GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist

The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist is an annual award that honors musicians who used songs, music videos, or live performances to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance. The artist may be LGBTQ or an ally. The award is given to an artist who has released a full-length, EP-length album, or single during the current eligibility period and the release must be sold through a major music retail store and/or a major online music store. In addition to the album itself, media interviews, public statements, and other information may be considered when selecting nominees and award recipients.[1] It is one of several categories of the GLAAD Media Awards, which are presented by GLAAD—a U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization founded in 1985, formerly called the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation—at ceremonies in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco between March and June.[2]

The award was introduced in 2003 as a competitive category at the 2nd GLAAD Media Awards where it was awarded to American rock band Two Nice Girls.[3] Initially, the category consisted of five nominees but this was increased to include up to ten nominees starting at the 28th GLAAD Media Awards. To date, there has been one tie, with both Adam Lambert and Frank Ocean winning the award in 2013 for Trespassing and Channel Orange respectively.[4] The current holder of the award is Lil Nas X for 7.