The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist is an annual award that honors music artists who are either openly queer or allies and have used their music to increase acceptance of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. It is one of several categories of the annual GLAAD Media Awards, which are presented by GLAAD—an American non-governmental media monitoring organization—at ceremonies held primarily in New York City and Los Angeles between March and May.
GLAAD first recognized music at the 2nd GLAAD Media Awards in 1991, with Two Nice Girls winning an award. The following year, Phranc was recognized as Outstanding Recording Artist, while John Corigliano's "Symphony No. 1" won Outstanding Music Composition; the only instance this award was given. In 1993, Garth Brooks' "We Shall Be Free" won Outstanding Music Song, while Elton John's "The Last Song" won Outstanding Music Video. The 6th GLAAD Media Awards in 1996 marked the only instance where three music-related awards were given, with Outstanding Music Album being presented for the first time to Disappear Fear's self-titled album. Starting with the 11th GLAAD Media Awards in 2000, Outstanding Music Album was the sole music-related category recognized by GLAAD, with the award going to Indigo Girls' Come On Now Social. At the 15th GLAAD Media Awards in 2004, the category was retitled to its current name, with the award going to Rufus Wainwright for his album Want One. To date there has only been one tie, with Adam Lambert and Frank Ocean winning the award at the 24th GLAAD Media Awards in 2013 for Trespassing and Channel Orange, respectively.
For a music artist to be eligible, they must have released an album or extended play during the eligibility period, and have it be sold in a major record shop or digital music store. The artist must also use their music and live performances to "accelerate LGBTQ acceptance", with interviews and public statements also being taken into consideration. At one point, the award could only be given to artists that were openly LGBT, but this criterion was revised starting with the 30th GLAAD Media Awards in 2019 so that LGBT allies can also be eligible. Moreover, while the award was at one point given to openly queer artists regardless of whether their music included LGBT themes, in 2019 this was changed so that artists had to use their music to "accelerate LGBTQ acceptance".
With four wins out of six nominations, Rufus Wainwright is the most-awarded artist in this category, followed by Melissa Etheridge, who has three awards out of nine nominations. Scissor Sisters is the band with the most wins, having received three wins from four nominations. With five nominations, Brandi Carlile is the music artist that has been nominated the most often without a win. At the 37th GLAAD Media Awards in 2026, the award was given to Young Miko for her album Do Not Disturb.
Winners and nominees + Table key Indicates the winner
1990s
+ Award year Artist Work Label 1991(2nd) Two Nice Girls 1992(3rd) Outstanding Recording Artist Phranc Outstanding Music Composition "Symphony No. 1" 1993(4th) Outstanding Music Song "We Shall Be Free" Liberty Outstanding Music Video "" MCA 1994(5th) Outstanding Recording Artist 1995(6th) Outstanding Music Album Disappear Fear Disappear Fear Rounder Outstanding Music Song Indigo Girls "" Epic Outstanding Music Video "I'm the Only One" Island 1996(7th) Outstanding Music Album Boy George Cheapness and Beauty Virgin Outstanding Music Song "I Kissed a Girl" Atlantic 1997(8th) Outstanding Music Album Extra Fancy Sinnerman Diablo Musica Outstanding Music Song "Leviticus: Faggot" Maverick 1998(9th) Outstanding Music Album Velvet Rope Virgin Living in Clip Righteous Babe Erasure Cowboy Mute Indigo Girls Shaming of the Sun Epic White Town Women in Technology Chrysalis 1999(10th) Outstanding Music Album Rufus Wainwright DreamWorks Blender MCA Phranc Milkman Phancy Two Voyeurs Nothing Outstanding Music Single Queen Pen "" Interscope "" DreamWorks
2000s
+ Award year Artist Album Label 2000(11th) Indigo Girls Come On Now Social Epic Breakdown Island Bitter Maverick Pet Shop Boys Nightlife Parlophone Sleater-Kinney Kill Rock Stars 2001(12th) Invincible Summer Warner New Beginning Polydor God and the FBI Windham Hill Regrooving the Dream Vanguard Sleater-Kinney All Hands on the Bad One Kill Rock Stars 2002(13th) Poses DreamWorks Play It Cool Warner Secret Music: A Songbook Composers Recordings Skin Island Gossip That's Not What I Heard Kill Rock Stars 2003(14th) and k.d. lang Sony Halford Crucible Sanctuary Indigo Girls Become You Epic Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape Maverick Pet Shop Boys Release Sanctuary 2004(15th) Want One DreamWorks Bitch and Animal Sour Juice and Rhyme Righteous Babe Junior Senior D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat Atlantic Comfort Woman Maverick Peaches Fatherfucker XL 2005(16th) Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters Polydor Lucky Island Le Tigre This Island Universal Patience Epic Want Two Geffen 2006(17th) Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled Island Antony and the Johnsons I Am a Bird Now Secretly Canadian Girlyman Little Star Daemon Rodrigo, Villa-Lobos, Ponce: Guitar Concertos Warner Prom Daemon 2007(18th) Scissor Sisters Ta-Dah Polydor Moon Over the Freeway Warner He Poos Clouds Blocks Recording Club Peaches Impeach My Bush XL Pet Shop Boys Fundamental Parlophone 2008(19th) Release the Stars Geffen Bloc Party Wichita Snakehouse Tommy Boy Island Loog 2009(20th) Watershed Nonesuch Goddamned Great Depression Hercules & Love Affair Hercules and Love Affair DFA Distortion Nonesuch Sam Sparro Island
2010s
+ Award year Artist Album Label 2010(21st) Interscope Give Up the Ghost Sony Gossip Music for Men For Your Entertainment RCA / 19 Otep Smash the Control Machine Victory 2011(22nd) Scissor Sisters Night Work Downtown Antony and the Johnsons Swanlights Secretly Canadian Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1 Big Freedia Records Glassnote Lifted Off the Ground Vanguard 2012(23rd) Born This Way Interscope Girl in a Coma Exits & All the Rest Blackheart Hunx and His Punx Too Young to Be in Love Hardly Art Fear Nothing Oarfin MEN Talk About Body Iamsound 2013(24th) Trespassing RCA / 19 Channel Orange Def Jam Gossip Columbia Scissor Sisters Magic Hour Casablanca Out of the Game Decca / Polydor 2014(25th) Tegan and Sara Heartthrob Warner Artpop Interscope Goldfrapp Tales of Us Mute Capitol Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City XL 2015(26th) Against Me! Transgender Dysphoria Blues Xtra Mile Trouble & Love In the Black Dirty Gold Island / Republic Heart on My Sleeve Capitol In the Lonely Hour 2016(27th) Blue Neighbourhood Capitol ATO Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz Smiley Miley Warner Le1f Riot Boi XL / Terrible 2017(28th) Tegan and Sara Love You to Death Warner Against Me! Shape Shift with Me Total Treble / Xtra Mile Blood Orange Freetown Sound Domino Big Day in a Small Town Warner Joanne Interscope Excommunication Island House on Fire BFD Wonderful Crazy Night Island Blonde Boys Don't Cry Sia This Is Acting RCA 2018(29th) Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Astralwerks Younger Now RCA Classic Music Company Kehlani SweetSexySavage TSNMI / Atlantic Kelela Take Me Apart Warp Kesha Rainbow Kemosabe / RCA Perfume Genius No Shape Matador The Thrill of It All Capitol St. Vincent Masseduction Loma Vista Wrabel We Could Be Beautiful Epic / Sony 2019(30th) Dirty Computer Bad Boy Brockhampton Iridescence RCA By the Way, I Forgive You Low Country Sound / Elektra Christine and the Queens Chris Because Seen It All Asylum Worldwide Expectations Atlantic Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 BunHead Bloom Capitol Sophie Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Future Classic Years & Years Palo Santo Polydor
2020s
+ Award year Artist Album Label 2020(31st) Lil Nas X 7 Columbia Velvet: Side A More Is More / Empire Jaime ATO Arizona Baby Question Everything / RCA Clarity BunHead King Princess Cheap Queen Zelig / Columbia ME / Concord Mika My Name Is Michael Holbrook Casablanca / Republic Tegan and Sara Hey, I'm Just Like You Sire Young M.A Herstory in the Making M.A Music / 3D 2021(32nd) Love Goes Capitol Velvet More Is More / Empire Your Life Is a Record Warner Halsey Manic Capitol Kehlani It Was Good Until It Wasn't Atlantic Lady Gaga Chromatica Streamline / Interscope Plastic Hearts RCA 111 BMT / Sony Music Brasil Peppermint Producer Entertainment Group Pausa Sony Latin 2022(33rd) Lil Nas X Montero Columbia In These Silent Days Low Country Sound / Elektra Brockhampton Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine Question Everything / RCA Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over Island Interscope Halsey If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power Capitol Kaytranada Intimidated RCA One Way Out BMG Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep Transgressive St. Vincent Daddy's Home Loma Vista 2023(34th) Fletcher Girl of My Dreams Capitol Anitta Versions of Me Warner Big! BMG Holy Fvck Island Panorama Atlantic Black Girl Magic Classic Music Company Slut Pop Republic Muna Muna Saddest Factory Bronco Columbia Hold the Girl Dirty Hit 2024(35th) Reneé Rapp Snow Angel Interscope Billy Porter Black Mona Lisa Island UK / Republic boygenius The Record Interscope Brandy Clark Brandy Clark Warner Janelle Monáe The Age of Pleasure Atlantic Kim Petras Feed the Beast and Problématique Amigo / Republic Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation Columbia Sam Smith Gloria Capitol Troye Sivan Something to Give Each Other EMI Australia / Capitol Victoria Monét JAGUAR II Lovett Music / RCA 2025(36th) Doechii Alligator Bites Never Heal Top Dawg Adam Lambert AFTERS More Is More Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft Interscope Elton John Never Too Late: Soundtrack UMG Joy Oladokun Observations From A Crowded Room Republic Kali Uchis ORQUÍDEAS Geffen Omar Apollo God Said No Warner Orville Peck Stampede Warner Tove Lo HEAT Pretty Swede Victoria Monét JAGUAR II (Deluxe Edition) Lovett / RCA 2026(37th) Young Miko Do Not Disturb The Wave / Capitol Conan Gray Wishbone Republic Durand Bernarr Bloom Durand Bernarr / DSing / Create Elton John & Brandi Carlile Who Believes in Angels Interscope Ethel Cain Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You Daughters of Cain G Flip Dream Ride G Flip / AWAL Lady Gaga Mayhem Streamline / Interscope Maren Morris Dreamsicle Columbia Reneé Rapp Bite Me Interscope Ty Herndon THIRTY, Vol. 1 Club44
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Outstanding Music Artist awards:
Wins Music Artist Nominations 4 Rufus Wainwright 6 3 Melissa Etheridge 9 Scissor Sisters 4 k.d. lang 3 2 Lady Gaga 6 Indigo Girls 4 Tegan and Sara 3 Lil Nas X 2
The following individuals were nominated for four or more Outstanding Music Artist awards:
Nominations Music Artist 9 Melissa Etheridge 6 Rufus Wainwright Lady Gaga Elton John 5 Adam Lambert Brandi Carlile 4 Scissor Sisters Meshell Ndegeocello Indigo Girls
References