Photo by Shervin Lainez
Artists
Jason Mraz
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Jason Mraz is a singer-songwriter who skyrocketed to fame with his 2002 debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, featuring the hit single “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).” He struck mainstream gold again with the 2008 track “I’m Yours,” which likewise became a global sensation.
In 2018 Mraz came out as bisexual. In a “love letter” to the LGBTQ+ community on Billboard, he proclaimed that he was “bi your side.” And in a recent interview with The Advocate, Out’s sister publication, Mraz declared that he is long done “broadcasting as hetero” in his music. His eighth studio album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride, influenced by dance music, dropped this year and was hailed as his big comeback. The two-time Grammy winner is also a competitor on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars, bringing bi representation to America’s most-watched dance floor.
Beyond his music, Mraz is known for his philanthropic work, advocating for environmental conservation and education through the Jason Mraz Foundation, established in 2011, which also supports homeless LGBTQ+ youth through donations to True Colors United. In all his endeavors, he uses his platform to promote inclusivity, love, and acceptance.
“I grew up on a street where only one kind of relationship was projected. But as I grew up and grew out, I learned that anything is possible in human connection,” he says. “The work I do with my foundation focuses on inclusivity, providing young people opportunities to shine, onstage and off. I think it’s important we see and celebrate every version of love — in our lives, and also in our stories, films, music, and art.” @jason_mraz
Artists
Troye Sivan
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Photo by Stuart Winecoff
It’s been five years since Troye Sivan’s second studio album, Bloom, was released to much acclaim. And Something to Give Each Other, which came out this October, was well worth the wait.
Sivan and his art routinely spark conversation in pop and LGBTQ+ culture. “Rush,” the album’s lead single that dropped in July, is no exception. It became (along with Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam”) the queer song of the summer. The steamy music video, an explosion of dancing, abs, and hedonism, unleashed its own rush of think pieces about popper use and body diversity in queer spaces.
Sivan, who as an actor had a role this year on The Idol — Max’s much-skewered scripted show on pop stardom— also made headlines for his candor this year. He revealed on the High Low podcast that, despite the reputation he received from 2018’s “Bloom,” which was widely received as a bottom anthem, he is, in fact, not a “power bottom.”
Whatever his preferences, Sivan has proven himself a versatile artist. The release of Something to Give Each Other was Troye’s proudest accomplishment of 2023 — along with the launch of Tsu Lange Yor. The Australian lifestyle and homeware brand, for which Sivan serves as creative director, sells candles and scents as well as home objects. “My brother and I started it together, had to trust our guts, find incredible people to work with, and have learnt so much along the way,” the 28-year-old says.
In art and in life, Sivan remains inspired by his community. “Through so much adversity, the LGBTQ+ community pushes to be a safe space for all — pulled together by pillars of love, support, chosen family, and freedom,” he says. “Queer people everywhere need to be protected and be able to celebrate themselves as loudly as they want.” @troyesivan