WOMADELAIDE Classy Stage Sets, Tight Choreography and Catchy
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WOMADELAIDE SAWEEKEND FEBRUARY 9-10, 2019 s career highlights go, said Sir Elton, introducing, “she’s an this might have been a incredible artist who is becoming a global surreal dream: getting star”), duetting on John’s classic hit Tiny spanked on the bum by Dancer. iT was played on the credits of an Madonna before 15,000 episode of the HBO comedy drama series, fans, then being Girls. She sold a million albums worldwide. rewarded, and told to “This is a free zone,” she hollered to the improvise, with a thousands dancing in the rain at the 2016 banana. But the proof is Glastonbury Festival, in a gig widely held to be there on YouTube, in footage shot at Paris’s superstar launching. ABercy Stadium, a clip remarkable not just for its high entertainment value but for the poise, ame, however, brought more isolation. skills and good humour of special guest And misunderstanding: Christine and Héloise Lettisier, aka Christine and the Fthe Queens was held up as a poster girl Queens, aka – as of the last few months – Chris. for the queering of the mainstream, as her “I was so impressed by this immense power honesty was appropriated, bent into other’s Madonna has,” says Chris, 30, of her 2015 agendas. She agrees when I call her a reluctant cameo, made when on the brink of spokesperson. “You’ve just given me an image international fame, her cult status pounced of someone mumbling into a mic and backing on by the Queen of Pop, a notorious away,” says the former introvert, laughing her gatekeeper of hot new talent. ready laugh. “I guess I’m wary of being put “I was terrified but I fed off the sensation,” under plastic as ‘the gender girl’. As someone she continues, perched on a couch in the who is interested in queering things up. I living room of her Paris apartment. “I could do think it’s important to talk about these things nothing but surrender.” but not to sugar-coat them for the sake of Fans of Christine and the Queens continue entertainment.” to surrender in increasingly large numbers, She pauses, sighs. “Sometimes interviewers charmed by an audiovisual package that don’t even asked me about the music includes classy stage sets, a tightly anymore. I just get personal stuff like, ‘Okay, choreographed ensemble of six dancers and so you’re a pansexual! Did you invent this?’ fiercely catchy tunes sung, songbird-like, in And I’m like, ‘Er, no. Maybe look it up?’” English and French, and driven by synths, Another smile. “None of which is the point. samples, Prince-style funk, a mission to The point is the bigger picture.” interrogate gender and a love for Jacksons Fiercely intelligent, proudly non-binary, Michael and Janet. Chris/Christine described herself as “I am a tiny, horny, angry, nervous, joyful, pansexual – that is, attracted to people wanting thing, full of desires I want to regardless of their sex or gender identity – in explore,” declared Chris during her recent 2014. Released in September last year, her sold-out residency at London’s Eventim synth-laden second album, Chris, reinforced Apollo, midway through a show she is the inadequacy of labels, coinciding with a bringing to Australia – including a headline new shorn haircut and new abbreviated name slot at the WOMADelaide festival – next (“A way of reaffirming freedom”), an alter-ego month. Between international smash hits of an alter-ego she’d invented during a period such as iT (“I’m a man now,” she sing-teases) of introspection and identity reconstruction and Tilted, with its sparkling flutes and while hanging out in London with a group of mechanical breaths, Chris engaged in a spot drag queens. of silent theatrics with her dancers, Back then Chris was in her early twenties: repeatedly failing to squeeze herself into their “Christine started out as a sad clown,“ she circle. “I’ve been trying to fit in, and it was says. “I don’t encourage you to watch early exhausting,” she announced, grinning, before videos of me because they’re a bit weird; me flouncing away. “So I stopped trying. I feel filming in my room in a black jacket with much better now.” white face make-up on, sort of thing, or doing Lithe and handsome, given to wearing loose shows where I stop and stare at the audience suits, flowing unbuttoned shirts and white for a minute in silence, which I guess was socks-and-loafers a la Michael Jackson, Chris/ slightly creepy. I wrote the character before I Christine rode the Zeitgeist into a mainstream did the music.” ready to consider notions of gender fluidity in Chris grew up in Nantes on the French ways previously dismissed as marginal, taboo. coast, the daughter of academic parents, Her electro-pop-laden debut, 2015’s music lovers (“Everything from Vivaldi to Joe Chaleur Humaine (Human Warmth), was a Jackson”), who encouraged her to read, think freedom-loving ode to being yourself, outside the box. presented by an artist whose own struggle “When I was 15 my dad gave me Tipping the with feelings of loneliness were laid bare, Velvet” – Sarah Waters’ historical novel about albeit leavened with a playfulness that a lesbian love affair – “which was clever since I included earwormy choruses and samples of QUEEN of was just starting to have girlfriends. It was his Chaka Khan. way of saying, ‘It’s okay’.” She went out with Chris was big in France for ages before the guys now and then, reinforcing a later rest of the world caught on. Early EPs realisation that nothing is simple, and aged 17 including 2012’s Miséricorde and 2013’s Nuit fell in love with a woman and went about 17 a 52, along with support slots that dressed like 18th century queen, Marie invariably saw her upstage the main act, got Antoinette. Theatre school in Paris was a people double taking. She scooped best FRANCE natural calling. newcomer awards. Her tunes crept up the Chris’s voice is remarkable. Sweet and French charts. Then came Chaleur Humaine, strong, with a lilting vibrato and apparent that spanking by Madonna (who she repaid inability to hit a wrong note. by, er, jousting with aforementioned banana) Classy stage sets, tight choreography and catchy tunes She is looking forward to visiting Australia, and a decision to re-record her songs in she says, though not to the lengthy flight. Still, English, in detailed translations that lost none with lyrics about gender and sexuality are set to make even that has upsides: “I’m going to see if I can of their poetic lyricism. have an entire relationship on-board the Then no one could get enough of the uber- Christine and the Queens — now just Chris — a WOMAD hit plane: meeting someone, falling in love, the talented French performer with the flashing honeymoon period, the boredom, arguments, eyes and floppy fringe. She appeared on WORDS JANE CORNWELL break up and recovery,” she laughs. Graham Norton and The Tonight Show and PICTURE JAMIE MORGAN “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s was recruited by Elton John to perform with that anything is possible.” ● him at the iTunes festival in London (“She Christine and Queens play WOMADelaide blew me away not just musically but visually,” March 8-11. womadelaide.com.au 10 SAWEEKEND FEBRUARY 9-10 ADVE01Z01WE - V1.