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GRAMMYs

HONNE

Courtesy of Corona Capital 

News
HONNE Talk Being Covered By Chris Martin & More honne-showing-their-true-feelings-being-covered-chris-martin-more

HONNE On Showing Their True Feelings, Being Covered By Chris Martin & More

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The longtime friends sit down with the Recording Academy in Mexico to talk influences, what's next and more
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
May 16, 2019 - 3:35 pm

British R&B/electropop duo HONNE have earned a lot of attention since releasing their first EP in 2014, even from the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin. 

Made up of James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck, Honne, which means "true feelings" in Japanese, have two full-length albums under their belt, their most recent being Love Me/Love Me Not. Projecting smooth, sensual vibes, Honne are Inspired by artists like Al Green, Radiohead and Quincy Jones, among others. They continue to take their interpretation of love on tour worldwide, most recently in Mexico.

The Recording Academy caught up with the longtime friends in Mexico at Corona Capital Guadalajara, where they talked about touring the world, how they connect with fans, collabs they'd like to do, new music and more. 

Is this your first time at Guadalajara?

Andy Clutterbuck: Yes, it is. We've never been here before. We've been to Mexico quite a few times. But it's great. We love it. We're having a great time.

James Hatcher: Wonderful.

Clutterbuck: The crowd were amazing. The weather is great. We couldn't ask for much more.

Tell me about the crowd vibes. The Mexican audience. What is their vibe? How do you feel in their presence?

Hatcher: They're amazing. Everyone is. They sing along a lot. They're very present in the moment. They get stuck in... get emotionally involved, yeah. It's a good time ... One of the best audiences in the world.

Clutterbuck: Yeah, they clap when you want them to clap. They sing when you want them to sing. It's very easy. It's a pleasure to play here in Mexico.

How does it feel to be able to play in front of an audience in a city you've never been to before?

Clutterbuck: It feels great. We love traveling. That was one of the big perks of this job, to be able to travel and see different places. So yeah, coming here and doing it all over again, completely fresh to a new audience is great. It's like everyone is losing their own virginity. Well, apparently everyone has seen us like four times already, the people who have come, so not like that at all.

What's the story behind your name?

Hatcher: So, Honne is a Japanese word that means "true feelings." Just after we started writing, I was living in London, and Andy was living in Japan for two or three months. We just felt we had like eight or nine songs and we stumbled across that word and it just all sort of fell into place. It just fits in with what kind of songs we're writing about.

Speaking of true feelings, how does it feel to be vulnerable in front of so many people?

Clutterbuck: Well, it can be really scary. If, you know, it depends on what size room you are playing and how up for it the crowd are. But I mean when you get out here to play to a big audience, it's fine because I guess you do feel vulnerable, but not really that vulnerable. Everyone's on your side and it's great. You know, you just do what you do. But in a small room, when everyone is a bit shy, and you're building up to it all, it's scary. You can feel a bit scared, and everyone's looking at you, but I don't know. You just... it's nice that people are obviously there to enjoy your music so you have just got to remember that.

So when you're performing in front of a crowd that doesn't speak your language, how do you connect to them?

Clutterbuck: We try to learn. Like we learn even those small amount of words. Just the very basics like "hello" and "thank you," and "we love you." Generally that gets everybody on our side, because it shows that you care.

Hatcher: We're very lucky that around the world, people sort of learn a lot of English, or at least learn the lyrics in English, so we're very, very fortunate that people sing along with our songs even though it's not necessarily in their language. Which is amazing in Mexico, that so many people would go and do that.

So Love Me/Love Me Not is your latest album. What inspired it?

Clutterbuck: It's a story of two sides, or two halves. We all go through ups and downs, so it's sort of about our ups and downs over the last couple of years. Being away on tour, and ... Yeah, it's just an account, again, of like our lives over the last couple of years ... Warm On A Cold Night  was much the same and this—you know, things change. But we're just talking about true, honest things that happened to us. So that's it. 

You also wrote a song that Chris Martin is now singing!

Hatcher: Yes ... It's our song "Someone That Loves You" that we wrote with Izzy Bizu that came about just by Twitter.

With both Izzy and Honne, we were mutual fans of each other, and we said let's get together and just write a song. We ended up releasing it together. But then she went on tour with Coldplay in the U.S., and Chris Martin always said that he loved that song and they performed it together there at this little event. He said, "I'll record all of Andy's parts," so they bloody took Andy off, didn't they? They took Andy off and put Chris on, and it's still lovely, but it's a little bit different. It's made to be more like how Izzy played it live, so it's a slightly different groove.

Clutterbuck: Basically, if you would have told me 10 years ago that Chris Martin would sing a song that you wrote, I would be like "hell yes, that sounds great."

What's next for you after Corona Capital? Where are you off to?

Clutterbuck: Back home.

Hatcher: Yeah. So just did the two week U.S. tour. Finish here in Mexico. We go home and we're going to write a load of new music and over the summer and toward the end of the year, we're still doing a few festivals and a bit of touring, but the focus is shifting more towards writing new music.

Anything you could tell us about that new music?

Hatcher: It's going to be lovely.

Clutterbuck: It will be lovely, glorious, sensational... [Laughs.] There's also a collaboration on the way as well with SG Lewis, that's going to be coming out at some point. Just various bits and bumps that we've kind of got in our back pocket that are coming.

Any collaborations that you haven't had but you want to do in the future?

Hatcher: There's lots of like, pipe-dream ones that will probably not ever happen, like Chance the Rapper, that would be nice. Kehlani, that would be nice. We just did a remix of one of her tracks actually. Came out yesterday. Who else have we got?

Clutterbuck: Anybody, I mean I don't mean anybody, but anybody we like

Hatcher: There's loads of artists that we really, really like. It will be interesting to see how things unravel and opportunities come up.

Holy Ghost! On What "Do This" Is Really About & Why They Feel So Good About 'Work'

Jeremy Zucker Lolla 2019

Jeremy Zucker at Lolla 2019 

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

News
Behind The Scenes At Lollapalooza 2019 meet-us-behind-scenes-lollapalooza-2019

Meet Us Behind The Scenes At Lollapalooza 2019

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Chicago's iconic Lolla fest is a marathon four-day event, and the many artists who've visited our Recording Academy tent have kept the good vibes strong all week
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 3, 2019 - 9:16 am

The Recording Academy is at Lollapalooza 2019 this week, meeting up with a slew of amazing artists on the lineup. Scroll down to go on the road with us, live from Chicago's gorgeous skyscraper-lined Grant Park, as it becomes the Midwest's music mecca for the long weekend. We'll update this gallery as more artists pop in, so check back here for more excusive photos and soundbites. 

Jeremy Zucker Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Rising chill-pop singer/songwriter Jeremy Zucker was our very first guest on day one and shared his excitement for the sunny day ahead and the opportunity to play for one of his biggest crowds to date.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

As singer/songwriter/producer King Princess walked through the press lounge, she couldn't get too far without being stopped for a photo—she was ready, in her mom's vintage '92 Lolla tee and custom painted-to-match white jeans. In addition to her epic look, we talked about her hopes for her Lolla performance, new music and more—read the full interview here.

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

French producer/looping-master/multi-instrumentalist FKJ stopped by before his Thursday set to talk musical experimentation on stage and generally preferring to go with the flow whenever possible. He also shared how his breakthrough single with Masego, "Tadow," was created in one-take in the studio—read the full interview here.

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Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

French electronic composer/producer CloZee also stopped by to chat with us Thursday, right before she got the crowd grooving to her trippy, expansive music. She shared her excitement for her first-ever Lolla experience, some of her diverse musical influences and her love of Hans Zimmer. Find the conversation here.

RÜFÜS DU SOL Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Australian indie electronic trio RÜFÜS DU SOL made time to stop by the Recording Academy lounge during their busy and quick Chicago trip, which included two Lolla Aftershows to bookend their electric sunset show the first night of the fest, before they headed to Montreal's Osheaga Festival. They talked about their love for the Windy City, hitting up arcades on tour and their plan to work on their follow-up to Solace once they wrap up their 2019 tour in late-October.  

The revealed that the forthcoming fourth studio album, like the last three, will be recorded in a new space. Lead singer Tyrone Lindqvist told us, "We always like to relocate somewhat from the place that we wrote the previous record. So, I think that we're gonna try to write separately, just for a little bit, in our own homes… We're gonna do that for at least the next six months and then we'll probably find a place to go write again next year."

Alexander 23 at Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Fresh off his Lollapalooza debut, homegrown hero and rising indie-pop artist Alexander 23 stopped by to talk about his "surreal" experience performing the fest he used to attend as a local teen. "The last time I was here, I saw Chance [The Rapper] play the same stage I was playing, so to be on the other side of that, six or so years later, was the best day of my life," Alexander told us, grinning ear to ear.

Jackie Foster at Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Singer/songwriter Jackie Foster stopped by our lounge shortly after her first-ever festival show, beaming, shimmery and still glowing from the crowd's love. A recent graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Foster was one of six artists hand-selected by the students of the Berklee Popular Music Institute year-long course, which provides practical experience for everyone involved, as they team up to prepare those selected for a festival show.

"I am ecstatic and honestly, more so than anything, the crowd that I had, they were so into it. That obviously makes me want to be a better performer. I loved the crowd, I felt so confident and I think this just reassures everything that I've hoped as an artist that this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life," Foster told us, smiling.

Krilly at Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Emerging Canadian rapper Killy stopped by after his big Thursday set at Lolla, sharing how he loved the energy of the crowd and their ability to mosh and get "lit" with him.

Josie Dunne at Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Bubbly Chicago-born, Nashville-based pop singer/songwriter Josie Dunne was not officially on the Lolla 2019 lineup, but she was asked to cameo for several other artists' sets and was having a great time. She shared that it was her seventh time at the big fest, but first time as a performer and was having a fabulous time so far.

Falu at Lolla 2019

Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

GRAMMY nominee Falu, whose 2018 album Falu's Baazar was nominated for Best Children's Album at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, brought her "musical journey through South Asian culture" live show to the fest's lively Kidspalooza stage over the weekend. She shared her joy for bringing the album's live show to the fest, telling us; "I've never felt this excited to be performing at any festival before, it's a lifetime experience and I'm so lucky…I think a whole new world opened up for me."

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Rising electropop trio SHAED sat down with the Recording Academy to talk about living the dream as they travel the world, the meaning behind their hit song "Trampoline" and working on their debut full length album. Check out their interview here. 

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

DJ/Producer Whethan hung out to chat about what to expect on his upcoming debut album, working with longtime heroes STRFKR, playing in his hometown of Chicago and more. Check out his full interview here.

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Norwegian DJ and producer Matoma also sat down with the Recording Academy to talk about his single "Bruised Not Broken," working with MNEK, when his next single is coming out and more. Check out his full interview here.

Alesso at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Swedish DJ/producer Alesso and his all-black clad posse stopped by our tent shortly after arriving in Chicago on Friday for his massive headline set at the fest. He talked about the big Lolla show, Tomorrowland, recent releses and more "hardcore dance music" that's on the way. Check out our full conversation here. 

HONNE at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

British electro-soul duo HONNE, consisting of James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck, sat down before their vibey Friday evening Lolla set to talk about their return to the fest, their last album, Love Me / Love Me Not, and connecting back home on the road by drinking loads of English breakfast tea. Check out our fun chat here.

Conan Gray at Lolla 2019

Photo: Ana Yglesias/Recording Academy

Rising singer/songwriter Conan Gray stopped by to talk about his Lolla debut—and first-ever festival show. The 20 year-old artist was glowing and excited for the big moment and we were grateful to share it with him.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Rising indie electro-pop star Chelsea Cutler sat down with the Recording Academy to talk about her latest album brent with friend and fellow singer/songwriter Jeremy Zucker (pictured above!). Check out our conversation here.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

DJ and producer SNAILS did his first-ever DJ collab set with his label, Slugz Music, and Gud Vibrations, a.k.a. NGHTMRE & SLANDER during their shared Friday headline set. "It's a dream coming true, it's pretty insane," the Canadian DJ said the day after the big show. Hear more about it from him here.

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

AJR, made up of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, stopped by to chat with the Recording Academy before their Saturday set to share why they love playing festivals like Lolla.  

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

L.A.-based DJ/Producer Elephante stopped by to chat about everything he's been up to lately. First and foremost, he's just released a new song called "Diamond Days," which also happens to be the name of his upcoming fall tour. 

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

French DJ/Producer Madeon debuted the Good Faith Live experience at Lollapalooza. "I think it's a show that works best on a larger scale, and a festival felt like a great place to do that so I can bring an appropriately sized production," he told the Recording Academy.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Gamer-turned-singer/DJ/producer CRAY has an infectious energy both on and off stage. She brought that same glow backstage during a chat with the Recording Academy right after her Friday Lolla set, were she debuted singing live on stage. 

123 Andres at Lollapalooza

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Latin GRAMMY winners 123 Andres—their bilingual Spanish and English album Arriba Abajo won Best Children's album at the 17th Latin GRAMMY Awards—stopped by, all smiles, before they brought their upbeat, inclusive music to the Kidzapalooza stage.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

The Memphis pop-rock quartet The Band Camino stopped by before their big Lolla stage moment on Saturday to share their excitement. We also talked about other fun things, like their early musical influences, which including everything from the Eagles to The Killers to Coldplay and Taylor Swift. "This will be the biggest festival we've ever played, by far," singer Jeffrey Jordan told us. Check out the conversation here.

Evan Konrad at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Emerging Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Evan Konrad visited the Recording Academy's lounge after his Lolla stage debut to share in the excitement of the long weekend.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Tucker Pillsbury, a.k.a. singer-songwriter Role Model, stopped by to chat with the Recording Academy before his debut Lolla set, which also happened to be his first-ever festival performance. He talked about his mentality going into playing to live audiences (he doesn't like to overthink things), feeling impatient to release new music and more. You can listen to our chat here.

Loud Luxury at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

L.A.-based Canadian DJ/producer duo Loud Luxury, consisting of Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace, got loud during their massive-energy Lolla set on Saturday. They were excited to follow up the big vibes they experienced during their Lollapalooza shows in South America earlier this year with one at its flagship fest, on Depace's birthday, nonetheless. You can hear a bit about that in our Lolla recap video.

Tessa Violet at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

The effortlessly stylish Tessa Violet came over to give us her fiercest looks and share in the excitement of Lolla 2019, before she performed some of her new music on Saturday.

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Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Nashville folk/pop trio Judah & The Lion, a.k.a. singer/guitarist Judah Akers, singer/mandolinist Brian Macdonald and banjoist/singer Nate Zuercher, recently released a powerful third LP called Pep Talks. The three of them sat down with us before their big Lolla show to chat about the album and Aker's deeply personal life experiences that inspired its subject matter. You can watch the interview here.

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Photo: Jacklyn Krol/Recording Academy

Fresh off releasing her Una Vez Mas EP, pop singer Malu Trevejo stepped onto the Lollapalooza stage for the very first. The moment was a scary one for the 16-year-old Cuban-Spanish artist, but it was one that made her feel proud. She talked to the Recording Academy about the big moment, the album, advice for staying focused and more. Check out her full interview here. 

Coi Leray at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

New Jersey-raised rising rapper Coi Leray has mad swag at all times, especially when she visited us at Lollapalooza, with her bright orange tiger-striped look. She shared a bit of her big on-stage vibes afterwards in the press lounge, and we were grateful.

6LACK at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

We caught up with GRAMMY-nominated Atlanta alt-R&B artist 6LACK shortly before his Saturday Lolla show to talk about his return to the fest, recent collabs and when we can expect new music. We also learned more about his latest video for "Seasons" and how it felt to reunite with his fellow GRAMMY nominee Khalid. You can peep the whole interview here.

Shaq at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

NBA Hall Of Famer Shaquille O'Neil may be best known for his awe-inspiring moves on the basketball court, but now he's perfecting the art of making crowds go crazy from behind the DJ booth as DJ Diesel. We sat down with him before he got the kids dancing at his packed—and apparently very lit—Sunday DJ set. We discussed his musical evolution, love of bass music, how he crafts his sets on the fly, scratching his father's Commodores record after getting his first turntables in the '80s and more. Check out our chat here.

J.I.D. at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Rising hip-hop artist J.I.D., part of J. Cole's Dreamville Records powerhouse squad, has been on fire lately. Just minutes after making his Lollapalooza debut, the Atlanta rapper explained the mood behind his new album, DiCaprio 2. "I wanted it to be a festival-like project… So I made these songs specifically for energy, for working out, for cardio." You can enjoy the conversation here.

The Revivalists at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Eight-piece soul rockers The Revivalists went big for their fourth full-length album, last year's Take Good Care, enlisting the help of a trio of producers to let their New Orleans sound shine. Six out of eight of the bandmembers stopped by to chat before their powerful Sunday Lolla show.

"You start working with different producers and it's nice having another mindset in there where they can completely flip the idea of what you had for a song and then reinvigorate it and put new life into it," bassist George Gekas told us. Learn more in our interview here.

Yung Gravy at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

Minnesota rapper Yung Gravy is continuing to grow a following for his humorous lyrics and rap beats, and just released his debut album Sensational in May. He stopped by before his Sunday Lolla set to talk about Chicago, which he calls his second home, to reminisce about his first show ever, talk about the LP, musical influences and more. Check out the convo here.

6 Reasons To Be Psyched For Lollapalooza 2019, From J Balvin's Historic Set To Dancing With Shaq

GRAMMYs

Billie Eilish 

Photo: Jo Hale/Redferns via Getty Images

News
Corona Capital: Billie Eilish, The Strokes & More billie-eilish-strokes-more-perform-2019-corona-capital-mexico-city

Billie Eilish, The Strokes & More To Perform At 2019 Corona Capital Mexico City

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The Mexican fest that aims to bring more international acts to the country has announced the 2019 lineup for its original Mexico City edition, happening Nov. 16–17
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 3, 2019 - 4:39 pm

Corona Capital has announced that Billie Eilish, The Strokes, Flume, Interpol, Weezer, Keane and Franz Ferdinand will be the headliners of its flagship Mexico City festival taking place November 16 and 17.

Nick Murphy, SOFI TUKKER, The B-52s, Noah Cyrus and The Raconteurs are among other performers to play sets at the festival to be held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the fall. 

https://twitter.com/CoronaCapital/status/1135592087259361280

#CoronaCapital19 pic.twitter.com/dYFDbGi8dw

— Corona Capital (@CoronaCapital) June 3, 2019

The Mexico City fest and its Guadalajara counter part, Corona Capital Guadalajara, aim to bring more international acts to the country. The Recording Academy was on the ground at the Guadalajara edition in May, chatting with fest performers including Christine and the Queens and The Joy Formidable. We also spoke with Ricardo Gomez, who works on the talent side of Corona Capital, about how lineups for the fests are chosen.

"It's a combination of acts that haven't been in the market or haven't been here in at least a few years so we can have that performance as some sort of value," Gomez told the Recording Academy. 

Corona Capital Guadalajara's 2019 lineup included Tame Impala, The Chemical Brothers, Boy Pablo, Kimbra, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Goo Goo Dolls, to name some. For their edition, Gomez said a mix of new acts and acts that felt nostalgic aimed to attract audiences of all ages. 

RELATED: Classixx's Michael David Talks Playing Corona Capital Guadalajara And What Makes A Great Remix

"You can go and check out [an act] that maybe you remember being a fan of and [then enjoy a] ... fresh interesting project from the earlier time slots ... and finish with a band like Phoenix, or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or The Chemical Brothers, who you listened to 10 years ago."

The pre-sale for Corona Capital Mexico City takes place June 5–6; for more info on how to get tickets, visit the fest's website.

Corona Capital Is Bringing English-Speaking Artists To More Mexican Cities

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Christine And The Queens 

Courtesy of Corona Capital Guadalajara

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Christine And The Queens On "Being Too Much" christine-and-queens-chris-record-talks-about-being-too-much

Christine And The Queens On 'Chris': "This Is A Record That Talks About Being Too Much"

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"I want an album that talks about excess and carnal desires like men can talk about," the French singer tells the Recording Academy
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
May 14, 2019 - 4:47 pm

Chris, or, as she's known onstage, Christine And The Queens, is a disrupter. "Blasting Peaches in cis men's cars," she recently tweeted. 

Energetic, expressive and stimulating, Christine's electro-pop paired with her visuals can be equally destabilizing. "Some of us just had to fight/For even being looked at right," she sings in the video for "5 dollars," which portrays her walking around topless, then strapping on BDSM gear and a men's suit. Toying with both masculine and feminine expression, her latest album Chris embodies a growth in Christine's female identity. 

"I wanted to tell the complexity of where I was. I was stronger than I used to be, more powerful also with what happened to me as a woman," Chris told the Recording Academy. "I was lustful, frustrated, but full of that eagerness to live things fully. I was also joking when I was making the record, I was like, 'This is a record that talks about being too much.' It's easy to be too much when you're a woman and you're easily told to shut up or maybe be less loud or maybe keep your composure."

The Recording Academy spoke with Chris after her set at Corona Capital in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she share more about Chris, how dancing helps connect with international audiences, how female artists are forming a sisterhood and more. 

This is your first time in Mexico. How has it been?

It's too short. I will come back because I just arrived yesterday, performed today for like 15 minutes, which was lovely. Great crowd, really embracing and warm, but it's already done, so I want to do more. I wish I could come back. I was really eager to come here, actually. I was intrigued by Mexico. I wish I had more time to just properly explore. Some of my dancers actually stayed longer than me to explore a bit before the gig.

What intrigues you about it?

I've been here only like a day, but I think it's really vibe-y and spiritual. I don't know if I'm fantasizing it or not, but I feel like some things are connected and people have this relationship to spirituality that feels uplifting and celebratory and I think it's a really great feeling. Also when you're on stage, you can feel there is, I don't know, people project something that was quite different than other countries to me.

Your latest album is called Chris. What was the inspiration behind it?

Second album, second chapter. I'm saying "chapter" on purpose because hopefully there'll be a whole novel. [Laughs.]

That record came out like four years after the debut album, which was kind of life-changing to me. [The first album] was unexpectedly successful, and in Chris I wanted to tell the complexity of where I was. I was stronger than I used to be, more powerful also with what happened to me as a woman. I was lustful, frustrated, but full of that eagerness to live things fully. I was also joking when I was making the record, I was like, "This is a record that talks about being too much." It's easy to be too much when you're a woman and you're easily told to shut up or maybe be less loud or maybe keep your composure. I was like, "I want an album that talks about excess and carnal desires like men can talk about." It would be like a rock star album. 

In the U.S. there's a study out that women are very underrepresented musically at festivals and on charts. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Yeah, it's fascinating also because there are lots of great female musicians out like ... Grimes, Rihanna, there are tons of fantastic female performers, but we are weirdly underrepresented in the statistics and I was actually really surprised to learn that. Also, in a way it doesn't surprise me, unfortunately though. It's not even just in music, it's everywhere. Even in the technical jobs, women are not there. I never worked with a female sound engineer. Never. Ever.

When you're a female artist, it's twice as hard. You're sexualized immediately. You are questioned five times more, and if you try to navigate the complicated waters of the mainstream, you have to find a way to be a woman that is appealing and not threatening. It's complicated, but I think with everything that happens now, hopefully it's going to stretch a bit what it means to be a woman in this industry. There are lots of fantastic female performers that should be topping the charts. Rosalia, lots of inspiring females around.

I also think what changes in a good way is solidarity and that becomes a real thing, like a sisterhood. I noticed, even myself as a performer, that women are exchanging way more, talking way more to each other, building strong friendships that can help them along the way. I think solidarity comes to be a real thing, which is a good thing.

The festival's mission is to bring international artists that have not been here before. What is it like for you to be able to bring your music to a new place?

It's always reallly interesting because you get to discover if there is a relationship or not with your music and people over there and what is the relationship. So it's really a great moment when you can discover exactly how you exist as an artist for them. It was quite soothing [here] because I saw people mouthing the words of an English record made by a French woman.

How is it for you to play a French song in front of an audience that doesn't speak French?

This is where music is also great. [It's] this weird universal language. I think even though people don't really get it, they kind of get it, which is good. As French people, we listen to lots of English pop music when we're young and you get the emotion anyway. You don't even have to understand and sometimes when you do understand you go, "Ohhh, ohhh." I think with music you can also connect the physicality of my performances every time with the dancing. The body also speaks hopefully. So there is also a way to convey the emotion with the body, so people get if I'm sad or happy. 

You dance, you sing. Do you have a favorite form of expression?

Sometimes it shifts. Sometimes I feel more like dancing and sometimes the singing's the only thing I can do, which is why I do love this weird job of mine. I can do everything at once. It's shifting constantly. It's also cool because I have cycles. Like, I need to come back to the studio. Oh no wait, I need to be on stage. Oh no wait, I need to shut up. Oh wait. Yeah, all over the place.

What's next for you after Corona Capital? What are you doing?

 I'm touring a bit with Florence and the Machine, actually. She's inviting me on her tour, which is a great, great thing to be in because she's touring the U.S. in huge venues. She's huge as a performer there. So I'm like, "Thank you for inviting me."

Then I'm doing all the summer festivals. Then I think I'm going to stop to write some more because I started to write already and I want to release music sooner than four years in between records.
 

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Rosalía

Rosalía

Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty Images

News
Who's Performing At Mexico's Ceremonia Festival? rosal%C3%ADa-massive-attack-aphex-twin-more-play-mexicos-ceremonia-festival

Rosalía, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin & More To Play Mexico's Ceremonia Festival

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Aphex Twin, Kaytranada, Modeselektor, Pussy Riot, and Khruangbin will also appear a the one-day festival on April 6 in Toluca, Mexico
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 7, 2019 - 12:06 pm

As festival lineup announcements from all over the world explode out of the gates in the New Year, it's not just American audiences who have musical plans to make. Mexico's Ceremonia Festival has announced its lineup, including Rosalía, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, and more, and with more music fans than ever travelling across international borders to attend music events, the world is taking notice.

Cermonia's 2019 lineup also includes Kaytranada, Modeselektor, DJ Koze, Jon Hopkins, The Blaze, Yaeji, Khruangbin, Pussy Riot, and more.

https://twitter.com/CeremoniaXXX/status/1082299779000999936

¡#Ceremonia19 presenta a @AphexTwin por primera vez en México! Boletos disponibles en la Red Ticketmaster y sin cargos en taquillas del @AuditorioBB y SALA.

🎟 👉🏻 General | Etapa 3: https://t.co/MH3Pf7yeNU
🎟 👉🏻 PLUS | Etapa 3: https://t.co/e8nZcR2UpM pic.twitter.com/44YdFchUEf

— Ceremonia (@CeremoniaFest) January 7, 2019

Now in its seventh year, Ceremonia has become a cultural celebration, with its unique blend of national and international artists for a music and cultural experiences. Last year's Ceremonia Festival featured performances by Beck, St. Vincent and Rae Sremmurd. Previous years' performers include Björk, Underworld, Disclosure, Nas, Flume, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Snoop Dogg, Justice, and many more.

Rosalía is coming off a huge night at the 19th Latin GRAMMYs back in November, where the young Spanish singer took home multiple awards and delivered an unforgettable speech shouting out women artists who came before her. Massive Attack will be touring Europe in celebration of the 21st anniversary of their third album, Mezzanine, for the first two months of the year before hitting North America, while Aphex Twin is performing in Mexico for the first time ever at Ceremonia.and is scheduled to appear at Coachella later that month.

Ceremonia Festival takes place April 6 in Toluca, Mexico. Tickets are available now via the Ticketmaster.

2019 Music Festival Preview: Noise Pop, Ultra & More

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