Christine and the Queens (alter ego of French singer-songwriter Heloise Letissier) has released their self-titled synth-pop debut album via Neon Gold/Because/Atlantic. It features collaborations with 19-year-old Pennsylvania-based rapper, Tunji Ige, and Seattle-based indie crooner, Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius. Letissier is also kicking-off a North American tour with Welsh electro-pop star, Marina and the Diamonds.
With Christine and the Queens, Letissier delivers brooding synth-pop in a similar vein as Yelle or Sia. An album highlight is "Paradis Perdus," which is a haunting cover sampling of Kanye's "Heartless" mashed-up with, as Brooklyn Vegan points out, French singer Christophe's 1973 song, also titled "Paradis Perdus." You can check out Christine and the Queens' video for "Paradis Perdus" below.
Christine and the Queens is technically the artist's second full-length release, following 2014's Chaleur Humaine which went triple-platinum and earned Letissier a spot among pop royalty in her native France. Additionally, Letissier won the title of Best Female Artist of the Year in the Victoires de La Musique (which is the French equivalent of the Grammy's). As Billboard reports, Christine and the Queens is "actually an Americanized reimagining of her debut, with the bulk of the tracks simply resurrected with English vocal parts over revamped beats by longtime producer Ash Workman ('iT,' 'Tilted')."
As Christine and the Queens, Letissier is already known for her alignment with queer culture. The song featuring Perfume Genius, "Jonathan," came out ahead of the album's release, and as Stereogum reports was accompanied by "an extensive statement about the song's background and her respect for Hadreas as an artist that is simply beautiful and well-worth reading." As Leah Rodriguez from NYMag notes in an introduction to an interview with Letissier, "Her version of quiet but insistent gender nonconformity is about to become a lot more visible" with her US debut and upcoming tour. Listen to "Jonathan" below.
Christine and the Queens is on Spotify and you can order it here. Check out the fall tour dates for Christine and the Queens below.
10/19: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/20: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/21: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/23: Portland, OR @ Roseland
10/24: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
10/25: Seattle, WA @ Paramount
10/27: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/28: Denver, CO @ Ogden
10/30: Minneapolis, MN @ Northop
10/31: Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
11/02: Toronto, ONT @ Sound Academy
11/03: Montreal, QC - Metropolis
11/04: Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/09: New York, NY @ Terminal 5
11/10: New York, NY @ Terminal 5
11/11: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
