Rock en Seine 2018 : a very gay friendly program

July 05 2018

by Guy

For its sixteenth edition from August 24 to 26 at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, the Rock en Seine festival brings together more than 70 artists from around the world. Among them, many are committed to the rights and respect of the LGBT community.

Macklemore, American rapper

Credits : Ryan Mjkinnon

A message of tolerance and peace is what Macklemore conveyed in his song Same Love in 2012. The rapper was engaged in a fight against homophobia with the singer Ryan Lewis in this clip that culminates today at more than 200 million views on Youtube.

Same Love " sums up the idea of equality according to Macklemore: "It's a song I've wanted to write for a long time. I wanted to make the hip-hop community aware of the importance of words. We're always putting down a group of people without really realizing it," he said in a Fuse TV interview.

According to Macklemore, a movement to defend the freedoms of the LGBT community is well underway in the hip-hop world. However, he acknowledges that American rap music still discriminates against gays in some songs. The expressions "that's gay" or "faggot" are widely used but Macklemore believes that a positive evolution of the lyrics is underway.

The artist's uncle is homosexual and taught him tolerance. He really owes his inspiration for his song Same Loveto him. Boy George, British gay singer and icon, even congratulated Macklemore on the song: "I think Same Love is a great song, I don't care if it's a gay or a straight guy who interprets it, for me it doesn't matter".

Concert scheduled on Sunday, August 26 from 7:45 pm to 9:00 pm on the Main Stage

Jared Leto, singer of the American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars

Jared Leto (right) accompanied by his brother Shannon

During his career, the American singer and actor has often talked about his androgynous image in interviews. After receiving the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the film Dallas Buyers Club, where he played the role of a transgender man with AIDS, Jared Leto said in an interview with GQ Style that he did not want to be seen as a man.in an interview with GQ Style that he never had "a specific idea of masculinity", thinking that it is better to feel good about yourself than to adopt "a certain look".

Jared Leto was particularly offended by the gay community's place in film: "I definitely don't think a gay lead would have the same opportunities as a straight lead. I don't believe that. I don't believe that for a second. [...] Anyway, I think the movie industry is still very conservative."

Concert scheduled for Saturday, August 25, 2018 from 11:00 pm to 12:30 am on the Main Stage

Yelle, singer of the French electro-pop group Yelle Club Party

Julie Budet, better known by her stage name Yelle, is known for her taste in genre fluidity. You only have to understand the origins of her pseudo to get an idea. She had initially chosen "YEL", literally "You Enjoy Life" but as she gravitated in a male universe, she wanted to add a feminine touch to her nickname, hence the addition of the letters "le" to form "YELLE".

Since her first hits like A cause des garçons and Je veux te voir, the artist has imposed herself on the international scene. With concerts in the United States, South America and Asia, the singer has been able to attract the admiration of the audience thanks to her atypical electro-pop style and her outgoing personality.

The leader of the group has often spoken openly about homosexuality: "I don't want to say to myself that I will never have a lesbian experience because I've been with a guy for 10 years. On the contrary, I am open! I find that sad not to be able to say to you that all is possible whereas you can fall from the day to the day in love with a girl", she announced in an interview for Barbieturix.

Her joie de vivre, her open-mindedness and her peace and love side have made her a real gay icon in France: "we have always felt a lot of openness and welcome from the gay and lesbian community". Yelle has already participated in several gay prides and gay parties such as the Flash Cocotte or lesbian parties such as Wet For Me. She doesn't like categorization and that's why each community can recognize itself through the lyrics of her songs.

Concert scheduled for Friday, August 24 from 11:30 pm to 12:30 am on the Bosquet Stage

Charlotte Gainsbourg, French-British singer

Credits: Collier Schorr

If the French singer is married to actor Yvan Attal and mother of their 3 children, she does not stop praising the gay community.

In the French remake of the American indie comedy Humpday, entitled Do Not Disturb and released in 2012, Charlotte Gainsbourg played a gay couple with thein the French remake of the American independent comedy Humpday, titled Do Not Disturb and released in 2012, Charlotte Gainsbourg played a gay couple with the actress Asia Argento; a role she particularly liked as she said in an interview for Version Femina magazine: "I shot only five days [.i loved being with her. I had never played a homosexual role before and I thought it suited me like a glove", says the singer.

Concert scheduled for Saturday, August 25th from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm on the Cascade Stage

SOPHIE, Scottish electro-pop singer and DJ

The identity of this artist has often been a mystery, but that hasn't stopped her from making her mark on the scene and becoming an important figure in modern electro-pop.

The Scottish-born singer has only recently released her first studio album, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Unisides, but she already has some great collaborations under her belt. Indeed, she has already produced some of the biggest names in pop music such as Madonna, Charlie XCX or Rihanna.

SOPHIE (always written in capital letters as the singer wishes) has however remained anonymous for a long time by hiding her identity from the media. She did not reveal certain parts of her body and even modified her voice during interviews.

Today, this woman proud to belong to the trans community shows herself without complex in front of the public. On the occasion of her video It's Okay To Cry released at the end of 2017, SOPHIE reveals herself in a natural way. In this video that she directed herself, the singer uses her real voice and is no longer modest.

If her video allowed her to free herself, SOPHIE has been accused of "sexual appropriation". Some criticize her for being a man and choosing a feminine alias, but the singer defends herself: "let people be what they want to be - considered as artists, not in a category".

Concert scheduled for Friday, August 24 from 9:45 to 10:45 pm on the Bosquet Stage

Mashrou' Leila, Lebanese independent rock band

Led by singer Hamed Sinno, openly gay and a strong advocate for LGBT rights in the Middle East and around the world, Mashrou' Leila has established itself as the standard bearer for homosexuals in the Arab world.

Homosexuality is often the subject of controversy in some Arab countries, and the Lebanese group has paid the price. During their concert in Egypt in September 2017, fans of the band waved rainbow flags, the universal symbol of the gay community. Local authorities immediately made dozens of arrests

Hamed Sinno called on the Egyptian people to come out of their silence and revolt against the country's regime so "that it stops this witch hunt and releases the prisoners." If homosexuality is not officially prohibited in Egypt or in other Arab countries, individuals are arrested every year and some even face long jail sentences.while homosexuality is not officially banned in Egypt or in other Arab countries, individuals are arrested every year and some even face long prison sentences because homosexuality is considered a contempt to the Islamic religion.

Mashrou' Leila, which remains the world's best-known Arabic-speaking band, is now banned from performing in Egypt. In June 2017, the group had nearly been banned from performing in Jordan following protests from conservative parliamentarians.

Concert scheduled for Sunday, August 26 from 4:55 to 5:45 pm on the Cascade Stage

Anna Calvi, English alternative rock singer

The British artist did not go out of her way to come out. Indeed, the former Cheap Hotel band member had given herself a five-year break before returning to the scene and releasing a very intimate new album called Hunter in early 2018. She introduced it with a manifesto where she testifies about her sexual orientation.

Her biggest fans were not surprised by the news since the singer has often mentioned in her lyrics, in a subtle way, her taste for women. However, it is particularly highlighted in her record event: "I hope that the lyrics are direct enough for you to understand" she granted to Cheek Magazine.

The singer has played the card of frankness in this new album: "society asks us constantly to insert ourselves in categories of gender or sexuality. Nevertheless for Anna Calvi, sexual orientation is a label and that's why she often uses the word "queer" in her manifesto to show that there is a broader meaning to it.

This album will have allowed the singer to free herself and discover new passions: "feminism and the rights of the LGBTQI community are themes that I am more and more passionate about."

Concert scheduled for Saturday, August 25, 2018 from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. on the Cascade Stage

Ezra Furman, American indie rock singer

Ezra Furman released his album Transangelic Exodus in February with themes of depression and gender fluidity. An unconditional fan of Lou Reed, he drew his inspiration from the album Transformer by the band The Velvet Underground, which included his idol.

The American artist perfectly assumes his androgyny. He identifies as bisexual and does not hesitate to dress and make up as a woman: "this behavior is not just part of a character on stage [...] gender fluidity is really part of my life" he said in the newspaper The Guardian in 2015. The ambiguity around his appearance makes Furman all the more proud.

Furman doesn't define himself as transgender because that would take away from his male identity. To him, he is a different man than others. He is committed to the acceptance of gender variants and believes that talking about this topic regularly is a good thing: "The fact that the public conversation has given people the courage to come out, I think, is a lifeline."

The album Transangelic Exodus sums up the life and ambition of the American artist quite well. Daring and courageous, it tells the story of a gay couple fleeing the United States because one of them is an illegal immigrant angel, hence the title of the album. It is the image of what Furman denounces: the bad treatment of minorities in his country.

Concert scheduled for Sunday, August 26 from 4:55 to 5:40 pm on the Bosquet Stage

Rock en Seine Festival
August 24, 25, 26, 2018
Domaine national de Saint Cloud
Info and reservations on the festival website: www.rockenseine.com