For many within the trans and gender-diverse community, music—a song, an artist or even a specific melody or lyric—can uplift, affirm, validate and invoke joy along the journey of identity and self-discovery. Each experience is inherently, profoundly unique—which is why we asked gender-diverse people from across the world to share songs for this playlist, created by and for their own community. Contributors have shared the tracks that meant something to them, and shed light on how they’ve played a role in their lives. Read on for insight into some of the songs on Trans Euphoria—and the people who selected them. David Bowie, “Rebel Rebel” “I think listening to this song after so long made me realise that it was okay not to conform with gender expression. People have been playing with presentation a lot longer than I’ve been alive, so it’s okay to let myself break the mould a little.” – Carter S (he/they), Cupertino, California, US Shania Twain, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” “I transitioned away from family support. They didn’t understand me, and they were still overseas, so they didn’t get to learn to accept me as I became who I was meant to be. ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ became the song I sang inside every time a stranger used the right pronouns or validated me. I sang it in the car driving home from collecting my new passport with the right gender. I danced to it the first time I went clubbing with friends after coming out as trans and a mix happened to play in the club. It felt like the universe was saying, ‘You’ve made it.’” – Sara T (she/her), Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Against Me!, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” “This is a really affirming song. It was such a good descriptor for how I felt whenever I suffered from dysphoria myself. Knowing someone else out there just got it helped me get through some really rough times pre-transition and during transition.” – Sonja B (she/they), Tukwila, Washington, US Kim Petras, “Alone” (feat. Nicki Minaj) “I actually wept when Kim won a Grammy, the first openly trans person to achieve this goal. Kim has always been open about her transness and her sexuality. 'Alone' marks her true single effort to break into the mainstream, demonstrating trans excellence. Her being seen and recognised helped my experience, showing that my gender is not a hindrance, but part of who I am—and that I can also achieve my dreams.” – Løz R (they/them), Exeter, England The Knife, “Pass This On” “The Knife were as a group deeply dedicated to challenging gender norms—they once sent a drag queen to lip-sync to this song in lieu of performing it. It has challenged me too, giving me the strength to love who I love without shame or fear instilled into me by my repressive upbringing.” – Ellinor L (she/her), Detroit, Michigan, US Hozier, “Someone New” “This song has such a joyous vibe that it continues to be my go-to song for any situation. It makes me feel happy, settled and a little sexy. When my voice broke after taking T, this song ended up being the perfect karaoke song for me as well. A double win. It’s just a reminder that you meet new people all the time, and that even though not everyone you meet will get you, there’s another person just around the corner.” – Felix M (they/he), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Grace Petrie, “Black Tie” “I think it's a song every young queer person needs to hear. Grace is a butch lesbian who wrote the song as a letter to her younger self, but it rings true for anyone who's ever had to go through the process of questioning their identity.” – Rick I (they/them), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Tom Morello, “You’ll Get Yours” (feat. X Ambassadors) “In dark times it's easy to feel the momentum of those defeats; to despair, to worry that things will get worse and worse. When I feel that way, I toss ‘You'll Get Yours’ on a loop for a bit and it reminds me that that momentum won't last; never has, never will.” – Natalie H (she/they), Seattle, Washington, US Adam Lambert, “There I Said It” “This was my power song in the early parts of my transition. Perhaps a bit of a sadder feel than others, but it was my reminder to be myself—out loud, full volume and with all my energy. I always wanted to be able to be unapologetically open and true to myself, and while I know that that growth is slow progress, this song always spurs me forward. I have an incredibly strong memory of listening to this in the car after my first appointment with my psychologist, where I vocalised how I was feeling and what I needed for the first time. ‘There, I said it, and I won’t apologise to you anymore’ felt incredibly poignant in that moment. It was very ‘Me vs the Universe’, and for the first time, I felt like I was winning.” – Alex S (he/him), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Love in Hate Nation (cast), “Masochist” “‘Masochist’ is broadly a song about other people’s perception of trans lives, how we try to untangle ourselves from those notions and define an existence that makes us feel most like our happy, safe and whole selves. If I spent all our time focusing on what transphobic people believed about us, and always tried to meet them halfway, I’d live a pretty exhausted life. Kitty [Minx, a character in the show] has often inspired me to focus instead on what brings me joy about being trans.” – Kristin K (she/her), Berlin, Germany X-Ray Spex, “I Am a Poseur” “‘I am a poseur and I don't care, I like to make people stare’: I interpret this lyric as accepting the fate of others believing my identity isn't real. That's fine, 'I don't care.' I'm empowered by this song to move on, let them stare!” – Ginger F (they/them), Lynwood, California, US She/Her/Hers, “I Think I Finally Love Myself” “The entire album is written as an outlet of expression by a trans woman going through transition. This is one of my favourite albums and songs due to how much it resonated with me.” – Harper V (she/her), Charleston, South Carolina, US Electric Fields, “Don’t You Worry” “Australia, an island of many tribes and nations, is home to the longest-living continuous cultures on the planet; this means that this place is also home to the longest-living trans cultures on Earth. What an honour and responsibility we have then to elevate Sistergirls, Brotherboys and trans mob in our decolonising work. Electric Fields offer us insight into First Nations trans and queer culture, and the song ‘Don't You Worry’ brings us celebration and joy, that ‘you gotta know the beat you’re drumming’ and that everything happens in good time, with so many blessings. Yes to all of that!” – Teddy C (he/him), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Queen Bee, “Mephisto” “In the outro, the lyrics translate to ‘Now, children of the stars, sleep well/Your brilliance won't fade, because it's you.’ It’s a beautiful reminder to myself of how wonderfully unique I am and the power in being authentically and unapologetically me like the brilliant shining stars in the sky.” – J C (they/them), Seattle, Washington, US AISHA & Arc System Works, “The Town Inside Me” “This is the theme song for Bridget from [video game] Guilty Gear. She is a trans woman character that myself and many others identified with since her appearance. This song is her latest theme when she officially came out to herself. The words remind me of my own struggle to come to terms with my own feeling inside me.” – Joselyn G (she/her), Fort Worth, Texas, US Wajatta, John Tejada & Reggie Watts, “Just to Survive” “When I learned my traits included me in the Intersex community it was life-changing. Intersex folks are everywhere, we are estimated at over 1% of the human population, and we are a beautiful reminder that gender is a natural spectrum that I feel proud to share to help raise awareness. The lyrics of this song resonate deeply with me, and the issues of our community that share many struggles with the trans community.” – Derek S (he/him), Oakland, California, US Contributors: Aaron R, Alex B, Alex S, Arry K, Brodie D, Caron E, Carter S, Chase B, Derek S, Ellinor L, Felix M, Ginger F, Harper V, J C, Joselyn G, Kristin K, Lake J, Løz R, Lydia T, Mason L, Natalie H, Petina S, Pixel S, Rick I, Sara T, Sonja B, Teddy C, Tim M, Travis C, Yeye E The artwork above was created in collaboration with Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta artist ENOKi. Apple acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.