Lauron J. Kehrer

Lauron J. Kehrer, Ph.D. is a musicologist and ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in American popular music, especially hip hop. They have published articles on queer identity and women’s music, Beyoncé, Lil Nas X, and more in American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Popular Music and Society, Journal of Popular Music Studies, and Popular Culture Studies Journal. Their first book, Queer Voices in Hip Hop: Cultures, Communities, and Contemporary Performance (University of Michigan Press 2022) examines the work of Black queer and trans artists in hip hop.

Kehrer teaches courses on popular music.

They were awarded the 2024 Marcia Herndon Article Award for exceptional ethnomusicological work in gender and sexuality for their article, “‘Sissy Style’: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in New Orleans Bounce Dance” (Journal of Popular Music Studies). They are currently co-editing a volume called “Better Be Good to Me”: American Popular Songs as Domestic Violence Narratives (under contract with University of Michigan Press). Kehrer currently serves as President of the U.S. Branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music.