Superstars in Bloom: Interviews with NYC's Top Queer Music Artists of 2026

We’re featuring a series of four short interviews with some of the hottest up and coming TGNC musicians! These musicians span the gambit from house, to dance-pop to post-industrial and each bring their own unique touch to those genres! Listen to them describe their music and their future in their own words!

Jayse Vegas

What was the thought process behind the three recent covers that you have done?

Like there’s no special back story lmfaooI was in a serious writer’s block but wanted to make new music and test new sounds. So I picked three of my favorite songs and made them Dance tracks. The artists are dope but like the significance is just my nostalgia mixed with my current experience

What musicians have been central to the development of your own sound?

How has your artistic process evolved over the 10 years that you have been in the music industry?

How have your endeavors in the music industry influenced your own taste in music compared to when you started out?

What do you have planned for the second half of 2026 and 2027?

Ty Evans

What has it been like being a wlw trans woman working in the overwhelmingly heterosexual, cissexual, and conservative world of country music?

I mean for me personally growing up in the south , I know how people are there & the things they say or would say so i knew going into a more country aesthetic even i would have some backlash from people, when it came to my music I just was at a point where i was like there are no Trannies in country music… I don’t like that. So I started writing country esc music & reclaiming the shit they tried to kick me out of. with Beyoncé’s cowboy carter album her taking that full swing into country music & them still not paying her the respect she deserves i knew if that girl can’t get it’s gonna a hell of long road for me to.I never saw myself as just country artist & still don’t to an extent but if it’ll piss of the republicans that tried to fuck me back home call my Dolly mf Parton. I’ve been called the craziest things by republicans & yet they are the same ones listening to my song about me getting head.

How has the launch of your new party gone, outside of the legal troubles over its name?

Honestly it’s been one of the best things In nightlife I’ve done. Starting this was literally just to help get surgery i had no clue what i was doing or if it would even work.I ended up raising enough money to help me out with my bills & the surgery itself. I was in such aw of like my community & the way we as queer people really can lean on each other. With all that i wanted to keep helping out as much as i could. I mean im literally out 7 night of the week & I know the girls love a party so i decided to help different trans folks or organizations that need extra help. As for the name goes lol I wrote a song buckwild after a night out til 10 am with my homegirls & i kept being like “bitch im BuckWild!!” & laughing about it , so i wrote it with my friend in like 15 mins, cut to the day of needing a name for the party Me & my coproducers decided buckwild we didn’t seen anything with the name other than a chef lmao, but clearly there’s some line dancing divas who were like we are buckwild & we will sue you even though we have no trademark…so trying to grant their wish were going in a more trans direction w the name.

What musicians have influenced your current sound the most?

Omg i mean here recently i have been going into a more pop era with my music. I’d say obviously slayyyter after meeting her at her album release party i just was like wait there’s a lot i could learn from you her whole trashy party girl aesthetic is something i obviously do & get so much inspiration from it. Im obviously obsessed with artists like Britney Spears , Kesha , Kim Petras,Lana & Ethel. Id say im like all of those girls in one i can give trashy party girl with a fierce comedown song.

What do you have planned for the rest of the year and 2027 and beyond?

So far I’m working on finishing up this Ep which has taken me a while to figure out the direction i wanna go with it. Like i said being inspired by all those people with such different vibes i wanna present something new & make it not feel like a copy of it. I really wanna give everyone the best work i can give with what i got. I wanna push Buckwild (well it’ll be a diff name soon) as much as i can. nightlife has given me such a fierce community & platform & i wanna help as many folks as i can while having a good damn time. this year & the next are gonna be my arrival years I’ve put in a lot of work behind the scenes , and in ready to do way more work. My goals are to be selling out shows one day so that’s my beyond I’m willing to do what it takes!

Colette March

What is it like as a trans musician making music that deals with the lives and struggles of trans women for other trans women?

I feel really held by my community whenever I’m performing. Getting to focus on really raw expressions of anger and sexuality in my music is important to me as a woman in general, and being transsexual adds a really urgent layer to that that I love to explore. I think sometimes it gives other dolls permission to feel through some big feelings, which means a lot to me.

What specific challenges have you experienced promoting your music as a trans woman?

I think any artist of a marginalized identity is expected to adhere to certain genres and career paths, so going against that expectation has been the biggest challenge. If I’m the only woman on a bill, I feel like my music is taken less seriously, or engaged with in less meaningful ways. But it only lights a fiercer fire in my heart.

What musicians have influenced your current sound the most?

I’ve been a huge fan of Frost Children the past year or so, especially their work with Babymorocco. I’ve been diving into Madonna’s folktronica tracks, too. Albums like “American Life” and “Music” have been inspiring me a lot to get more experimental.

What do you have planned for the future, both personally and professionally?

The future feels a bit unclear right now, but I’m choosing to see that as more exciting than nerve-wracking. I want to find new ways to engage an audience. I’m tired of the content spamming and online spaces. I want to do pop-up shows in dive bars and bring pop music to unexpected spaces. I want to go to smaller cities and towns, too. To keep traveling when I have the privilege to. I am also so inspired by the other artists I see making big moves right now and pursuing themselves relentlessly. It feels like audiences are rewarding big risks. I want to collaborate more intentionally. I want to end the year feeling a more well-rounded sense of agency over my creative life.

Emily Tressa

What musicians have been most influential on your creative process?

I’m inspired by so many different artists and songs, and it’s always changing depending on what I’m listening to during a particular era of my life. Whenever I consume music or any kind of media, I naturally analyze it and take away the things I love about it, then find ways to channel those elements while making them my own. That being said, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga will always be at the core of who influences me. They’ve each shaped the way I view pop music, performance, visuals, and the kind of artist I want to be.

What has the transition from being a full-time trans activist to a New York nightlife queen and musician been like?

It’s definitely been a journey. Growing up, I always wanted to share my story because I believe visibility within the trans community is so important, especially in the world we live in today. I moved to New York City almost five years ago, which is crazy to think about, and since being here, I’ve really found myself as an artist and as a woman beyond my transition. I’m so happy to have an outlet where I can create and perform. I always dreamed of being on stage when I was little, so being able to do that today makes me incredibly grateful.

How has collaborating Josh Lumsden been?

Josh reached out to me and asked if I wanted to collaborate on “TOTAL PACKAGE,” and through that process, we became besties. It was so much fun getting to jump onto the track, hear how well our vocals blended together, and watch the song come to life. I love what we created.

How has your recovery from injury influenced your musical process?

Making music is what really helped me find my confidence again while I was relearning how to walk after a car accident. It was a really scary time, but I was able to channel the best version of myself into my art. “U LIKE IT OR LOVE IT?” was actually recorded while I was in bed, and making that song helped me rebuild the diva I was before. You would never necessarily know that just by listening to it, and I think that’s the beauty of music. It helped heal me in so many ways.

What do you have planned for the rest of this year and next?

I’m actually releasing a new song next month. It really showcases my vocals and is very pop, very dance, and very electronic, which is a side of me I’m really looking forward to people hearing. There’s a lot coming, and I can’t wait to share it.

Dolliana

How has the response to Myrtle Broadway from fans been? What artists have influenced your sound on Myrtle Broadway the most?

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What is it like seeing an album that you’ve worked on over the course of many years come to completion?

It has taken me over a year to really process and not be afraid to share this work. At times it is scary, and you really don’t know how your art is going to be received by the world. I just keep pushing and I hope I can drop more music as the processes become shorter and shorter through me becoming more comfortable in my artistry. That’s the goal, to just be able to be comfortable in my own artistry and be able to keep pushing out projects for the love of the game.

How has your artistic process developed and changed while working on Myrtle Broadway?

My artistic process has changed, as before this album, I didn’t really have a team working with me, whether it was beats, ideas, execution, or a music video. Now I feel like I have more support going forward.

What has it been like going through the album release cycle as a trans woman?

It’s actually not been as hard as I thought it was going to be. It’s still hard because I feel that cisgender people drop the most basic projects and get great reception while, as a trans woman, I feel I have to sound even more unique to stand out. This is frustrating as sometimes I would rather have fun with my music than taking so much time to make it unique so that it can get noticed by audiences.

Are you planning on doing any touring for your new album? What else do you have planned in the weeks and months ahead?

I would love to have some dancers, costumes, and glitz and glam for shows in the future. Also, I would like to drop more music so I can have an hour-long set as opposed to a 30 minute set, so I can have a bigger production. Right now, I’m working on new music, new outfits, new looks, different sounds, and creating a tight-knit community that I love and cherish forever. Specifically, where I can represent Chile, represent NYC, represent trans people, and represent everyone we love and support.

Julz Romell

What has it been like moving between the ballroom and music, especially from doing commentary over pre-existing beats to making your own music over beats that you have commissioned and helped develop yourself?

What commentators have influenced your style most over the years?

How have your dance talents and performances influenced your approach to music over the years?

What do you have planned for the rest of 2026 and beyond?