Christine and the Queens is committed to equitable access to care in front of the Covid-19.
The artist, who released before the confinement a surprise mini-album, “La Vita Nuova” (Because), served by a magnificent short film, participates this Saturday in a great virtual concert, organized by Global Citizen in favor of medical research against the virus. And she recently challenged Emmanuel Macron on Twitter for “equitable access to the vaccine (against Covid-19), including for those living in extreme poverty”.
Q: What is your concept of engagement?
R: “This question has always occupied me a little. Among the artists I love in the variety, I have a lot of respect for Daniel Balavoine, very committed. For me, it’s part of the role of a slightly exposed artist to have a commitment beyond performance (in a charitable show). I’ve been chatting with the Global Citizen teams for several weeks. Addressing Emmanuel Macron on Twitter is like calling out to the public, drawing attention to the issue of access to healthcare in the face of the pandemic. “
Q: In the short film that accompanies “La Vita Nuova”, before confinement, you are alone on the roof of the Opéra Garnier, with Paris in the background, like a desert. A little prophetic, right?
A: “It’s the magic of art, I hadn’t foreseen what would happen in my magical subconscious (laughs). But what is interesting is that” La Vita Nuova “speaks of a species contagion, sadness, heartache, mourning, feelings that isolate a lot. There was a resonance with the news then, but at first it was cathartic for me. I wanted to go out very quickly this project to free myself, put it behind me, purge something. While writing songs, I stir things up, it’s not very comfortable, because I have to be honest. But performance always makes me good, the shooting was super beautiful, moving “.
Q: The dancers are very present in this film: a way to pay tribute to them?
A: “Yes, I find that dancers are often underestimated. They are used as decoration for a singer. But the dancer is a performer. On my second tour, I looked for dancers as if they were going to have roles in a film. I like to give them space, I like to be “challenged” by people who give something to play, to bounce. And in France, we have a very very beautiful scene, with dancers approached in the United States. “
Q: Why the Opéra Garnier?
A: “I wanted to have fun with the idea of an eternal Paris, a postcard Paris. It is a place of representations, creations but which can tell so many things. It is like a mental space, with these endless corridors, all these rooms, and I wanted to tell a kind of nightmare. It’s a real beautiful nightmare. “
Q: After the pandemic nightmare, what are your hopes for the next world?
A: “Will there really be a next world? Will we have the strength to reinvent ourselves? I hope so. But I’m afraid it will purr again. Before confinement , in France, the medical staff demonstrated to denounce the lack of means and during the confinement the caregivers became national heroes, but there must be an awareness beyond two months, there must be a project that is real now that the deconfinement is there. Let’s take the question of solidarities. Does the current system work? Is this society really egalitarian? The answer is no. Do we really want the next world? If yes , we must all mobilize. “
Q: A future album in sight?
A: “Solo confinement equals time to write. I’m in the studio for the third album, which I’m starting. The question is: how crazy is it going to be? With me it degenerates quickly, with short film and company (laughs). I hope it’s going to degenerate, it’s already degenerating. People are going to say to themselves “what did she take during confinement” (laughs)?
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