Electropop singer Shura: ‘God can’t hate gays – I was blessed by the Pope’
Shura performs at Coachella 2017 (Emma McIntyre/Getty)
The lesbian electropop singer Shura has joked that “God can’t hate the gays” because she and her gay twin brother were blessed by the Pope before they were born.
In an interview with The Independent, she explained that Pope John Paul II saw her mother as she was going through a difficult pregnancy.
She said: “My mum was going through issues with her pregnancy, so my dad told the Pope, and he blessed us. So there we go. God can’t hate the gays. Both me and my twin brother are raging homosexuals.”
The story reportedly left the Mancunian singer fascinated by religion, and despite being a “staunch atheist,” she considered studying theology at university.
“It’s all being interested in humans and how we f**k things up,” she said.
“Oh great, let’s create a perfect image of a woman who also happens to be a virgin and a mother, which is physically impossible, and then for all eternity women will be… s**t.
“I’ve always been fascinated by religion, and then obviously it’s used to f**k women over, historically, and gay people, so me doubly so.”
I made something. Due Date Aug 16. She’s called ‘forevher’ and I can’t wait for you all to meet her ?
Pre Order/Pre Save/Pre Add/Prepare here:https://t.co/LgoWR8kARG pic.twitter.com/4B39PaiHn7
— shura (@weareshura) June 12, 2019
In the end she chose to study English, reasoning that “a lot of it is to do with sex” — and themes of both sex and religion influence her latest album, Forevher.
The album comes after the singer ended a two-year break in March with a new solo track inspired by lesbian desire.
The single BKLYNLDN was released on March 10 alongside a video of two women tenderly kissing one another.
Describing her inspiration for the song, Shura said: “It starts with the immediacy of physical desire — ‘this isn’t love’ and yet as the song unfolds that sentiment begins to unravel; I am clearly in love and instead of my girlfriend coming to London, I end up moving Brooklyn.
“I wanted to capture that reversal and for me that section feels like my summer, skipping through Brooklyn, holding hands with my girlfriend and singing out loud without caring about how stupid you look.”
The new album Forevher is out on Friday, August 15.
