ABSTRACT
In general terms, heterosexuality is mainstream; queer sexualities are not. The anecdotal evidence is unequivocal: whether tuning your radio to the weekly Top 40 countdown, watching the chart-toppers on MTV or browsing the ‘most downloaded’ listings on iTunes, images and narratives of heterosexual love and desire dominate mainstream popular music. With few exceptions, the repetitive performances of hetero-norms manifest as qualities that contribute to the potential mainstream appeal of popular music artists. Following this, the natural province of queer music and those who make it is the cultural fringe.
