(Photo from Doechii’s Facebook)
The Capital Pride Alliance announced last week that Doechii will perform at the closing concert for WorldPride weekend.
Doechii, born Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, is a 26-year-old rapper and singer from Tampa, Fla. Since her emergence on the music scene in 2023, she has had five songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Beginning with “What It Is (Block Boy),” she has quickly risen into the upper ranks of the rap and music industries.
The Capital Pride Alliance, the nonprofit that organizes Washington’s official Pride events and is overseeing the upcoming WorldPride celebration in June, announced on Instagram that the “Alligator Bites Never Heal” performer will headline WorldPride’s free Street Festival & Closing Concert on Sunday, June 8.
This announcement comes just over a month after the self-proclaimed “Swamp Princess” won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album. Her win marks only the third time in history that a woman has won the award — following Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. She also became only the second rapper to be named Billboard’s Woman of the Year earlier this year.
Doechii is bisexual and has spoken about the challenges of being a Black queer woman in the music industry.
“I’m a Black woman from the South, so it’s different,” Doechii told Pink News in an interview last year. “There’s a lot of racism and homophobia, so it’s hard, it’s very, very hard. Even though I was aware, I didn’t feel as comfortable until I started surrounding myself with more gay friends.”
Doechii’s bold, genre-blending style and unapologetic presence have made her a favorite among LGBTQ fans, who have embraced her music as anthems of self-expression and resilience.
Despite being fairly new to the mainstream music game, Doechii is no stranger to Washington. In June 2024, Doechii performed a special set at D.C.’s gay bar Trade as part of her SWAMP BALL TOUR. That night, a line of fans stretched down 14th Street and around the corner, eager to see the rising star in an intimate setting.
For more information about WorldPride concerts, events, and celebrations, visit worldpridedc.org.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
