Artist Spotlight: chrysalis
chrysalis, is a Boston-based singer-songwriter who blends their love of music with a deep commitment to queer liberation. Through honest storytelling and the support of an all-queer band, they channel their lived experience into every song.
We caught up with chrysalis following the release of her latest album dog songs, which dropped on April 4, 2025. When asked about advice for fellow queer artists, she offered an impassioned message: “Be true to yourself! Don’t let the world dull your voice—it’s so important. You’re an artist for a reason: because you create beautiful things and have meaningful things to say. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Your very existence matters, so keep on keeping on. And find other queer musicians and make music together,” says chrysalis. Her PRIDE anthem? “(Something Inside) So Strong” by Labi Siffre and Kevin W. Smith. When describing her sound, chrysalis landed on “sparkly, gritty, tender” and gave it the color of green grass. But her reflections on PRIDE this year come with a sharp edge of realism. “PRIDE is a protest,” she said. “We queer people are far from liberated. The current administration is actively targeting us with legislation that puts our lives and livelihoods in danger. For artists, this has global consequences—like the U.S. no longer accepting ID that doesn’t match one’s sex assigned at birth for visas, which means many trans artists abroad can’t tour here. While I was on tour in April, I found out my friend Bells Larsen had to cancel his tour because of this. It devastated me. It could’ve been me.” Despite the heartbreak, chrysalis remains resolute: “We need to keep on keeping on and take up as much space as possible—because we’re not going anywhere.”
And through it all, chrysalis believes in the power of community, creativity, and resilience to light the way forward.
‘dog songs’, the sophomore album by chrysalis that dropped on April 4, 2025, is about realizing that as you get older, there is still so much left to learn, and the people around us are also still learning. chrysalis expands on this through sharing songs written like diary entries.
Be sure to tune in to this rock-tinged indie folk album now!