Los Angeles-based rock band The Scarlet Opera has been growing a loyal following since dropping their first single “The Place to Be” in September 2022 via Republic Records. Since then, the Queerties Award-nominated band has released five additional singles and two EPs.

The band recently partnered with proudly LGBTQ-owned SYNERGY Raw Kombucha to create a music video for their fan-favorite song “Alive”. Queerty connected with the band’s singer Luka Bazulka for our “Top 10 Tracks” column, where we ask our favorite queer musicians about the music that inspires them. Here’s what he had to say…

What song do you currently have on repeat and why do you love it?

“Messy” by Lola Young. Her voice is so conversational. I feel like my heartbroken friend is hashing out her life in front of me and I’m just sitting there quietly thinking, “F*ck I have absolutely been this lost.”

Favorite album by a queer artist and why:

The album “I Am A Bird Now” by Antony and the Johnsons (now known as ANOHNI) is overwhelming and cinematic and captures the queer experience in such an ethereal and timeless way. I found this album in 2013 thanks to my friend Raven. Also, their song “I fell in love with a dead boy” from their Cut The World album is maybe my favorite song of all time, ever. We got to cover it on our last tor. I could never do the original justice, but I had to sing it, I had to. 

First big concert you ever attended and what you remember most about it:

Britney Spears in the late ’90s. I was 7 and my brother won me the tickets in a raffle. My grandma used to say, “I wish you wouldn’t listen to that trash” and when I got to see the showmanship, her undisputed precision in person–captivating thousands of wide eyed fans in the Philadelphia arena–I thought to myself, “Well, if that’s trash, then throw me out too!”

Dream queer music collab and why:

I promise I’m not just following the wave here, but… Chappell Roan! Most queers have known about her for a couple years now. Truly, the hyper theatrics of her show and the bouncy, intimate yet whimsical nature of her music is so alluring. Haven’t felt this excited or seen by an artist in over a decade. 

Go-to song when you need to feel energized:

“Heaven” by Mary Mary. I’m not particularly religious anymore but there’s something kind of reassuring about the formula of gospel music. Their voices and the electricity of the very Y2K production lifts me up lol I don’t know could be nostalgia, could be God herself.

Best cover song ever recorded by a queer artist and why:

“Over The Rainbow” by Rufus Wainwright. Well one, he’s a musical genius and two, he’s hot, and three, his haunting take on the Judy Garland classic is what I imagine will play me out of this world and into the next when the time comes. 

First album you ever purchased and the impact it had on you:

I’m no longer apologizing for this being the truth, the first album I spent my own money on. I walked into an FYE in rural PA and clocked the “Infinity” album by Journey. I never slapped down a crisp 20 dollar bill of birthday money so fast in my life! “Wheel In The Sky” is one of the greatest songs of all time.

Most underrated queer artist and why they deserve more credit:

Eden Hunter is really wonderful and a dear friend of mine. I recently got to spend some creative time with her, hearing her story and spinning some of her life into lyrics on her upcoming project. She’s a force to be reckoned with, has the most tantalizing voice and electric energy. I’m excited for her future.

Go-to song when you want to feel sexy:

I have a playlist called Blue World that I put on when my partner and I are having an evening in. Sets the mood really. Elevates the romance without taking away from the real stars of the night, him and I and everything in between us. 

Queer artist who’s had the greatest influence on your work and why:

Inadvertently Freddie Mercury. I hate to be the bearer of bad news (and contrary to popular belief), but I grew up more on Elton than I did Freddie, but I WILL say, when the band and I started writing, our natural instincts seemed to parallel to Queen’s wanting to write stadium level music paired with epic ballads. We’d be fools not to tear some pages from the book they left behind, but we do intend to carve out our own lane in the arena band world.

Scroll down for pics from Luka’s Instagram and be sure to follow The Scarlet Opera on Spotify…

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