Top 50 gay musicians in the world (+Photos)

35. Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend)

Rostam Batmanglij is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and sole gay member of the New York City-based indie rock group Vampire Weekend.Batmanglij is also the co-founder of electronic funk project Discovery with Ra Ra Riot vocalist Wes Miles. Batmanglij’s family moved from Iran to America just before the Iranian Revolution in 1979. His mother Najmieah is a famous Persian cookbook author and his father is a publisher. While attending Columbia University, Batmanglij met his fellow Vampire Weekend members. Their debut self-titled album produced the singles “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “Mansard Roof,” “A-Punk,” and “Oxford Comma.” “A-Punk” was ranked #4 onRolling Stone magazine’s list of Best Songs of 2008. The group quickly went from playing at coffee shops and bars around Columbia University to appearing on David Letterman andSaturday Night Live and sharing management with the White Stripes and M.I.A.. Fellow Vampire Weekend band mate Ezra Koenig accredits Batmanglij as the key lyricist for half of the band’s songs. As an openly gay man, Batmanglij says he’s excited to incorporate gay themes in future songs, starting with Discovery’s “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”