The Aces

And other LGBTQ+ artists performing at this year's Summerfest.

March 7th, 2026   ·   2-3 mins   ·   Noah Zaworski

MARIS

Born in Montana, 1999. She started her career on Season 16 of 'American Idol' (2017), but did not advance far on the show. After moving to Los Angeles, CA, she released her debut single, 'Heavenly Bodies,' which was later featured on the EP, 'Gravity.' In 2026, MARIS is set to embark on her 'MARIS GOES TO COLLEGE THE TOUR,' which will run from April 8th to May 3rd and visit multiple cities. Her discography is filled with songs about her sexuality and queerness, publicly identifying as bisexual. Lines like "I'm not just one of the girls/Can't you see I'm thinking about your lips?" and "Would he want me/Would he see me." show her same-sex and opposite-sex attraction.

Just this January, MARIS released the single 'Body Is On Fire,' a sensual track surrounded by queer imagery. With influences such as Queen and Prince establishing herself as a future queer icon in the pop industry.

VIAL

In 2019, Minneapolis, MN, the band 'VIAL' was born. Releasing two singles ('Rough' & 'Grow Up') before their debut 7-song album 'Grow Up' was released, which features both tracks. VIAL works to make their music inclusive for everyone, ditching gendered terms and opting for gender non-conforming language. Guitarist KT Branscom personally identifies as Nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Their shared queerness impacts how they talk about themselves in their music. VIAL has just released their fifth studio album, 'HELLHOUND', a 13-track record.

Queer and femme bands are not a majority in the pop-punk scene. VIAL strives to create the much-needed inclusive and safe community for queer individuals. Reminding people that punk is not just music, it's views and progressiveness as a community.

Blondshell

After starting out unhappy with her pop sound at the beginning of her music career in 2017, she shifted with the release of the single 'Olympus' in 2022, just before her debut EP ('Veronica Mars'). Blondshell has steadily released new music since 2022, releasing several singles leading up to her 2025 album 'If You Asked For A Picture', and later the deluxe version featuring several artists on new versions of original tracks, including Gigi Perez on the track 'Arms'.

Blondshell is openly bisexual and has discussed biphobia and bisexual erasure in interviews under 'BAUM'. She has also discussed her gender presentation being very fluid, leaning into a more masculine side at times. These experiences with identity have inspired many songs (i.e., 'Hot Water'). Her openness about sexuality and gender identity/presentation allows for more experiences to be given that light.