Pabllo Vittar On Manchester Pride, And The Need For Representation
Drag queen superstar Pabllo Vittar is Brazil’s hottest pop export; with a brand of dance anthems that mix her soaring soprano voice with thumping electro-beats undercut by Carioca funk and a dash of regional romance-style, forrá. It’s a delicious combination that has made her globally desired, working with artists including Major Lazer, Rina Sawayama and Charlie XCX.
But she’s more than a pretty face and a club-ready banger: she’s an activist committed to fighting homophobia. Vittar’s emergence as one of Brazil’s biggest pop stars has been vital in promoting tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homophobic attitudes remain rampant, at times with fatal consequences. Vittar vocally criticised the far-right government of openly homophobic Jair Bolsonaro, and used her starpower to platform and collaborate with fellow queer Brazilian stars.
This year, she’s already released two superb albums: ‘Noitada’ and remix album ‘AFTER’, each packed with hugely danceable, high-paced party anthems. ““Noitada” is a night out at the club, and “AFTER” is an after party with my friends and I”, she tells Clash.
Now, she’s bringing her party, and her pride, to the UK. We talk music, rights and her upcoming appearance at Manchester Pride.
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You’re headlining Manchester Pride! How do you feel about it?
This is my second time in Manchester and already headlining feels amazing. Luckily this time I also know a little bit more about the city.
Earlier this year you remixed Jessie Ware’s ‘Pearl’; you’ve worked twice with Rina Sawayama, collaborated with Charlie XCX, Marina & The Diamonds… Do you have a particular relationship with UK music?
I love UK Pop! It has a thing that I can’t describe but it is unique and different. You can recognise it instantly. And Manchester-musicians… New Order and Joy Division are from Manchester, right? I don’t know many from there, but I really like them!
This year you released the incredible ‘Noitada’ and you’ve just released a remix album that spotlights Brazilian, queer artists. What was the motivation behind ‘AFTER’?
‘Noitada’ is an album I made thinking about how a night out would be with me, [incorporating the] different styles of music I love listening to. ‘After’ is the last song of ‘Noitada’, which is about when you started looking for an after party! So that’s where the remix album, also called ‘AFTER’ comes in. ‘Noitada’ is a night out at the club, and ‘AFTER’ is an after party with my friends and I.
Earlier this year you headlined São Paulo pride, said to be the biggest pride event in the world. How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t been?
A huge super fun hot and crazy street party! It’s the perfect mixture of speaking up for ourselves and partying and celebrating who we are, with all of our differences!
It’s not the first time you’ve played it. What makes it such a special event to you personally?
The energy is unbelievable, the crowd is over a million people, you know!? I’ve played in a lot of Pride’s around the world, but São Paulo is special to me. It’s where I come from and it’s where I need to fight and speak up even more!
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Why is the fight still important in Brazil, post-Bolsonaro? Brazil now has a progressive Lula government, which has been celebrated by the country’s LGBTQ+ community.
We still have a long way ahead of us to get equal rights, not only in Brazil but globally. In the past few years, Brazil – and a lot of countries around the world – moved backwards on many things. With the new government it’s time to start moving forward again and for that to happen we need to keep fighting non-stop!
How do you bring the LGBTQ+ fight to your concerts?
Just being myself and performing on important stages around the globe is already a point: that we belong anywhere. Occupying spaces that we weren’t welcome before is a way of saying “we belong here as much as anyone else”.
Why do you think Pride is still important on a global scale?
We have places that are a little bit more evolved than others around the world, but I don’t think there is a single place where everybody is treated equally. So we need to still fight and celebrate who we are every day.
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Pabllo Vittar headlines Manchester Pride Festival on August 26th.
Words: Charis McGowan
