History ViewerGenderConfusion / Music

* {{Music/Bebe Lilly}} does not show much girl characteristics. Many fans of hers are initially confused about her gender.

ViewerGenderConfusion in {{Music}}.

* Totosse, the baby character from {{Music/Jakarta}} does not neccesarily show boy or girl characteristics. Many often are confused about what his gender is.

* {{Music/Devin Millar}} has an animated mascot named Jack, who is a teenage boy who dresses like a young girl and has fake breasts. He is often confused for a girl character.

* Back when the Music/CultureClub was all new, a good few people assumed Boy George was female.

* In the early days of Music/JustinBieber's career, his voice hadn't cracked yet, leading many listeners to assume that he was a girl. Questioning his gender thus became a {{Stock Parody Joke|s}} among his detractors. This went away as he matured, however.

* Music/JustinBieber. He's made his career over the fact that he's a teenage boy whose voice hasn't cracked, so this is a given. If you just listen to his music and don't know his name, you might think he's a lesbian.
** He had a lesbian doppelganger of him appear on ''Series/AmericasGotTalent'' and ''Series/TheGleeProject''
*** Not surprisingly, there's a tumblr entirely dedicated to [[http://lesbianswholooklikejustinbieber.tumblr.com/ Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber]].

* Pick a J-rock band. Particularly male J-rockers that dress in [[ElegantGothicLolita Goth Loli]], like Mana. (Of course, young Japanese men tend to look androgynous to ''gaijin'' anyway.)
* Pick any J-Pop boy band, especially those under Johnny's Jimusho. Those guys make prettier girls than most of their fans.
** One such example: [[http://asianoyoru.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/yuri.jpg Chinen Yuuri.]]
** [[http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt347/Nyaonity/Tegoshi.jpg Tegoshi]] [[http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt347/Nyaonity/10-11calendartegoshi03.jpg Yuya]].
* Visual Kei musicians can easily cause this problem, as a common theme amongst the bands is to highlight their feminine sides or just full-on crossdress like [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qpwDqGO0f0Q/So3Bne1k7JI/AAAAAAAAAU4/6qPCTdkYQWQ/s400/HIZAKI%2Bgrace%2Bproject%2BCurse%2Bof%2BVirgo%2BPhotobook.jpg Hizaki]] from ''Versailles''.

** Compared to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWE9YmB8reQ Som Pljuimers]], Angela sounds like [[{{Music/Epica}} Simone Simons.]]
** Another girl with a mean death growl: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBf1kM0wBfg Mallika Sundaramurthy]] of Abnormality.

* There are ''a lot'' of K-Pop idols that fall under this. Music/SuperJunior's Heechul and Music/{{Shinee}}'s Taemin are two of the worst offenders. Even the more masculine ones are prone to this... Shinee's Minho was once mistaken for a labelmate's girlfriend.

* Kim Shattuck's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TR1YvAjUy4 snotty vocals]] could easily belong to a male punk singer.

* [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/e00747654b6a8fc1c6ba3.jpg?w=960&h=640 Amber]] from the Korean pop band ''Music/FX'' to the point where her group members even thought she was a boy at first. It doesn't help that she's "pretty" enough to look like most male pop stars or that SM Entertainment always puts her in masculine clothing, such as a [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/25f6ebc13c7c61e495b5b67959b23d0e.jpg?w=574&h=436 boy's school uniform]] or a [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/chuseokamber.jpg?w=400&h=500 male hanbok]].

* Many were surprised to find out that Noodle of Music/{{Gorillaz}} was a girl. Much less once she started being depicted as a teenager who sometimes sports makeup and more feminine clothing, though she still leaves a few confused. Less so in Phase 3, where she has some very [[HartmanHips feminine]] [[ShesGotLegs characteristics]].

* One of the most distinctive features of Music/{{Rush}}'s music is Geddy Lee's very high-pitched voice. As such, it's quite common for new listeners to think the band's singer is a woman, though one does get used to it after listening to them long enough.

* Tracy Chapman. Judging by her voice, rather muscular physique, and most pictures, it can be pretty tricky to tell. Her gender-neutral name (although it's usually female nowadays) doesn't help.

* Kim Shattuck's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TR1YvAjUy4 snotty vocals]] could easily belong to a male punk singer.

* One of the most distinctive features of Music/{{Rush}}'s music is Geddy Lee's very high-pitched voice. As such, it's quite common for new listeners to think the band's singer is a woman, though one does get used to it after listening to them long enough.

* Many people, especially those who first heard the song in ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', initially assumed Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses" was sung by a man due to her distinctive deep, husky voice.

* Pick a J-rock band. Particularly male jrockers that dress in Goth Loli, like Mana. (Of course, young Japanese men tend to look androgynous to ''gaijin'' anyway.)

** One such example: [[http://asianoyoru.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/yuri.jpg Chinen]][[http://media.photobucket.com/image/chinen%20yuuri/franzpurple/jun_matsumoto/japanese%20101/yuuri2.jpg Yuuri.]]

* Visual Kei musicians can easily cause this problem, as a common theme amoungst the bands is to highlight their feminine sides or just full-on crossdress like [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qpwDqGO0f0Q/So3Bne1k7JI/AAAAAAAAAU4/6qPCTdkYQWQ/s400/HIZAKI%2Bgrace%2Bproject%2BCurse%2Bof%2BVirgo%2BPhotobook.jpg Hizaki]] from ''Versailles''.

* [[http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff143/Heart_Candy/Tokio%20Hotel/Bill%20Kaulitz/BillKaulitz17.jpg Bill Kaulitz]] of Tokio Hotel is this trope personified.

* Jody "I'm not a girl" [=McBrayer=] fits this trope nicely. He most definitely looks masculine, but if you don't know who's singing... Well, just listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb8kgaa3Xsg

* The lead singer of Music/{{Placebo}}, Brian Molko, has confused many with his highly androgynous appearance. Pictures like [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070117045210/uncyclopedia/images/3/39/Briana.jpg this]] definitely do not help.

* [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/e00747654b6a8fc1c6ba3.jpg?w=960&h=640 Amber]] from the Korean pop band ''f(x)'' to the point where her group members even thought she was a boy at first. It doesn't help that she's "pretty" enough to look like most male pop stars or that SM Entertainment always puts her in masculine clothing, such as a [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/25f6ebc13c7c61e495b5b67959b23d0e.jpg?w=574&h=436 boy's school uniform]] or a [[http://iheartfx.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/chuseokamber.jpg?w=400&h=500 male hanbok]].
* [[http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/29858825/A+Skylit+Drive+jag.jpg Michael Jagmin]] of A Skylit Drive tends to have this effect on people: long hair, girly voice, short stature.
* Japanese goth/electronic/visual kei/[[GenreBusting oh who knows]] vocalist Selia (one half of Seileen, along with DJ Sisen) falls into this all too easily. He looks like a woman, but in Japanese music this isn't anything new. No, the real confusion comes when he starts [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIhYiMJQmcs singing]].
* The same goes for Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow, who's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZM-d2qD15E death vocals]] cause many to mistake her for a man at first listen.

* The Silversun Pickups's lead vocalist Brian Aubert has a somewhat effeminate voice when singing, leading to some confusion--especially since even when you know he ''is'' a guy he looks ''nothing'' like you'd expect for a guy with that singing voice. His speaking voice is unquestionably male, though.

* If you're over 30, you've probably heard the theme song to ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory'', sung by Limahl. Even if you knew the (seemingly gender neutral, in fact seemingly made up) name of the singer, it's very likely you assumed he was a woman. Even watching the video doesn't help. He looks like a guy but sounds so much like a woman that you assume he's lip-synching. Seriously, listen to the song and ''try'' to find anything masculine about that voice.
* There are ''a lot'' of K-Pop idols that fall under this. Music/SuperJunior's [[http://yurigoodoo.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/157578330.jpg Heechul]] and Music/{{Shinee}}'s [[http://neomuyeppeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/20100708_taemin_1-460x612.jpg Taemin]] are two of the worst offenders. Even the more masculine ones are prone to this... Shinee's [[http://www.asianpopcorn.com/battle_images/SHINee_Minho_LUCIFER__28012011235651.jpg Minho]] was once mistaken for a labelmate's girlfriend.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Samson JD Samson]] of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tigre Le Tigre]]. An out lesbian who identifies as female, she nonetheless uses a very macho variation of her given name (Jocelyn Samson), dresses in traditional male clothes, maintains an extremely masculine appearance, and proudly sports close-cropped hair and a ''robust natural mustache''. Even when you know she's a gal, [[http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqtpzu773T1qzdfbno1_400.jpg seeing]] [[http://www.pagesdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jdflower.jpg pictures]] [[http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/JD01.jpg like]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l0pbv4NN2O1qbbqcuo1_500.jpg these]] makes it pretty tough to grasp.

* [[http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/23653/ryan-ross-punk-style.jpg Ryan Ross]], especially in the early years of Music/PanicAtTheDisco.

* Suzanne Vega's song "Luka" is about a little boy with AbusiveParents. However, Luka can be a GenderBlenderName and Suzanne is female, so many people think the song is about a woman with [[DomesticAbuse an abusive lover]].

* The singer of the band Rough Trade is a ButchLesbian with a [[LarynxDissonance very deep voice.]] Their most famous song, "[[SchoolgirlLesbians High School Confidential]]", is about the narrator's PerverseSexualLust over a hot, bitchy blonde (who is the AlphaBitch), so it's pretty common to mistake the singer for a man.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Samson JD Samson]] of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tigre Le Tigre]]. An out lesbian who identifies as female, she nonetheless uses a very macho variation of her given name (Jocelyn Samson), dresses in traditional male clothes, maintains an extremely masculine appearance, and proudly sports close-cropped hair and a ''robust natural [[BadassMustache mustache]]''. Even when you know she's a gal, [[http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqtpzu773T1qzdfbno1_400.jpg seeing]] [[http://www.pagesdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jdflower.jpg pictures]] [[http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/JD01.jpg like]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l0pbv4NN2O1qbbqcuo1_500.jpg these]] makes it pretty tough to grasp.

* Music/MichaelJackson was an African-American man who looked like a white woman, especially in the last decade of his life.

* Music/JustinBieber. He's made his career over the fact that he's a teenage boy whose voice hasn't cracked, so this is a given. If you just listen to his music and don't know his name, you might think he's a lesbian. The amount of confusion has become memetic due to his {{Hatedom}}. He has gotten better, though not by much.

* Similarly, during one of the episodes of ''I Love the 80's'', when discussing the Music/DeadOrAlive video "You Spin Me Round", one of the commentators said that growing up he thought Pete Burns was either the prettiest man or the ugliest woman he'd ever seen. {{Ironic}}, given how after too many[[note]]''over 300''[[/note]] plastic surgeries, Pete Burns [[https://postimg.cc/yk5LSWJ7 did look]] ''exactly'' like a woman...

* Similarly, during one of the episodes of ''I Love the 80's'', when discussing the Music/DeadOrAlive video "You Spin Me Round", one of the commentators said that growing up he thought Pete Burns was either the prettiest man or the ugliest woman he'd ever seen. {{Ironic}}, given how after too much[[note]]over 300, to be exact[[/note]] plastic surgeries, Pete Burns [[https://postimg.cc/yk5LSWJ7 did look]] ''exactly'' like a woman...

* Back when the Culture Club was all new, a good few people assumed Boy George was female.
* Similarly, during one of the episodes of ''I Love the 80's'', when discussing the Dead or Alive video "You Spin Me Round", one of the commentators said that growing up he thought Pete Burns was either the prettiest man or the ugliest woman he'd ever seen.