Very excited to announce that we signed iLoveMakonnen to Music in Demand!
iLoveMakonnen is a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling artist and trailblazing queer voice best known for his global hit “Tuesday” (ft. Drake).
Since publicly coming out as gay in 2017, Makonnen has stood as a cultural icon of authenticity and resilience, breaking barriers in hip-hop and pop while inspiring queer communities worldwide.
His performances fuse fan-favorite anthems, underground classics, and new creative energy — delivering inclusive, high-impact experiences that celebrate freedom, identity, and community.
I have spent the past 3 decades navigating the music industry as an out, gay man who writes and releases songs and videos about life and love as a queer person. I first got signed in 1999 and suffice to say, they weren’t ready back then. When my major label debut came out 10 years later, they still weren’t ready.
Fast forward all these years later and, while the landscape of music has changed and a lot of things have gotten better for a lot of us — myself included — most of the same barriers that LGBTQ+ bands and artists face still persist (and some fun new ones have arrived!)
During this time when queer and trans people are being silenced, while our communities are under attack by the systems in place to protect us, as the robot overlords threaten to replace us and our government attempts to erase us, I am dialing my mission to platform LGBTQ+ voices ALL THE WAY UP.
Queer and trans art is the antidote. I am not going to shrink away because they want me to. I will not die because I am told my life is an inconvenience. And I refuse to let these motherfuckers take the culture.
Queer and Trans people belong in the music industry.
