I still fight. I still see people on the internet saying, 'Of course Halsey says she's bisexual, she'll help him sell records.'
That accusation has also been made against Ariana Grande, whose apparent declaration of bisexuality was described as a strategy to attract a gay audience by people who pointed out that all her relationships (publicly known) have been with men.
"Sexuality scale"
But that in itself is a troublesome accusation, as if having a heterosexual relationship immediately nullifies any same-sex attraction.
The reality is that more and more people refuse to define themselves according to binary options.
When the British polling agency YouGov asked people to place themselves on a "sexuality scale", more than a quarter of those surveyed chose an option other than 100% heterosexual.
Seeing these trends reflected in popular culture is highly encouraging, says Joe Nellist of the LGBT Foundation.
"The impact it can have on young people who are coming to terms with their own sexuality is really powerful," he notes.
"Even non-LGBT artists like the British group Little Mix are becoming allies of the gay community," he notes, alluding to how the band recently performed Secret Love Song under the rainbow flag in Dubai, where homosexuality is illegal.
"It's a really positive gesture. It means that straight artists are also standing up for LGBT youth."
Pop singer King Princess agrees that having positive role models is critical.
"When I was little, I wanted someone to look up to - whose music would fascinate me - who was gay," she says.
Now that she is part of the music industry, the singer is comfortable with the label "gay icon in production."
"I'm willing to take that," she says.
"It's not about my songs being gay. I hope my music is really strong and people like it. After all, that's what it's all about."
