Is Christine and the Queens a girl? Singer becomes Chris on new album
Christine and the Queens is now Chris. (Suffo Moncloa)
Christine and the Queens is back with a new album and a new identity.
A quick look on Twitter and through YouTube’s comments section and it appears some fans, particularly in Christine’s native France, are not welcoming her back with open arms.
Her new sound, short hair and androgynous style are ruffling a few feathers in France.
With her new identity and proudly coming out as bi, the singer raised a few eyebrows in France. Her most recent album, Chris, celebrates her fluidity. Led by the single, “Girlfriend,” which came out over the summer, Christine—or Chris—muses about intimacy with both a man and woman, with hot lyrics that have been met with mixed reaction from more conservative French listeners.
Christine and the Queens – Chris art
Plagiarism? J’accuse!
Chris’ first album, Châleur Humaine was a massive success in France, selling about 850,000 copies.
It crossed the pond and made its way to British ears as well. The artist was lauded as a genius by many French critics, and her universe, filled with poesy and sleek dance moves a la Michael Jackson, seduced audiences in France and the UK alike.
Yet, her new opus is dividing fans and critics. It doesn’t help that “Girlfriend” (“Damn, dis moi” in French) is doused in controversy already.
The artist’s aesthetics charmed France and UK alike back in 2014 (BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty)
Chris was accused of plagiarism upon the single’s release. Her use of the digital audio workspace Logic Pro did not sit well with French audiences.
The singer defended herself, saying: “I didn’t plagiarise a song, what I used is free of use. 95 percent of today’s raps borrow from well-known songs. At least three of Rihanna’s song are based on samples from such software [like Logic Pro].”
“I didn’t plagiarise, I sampled a free of use loop, onto which I added lyrics, the singings and musical arrangements,” said Chris.
From Christine to Chris
On top of the plagiarism controversy, Chris has had to defend her new look, which is also provoking a strong reaction.
The singer swapped her black suits and long hair for a pixie cut and plain Ts, playing with androgyny. While flirting with the (traditional) rules of gender, the singer has alienated a part of the French public.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0NMTuz9Duo]
Chris introduced her queer identity, coming out as a bi and discussing her personal life in interviews. “I fell in love with a woman, before that I was in love with a man. Then I fell in love with a trans person. I thought to myself: ‘What the fuck? Feelings did that to me?’”
By her own admission, Chris has found it more difficult to introducing the sexually fluid side of her to French audiences. “In France, I feel there’s a lot of explaining to do […] in the UK, it’s more fluid,” she said.
Chris is also a fierce feminist who preaches “death to the patriarchy” in a recent edition of Q magazine.
For fans of classic Christine, her music video for song “La Marcheuse” appears to lean towards the stylings of her much-celebrated Châleur Humaine.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CneMUoqpebo]
