Christine and the Queens' poignant, passionate electronic pop thoughtfully questions gender, sexuality, and identity. Influenced by consummate performers like David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, and Michael Jackson, singer, songwriter, choreographer, and producer Redcar often combines atmospheric music with multimedia experiences. Redcar reflected on his turbulent adolescence on 2014's debut album Chaleur Humaine, which announced him as a distinctively open-hearted talent with the singles "St. Claude" and "Tilted." He delved even deeper on 2018's Chris, a repudiation of gender stereotypes set to '80s R&B sounds, and on 2022's fantastical expression of identity Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue), both of which underscored Christine and the Queens' commitment to making listeners think, feel, and move. Born Héloïse Létissier in Nantes in 1988 to a teacher and English professor, Redcar grew up in an artistic, literary household and took piano and dance lessons at an early age. Later, he studied theater at École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon) and moved to Paris in 2010. Following a bad breakup, he embarked on a music career, taking the Christine and the Queens moniker as an homage to the drag queens who danced with him while he performed. Christine and the Queens' debut EP Miséricorde appeared in 2011, with the Mac Abbey EP following a year later. Also in 2012, the project toured with Woodkid, Lykke Li, and the Dø, and their dynamic stage shows won the Best Discovered Act award at Le Printemps de Bourges Festival and the Premières Francos award at another festival, Les Francofolies de La Rochelle. After signing with Because Music, Christine and the Queens issued 2013's Nuit 17 à 52 EP, which became the project's first release to appear on the French albums chart SNEP. Arriving in June 2014, the full-length Chaleur Humaine delivered songs inspired by Redcar's teenage years that featured the single "Saint Claude." Taking inspiration from Kendrick Lamar, science fiction, classical and house music, the album was an international critical and commercial success. A top ten hit in nine countries (including France, where it received diamond certification), it was released in an English version as Christine and the Queens in the U.S. in October 2015. This edition of the album included collaborations with Perfume Genius and Tunji Ige as well as additional production work by Ash Workman, and reached number 48 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. In the U.K., the English version was released as Chaleur Humaine in February 2016, ultimately peaking at number two on the U.K. Albums Chart and spawning a hit single in "Tilted."
