Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Music

Committee Chair

Jeremy Orosz

Committee Member

Janet Page

Committee Member

Kenneth Kreitner

Committee Member

Sarah Potter

Abstract

This dissertation contains four case studies of trans and/or bisexual singer-songwriters in the Memphis, Tennessee area. Trans and bisexual people break down the gender binary through sexual attraction or through gender identity, and must constantly “come out” to maintain visibility. The artists interviewed for this project are W1ND0W (she/they), also known as Jill Johnson, a mostly-sapphic bisexual and nonbinary singer-songwriter of hyperemo, electronic, and improvisational performance music; Suroor (she/her), a trans woman singer-songwriter of hyperpop music; Alex da Ponte (he/him), a trans man solo singer-songwriter of pop and indie rock; and Maggie Trisler of the band Mystic Light Casino (she/her), a demigirl singer-songwriter of garage rock who dates “ABCD (anyone but cis dudes).” Using the gendered history of song composition, the history of bisexual and trans identities, the literary theory of écriture féminine, interviews, music and performance analysis, and contemporary discourse, a selection of work from each singer-songwriter is analyzed and discussed. The work of these singer-songwriters is explored in the context of their identities both through my own interpretation of the songs and through quotations and information from my interviews with the artists. Their music is then placed within the greater contexts of LGBTQ+ culture and musicological study, and the impact of increased representation of trans and bisexual artists in both areas.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Open Access

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