Dove Cameron Is Surprised Her Queer Anthem ‘Boyfriend’ Is a Hit

Dove Cameron’s song “Boyfriend” has become a surprising viral hit, and a new entry into the canon of explicitly queer music. And the former Disney Channel star couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

Cameron, who came out as bisexual in 2020, spoke with The Spout Podcast recently about the unexpected success of her song, which she said had no promo or planning from her side of things.

“It was like a totally natural thing from like, the internet, and it resonated naturally with people,” she said. “So to have something that feels so interpersonal to me, and so romantic, and so straight off the pages fo my journal, is something that resonates with people in that way, it’s so emotional.”

“Boyfriend” follows a narrative many queer girls and women can relate to: falling for a girl with a boyfriend and ruminating on how much better at dating her you would be than he is.

“I could be a better boyfriend than him / I could do the shit that he never did / Up all night, I won’t quit / Thinkin’ I’m gonna steal you from him / I could be such a gentleman,” Cameron sings to a smooth, driving beat.

But although the song is deeply personal (Cameron has previously stated it was born out of an experience she had last year), and blatantly queer, the singer feels it's also something that people of all sexualities can relate to -- a feeling backed up by its current popularity.

“It's really hard to make a queer anthem that feels radio-friendly and that is kind of cross-genre," she admitted. "I just like that it's a sort of like a very normal, natural integration of the queer love story into the general public."

And the simultaneous responsibility and opportunity that comes from being a queer woman with a queer song making waves across the internet hasn’t been lost on Cameron, either.

“It’s really, really magical. I’ve always felt like a big sister in life, and now I feel so protective of my own fans and really honored to be taking up this space,” she said.