Christine, My Queen

When I find a band or artist that I love, I become completely obsessed. Watching every music video, every available interview, finding out what the lyrics are and what they mean, and investigating their background kind of obsessed. So when I first heard Christine and The Queens on my radio, I became hooked on the unique sound of “Tilted” and one thing lead to another.

Christine and The Queens is the stage persona and brainchild of Nantes born and Paris native Héloïse Létissier. The name, referring to Létissier alone, was inspired by the time she spent with a trio of drag queens after moving to London; a time in her life that she quite openly states was transformative following a hard breakup whist living in Paris. The best way to describe the incredible sound of Christine and The Queens is “electro pop”. However, to box it up in such a way is too simple. Her upbeat songs drip with 80’s keyboard riffs and addictive drum beats, her ballads are smooth and calming, all accompanied with a flawless voice that sets her apart from her peers. Bi-lingual Christine (as she likes to refer to herself) sings in both English and French, and on many occasions both in one track. As strange as this may be to a listener who only understands either one of these languages, there is something hypnotic about listening to lyrics that you cannot understand. It also is rather entertaining to attempt to sing along to the French bits, which for me end up sounding somewhat gobbledegook instead. She has a sound that is incomparable to any other artist, and she is exploding onto the scene faster than you can say “Sacre bleu!”

Christine - as well as being a wonderful singer - is a true performer. Whilst I have not yet been fortunate enough to see in live and in person, there are many clips and recording of her live performances online. One of the many things you will notice about her is that she can dance. Her dance style is not Beyoncé or Rihanna - you won’t find Christine twerking any time soon. Instead it is very contemporary, with major nods to the moves of the legendary Michael Jackson. Her dance skills are impressive, but combine this with singing live without messing up a single note demonstrates what an accomplished performer she really is. Alongside her skills, her stage aesthetic is simple and clean: her backdrops of one single colour silhouettes her band and keeps the focus on her whilst creating an atmosphere for each individual song. She really is a marvel to watch.

When I first witnessed Christine and The Queens, I enjoyed her distinctive sound, funky dancing and quirky French/English mashing together. But when I began to learn more about her and who she is as Christine was when I truly became an avid fan. Growing up and living in France, young teenage Héloïse felt out of place; not pretty enough, not polite enough, not outgoing enough. She discovered quite quickly that society wanted to change her, and to make her into someone which she quite obviously was not. As Christine, she became an advocate for “not fitting in”. As a self-confessed and proud feminist she began to wear men’s tailored suits on stage, teamed with trainers and no makeup. This look has made her easily distinguishable. In an industry where female artists are expected to wear tight clothing, high heels and take a team or hair and makeup artists with them in the exhausting pretence to look “perfect” at all times, Christine has thrown this stereotype in the proverbial bin. In one of her most in-depth interviews with A Face To Face whilst at SxSW she states:

“I wanted her to be this character, this free woman, who could be free to desire whoever she wanted, instead of being desirable herself.”

Christine understands that everyone is flawed, and should not be judged for showing their flaws. Recently, she was invited to be the cover model for Elle magazine. However, she quickly discovered that the team at Elle had photoshopped her photograph, much to her disgust and disappointment and she made it publicly known that she did not agree with this. In an interview with Channel 4 she says:

“So I was raising questions. Like why are you inviting me and what I embrace, if it’s eventually for me to be really smooth and without any flaws? And again, I think it’s something that tends to affect how women are perceived.”

Christine and The Queens is an artist that understands modern society. Her songs reflect real issues that are happening in today’s culture, and she stands true to her ethos and morals. She is a strong female role model, she isn’t afraid to voice her opinion in a structured and thought out way. She embraces criticism and enjoys having “haters”, believing that she can channel their negativity to better herself.

If I haven’t made it clear enough, I admire and adore Christine and The Queens. And if that isn’t enough, then allow me to leave you with this final proof of her readiness to be a star. Her absolute biggest fan is Madonna. Enough said really.

All images courtesy of Google.

Video courtesy of YouTube.

#Jodie #music #feminism