With “C’est la vie”, Hyphen Hyphen wants to offer “a way to avoid decay”
Epidemics, rising hatred, hidden homophobia, bullying at school… Hyphen Hyphen has lived through the years like all French men and women, torn between successive crises and confined to ICP studios in Brussels. In Such is lifeits third album, the group likes to “dance with its sorrows” and offers a resilient view of the world around it.
Since the release of the titles Like Boys and mom sorry on their previous album HH, the trio is recognized as frankly giddy. An image that is now claimed by its members. “We don’t want to hide anymore, we have to tell. For me, it has been good for me to assume myself,” said Line, the bassist, to 20 minutes. “In the world we live in, unfortunately, being queer is still political. We assert ourselves because it allows us to feel strong and proud together. As long as necessary, we will be committed”, promises Santa, whose raspy voice is more than the songs of this new opus. Together with Adam, on guitar, they form a resolutely pop trio, proud and committed.
With these twelve new titles, Hyphen Hyphen continues the metamorphosis process of these friends who met in high school. Everyone has the right to take their place in a space they want to be “safe” where everyone can be whoever they want to be. An ambition to dominate a tour announced by the three artists as “crazy”.
Far from “decadence”
It is on the night of June 14, 2019 that the adventure takes place Such is life was initiated. Before their concert at the Zenith in Paris, the trio surprised Glen Ballard in the boxes. The producer and composer is in Paris to work on the soundtrack of The Eddy for Netflix. He attended the concert. Awarded six Grammy Awards, the musician has worked with Michaël Jackson, Katy Perry or even No Doubt. “He invited us to the apartment he occupied in Paris the next day and that’s where he was born. don’t wait for me The line rewinds.
The collaboration continued throughout the design of this new album. “It was very fluid, very simple,” recalls Adam, the guitarist. But the design of the disc did not survive the fever, first of all the Covid pandemic and its many confinements. After the presidential election, which was a platform for “evil fascists”, believed Line without naming a candidate. “There is a kind of decay in this world and if we don’t offer a way out of all that as artists, we can be sad,” added Santa.
For this reason, the first version of this third album, “ultra-depressing”, was not kept. The three friends went back to the studio, removed half of the songs from this version and wrote five new ones to put the whole thing on the positive side. “Here’s the name Such is life happened,” said Line.
“Luck pushed to the right side”
All three said they were among the truants in college and then from high school. Marginal, the three friends now claim that they transformed their suffering into an almost indestructible force that binds them even more on stage. They evoke years of “pretending” without eliminating the discomfort. Until they meet.
“The misunderstanding of the people around us has created a lot of anger in us. This has now strengthened our strength and desire for revenge. We want to push luck so that this time it falls on the right side,” Santa smiled . From now on, they assume that “different together”. “We are freer because we are no longer afraid! »
No longer in question about maintaining their musical or more superficial desires, Hyphen Hyphen perform fantasies to assert themselves and have fun. The most striking change is that of Adam. The guitarist was wearing high heels and nail polish. “I want to show who I am, and now I go through all these clothes that I never dreamed of putting on stage before. Very short, very naked things that I always liked,” she admitted. The only visible remnants of the group’s beginnings, the black lines drawn on the faces of its members, remained intact.
“As long as we live we look for each other”
Witnessing a very contemporary violence, the members of Hyphen Hyphen say they receive hate messages because of their political position, although they think their trio is somewhat spared when discussing it with other artists. Another reason to be radical. “Speech is free, so our identity issues have become an angle in their own right. We can talk about it freely,” said Santa.
He is proud to see more and more emerging artists who dare to challenge heteronormativity. “We are all different, but I am happy that the expression was made. “There are many images that allow young people to recognize the diversity of role models, which Santa, Adam and Line lacked during their high school years.
Are they at the end of their search for themselves? “We are looking for a lifetime”, slice Line. Suffice it to say that Hyphen Hyphen isn’t done yet with other surprises in store for us.
