In a scene often smoothed out by predictability, Armani Broken emerges like a jagged beam of sunlight – radiant, raw, and entirely hers. Based in Baltimore, the alternative heavy pop-rock artist crafts songs with grit, intention, and queerness pulsing through every line. To hear her live is to witness catharsis wrapped in distortion and power anthems, delivered with the kind of bold vulnerability that makes you feel brave just for listening.

“I make alternative heavy pop rock,” Armani describes. “Kind of trying to lean toward The Home Team kind of sound. And just kind of songs that are gay as hell and have a good vibe to them and that you can feel like a bad bitch to,” she adds with a chuckle.

Her single “Lady God Divine” – written in a single day – is a standout. “I had to do a gig and I needed a 25-minute set but only had like 20 minutes of stuff. I didn’t want to do another cover, so I just wrote it in a day and performed it the next,” she said. The response was immediate: “Everyone was like, you need to drop that ASAP.”

Armani’s music is threaded with love. “I have my lovely fiancée, Rhiannon, and I am head over heels in love with her … She’s my ‘Lady God Divine,’” Armani shared. The track, she explains, is about “loving and worshipping your girl.”

Her passion for community and authenticity radiates both on and off the stage. “Every time I perform it, she comes to every single show,” Armani unravels the story of her relationship with Rhiannon. “I had grabbed her chin during a song and someone snapped a photo of that moment. That’s my profile pic now.”

Armani’s musical journey began in Baltimore’s welcoming underground scene. “I was welcomed with open arms into the scene,” she said. From TX2 to Weekends at Noon to Skull House Rock Festival, she found her people. “We just hit a year of officially performing and we’ve probably done, I want to say, like 30-plus shows.”

She’s determined to expand: “One big scene I’m really trying to get into is Philly. Their underground scene is absolutely insane.” She’s even dreaming up collaborative shows between Baltimore and Philadelphia artists. “We get the Philly fans into the scene… they get to see a little bit of what we’ve got.”

Despite her rap origins, Armani said she’s now fully embracing her singing voice. “I wrote ‘We’re All Dead‘ back in 2022… performed it live for the first time in May last year. Everybody loved it. That moment unlocked something creatively. I realized, ‘oh damn, this could really be something.’”

And the fans confirm that. Armani talked about a 15-year-old fan named Tobie from New Jersey who comes to multiple shows. “He made me bracelets with my name and lyrics. I try to wear them every show,” she said. “Any time I have a young kid fan, I got to be a good role model. Whenever I have my young fans around me, I cannot be a bad influence.” Armani’s protection over the scene penetrates in every live show setting she’s apart of. “Everybody’s there and I don’t see any type of weird behavior. But I know that if that was [ever the case at anything] I ever did, it’d be the first thing I’d call out.” It’s a sentiment that’ll put Armani at the forefront of local scenes and beyond.

Live instrumentation is non-negotiable despite Armani using computer-based production on recordings. “Even me and Meg [Armani’s drummer] have done shows with just drums and instrumentals, and it’s still good,” Armani details. “I send over the instrumental to my band and they learn it by the time we hit practice… I’m also working with a couple other musicians, that I don’t want to name just yet, to create more instrumentals and more, you know, I just want to keep getting more complex. Like my biggest thing is like I don’t want to stick to just one genre.”

Her pride in her identity is central. “Not only am I gay, but I’m also a little chubby and that’s OK. Don’t be afraid of being cringy – it just means you’re having a good time. That’s something I really want to show.”

“Growing up, I remember always getting so frustrated because all the songs I wanted to perform, I had to change the pronouns. There wasn’t a lot of representation,” she said. “I want to make songs where people feel good, where they feel like their true selves.”

Armani Broken will be performing tomorrow, Saturday, June 14, at Baltimore Pride’s Block Party Main Stage from 3:45 to 4 p.m. “That’s going to be probably our biggest crowd yet,” she said. She returns June 28 at Lawn Sphere with Cat Sensai and Heathens.

More music is on the way. Armani will record a new track on June 27, with release expected in mid-July. She teased an EP in the works: “More screams, more rap, more complexity. I just want it to be a roller coaster.”

“Hi, my name is Armani Broken. That’s Armani like the designer, and Broken like you,” she says to every crowd. It’s a wink and a war cry. A call to join her, bruises and all.

Because in this loud, lovely chaos she calls music, every broken piece still sings with strength.