Queer Christian Artist Has Grammy Ambitions
-Kevin Garcia
Who Is Semler?
When I first meet Semler, it was on TikTok. They were posting covers of old worship songs I knew intimately from my years as an evangelical worship leader. These songs felt special in some ways, and even after pulling apart my faith in deconstruction, they still had the propensity to pull on my heartstrings. I thought it was a cute gimmick. I had no idea that this person was about to change the face of Christian music and visibility as we know it.
Semler, if you don’t know, is the queer Christian bestie you needed when your faith first started falling apart. With a sense of wit and deep conviction in their work, Semler’s produced a few iconic EP’s, including Preacher’s Kind and Latebloomer, filled with incredible songs of resilience, queer joy, and just the right amount of petty. They’ve hit a deep vein within the exvangelical community, and their influence as an artist is beginning to be felt on even bigger circles now.
On June 29, 2023, Semler made history as the first openly queer Christian artist to have a song top the CCM charts on iTunes with their single, “Faith.” Rather than a pride month bop, Semler served up a heartbreaking anthem and cry for justice and declaration of God’s love for all queer folks…
Kevin Garcia (he/they)