With A Spangle in the Gear, Samuele experienced a kind of rebirth. First, by making a comeback on the song six years after the first album that made him famous: The wise girls go to paradise, the others go where they will. But also as a trans and non-binary person who has finally “rediscovered their joy” after years of suffering.
Posted at 1:00 p.m
It was burnout that forced Samuele to retire after three years of intense touring and work. To the point where I think about never coming back.
It no longer appealed to me, while music had always been my great joy. I was working too much, I said yes to everything… I quit to take the time to transition to take care of myself. This environment leaves no room for mental health.
Samuele
Starting from scratch, but taking past experiences into account: This is what Samuele offers, who took the opportunity to set clear guidelines and realign the balance between work and private life. “Everything is more centered. »
relief
A successful transition, a stable couple, controlled anxiety thanks to therapy and medication: Even if things are going well today, Samuele still has “a lot of work”. “But I have my tools and I understood how to handle myself. Knowing yourself is a great freedom. The more it goes, the more it gets chilled! »
There’s also a lot of relief when listening to A Sequin in the Gear, as if the 36-year-old artist had just dropped something really heavy. “Between raising a child on my own, having a career and not feeling well, it was a lot of pressure that I carried constantly. It’s like taking off a big backpack after a hike. »
The result is that A Glitter in the Gear is lighter, more sparkly and poppy after a rocking and tortured first album. “I say it’s dirty pop because it squeaks a bit. But I allowed myself to do fun, catchy stuff, with little riffs, shoulders moving the same way…” says Samuele, who has learned to stop being in pain as a creative engine.
Among other things, the album poetically evokes the ways of trans identity and spreads a kind of joy. That’s what Samuele wanted, by the way: to change perceptions of what is often seen as a difficult journey full of pitfalls. “I want to be a role model. To say look at what’s on the other side of a transition, on the other side of the portal. It’s not all drama and pain. There are also great joys. »
Popularize
As well as an album, A spangle in the gear is also a 100-page essay, a mixture of personal narrative and theory that explains the basics of the queer world in a vivid way. Samuele, who has a ‘little teacher’ side – ‘I like to explain things, I could explain endlessly! —, felt the need to popularize all of these terms, be it non-binarity or gender dysphoria (emphasized in relation to euphoria) to “move the conversation forward”.
“It didn’t exist in French, kind of Queer 101. I think there was a gap. The aim was to deepen the songs with the lyrics and at the same time make them accessible. »
The book and album are aimed at people who are like him and who love them. Samuele has long since given up trying to convince people “who have no taste” to acknowledge his existence.
I thought for a long time that if I could explain it, people would understand. But at some point I understood that it’s not about parenting, it’s about a lack of empathy, and I managed to break away from that. Because it’s not about me.
Samuele
Samuele knows full well that this second album looks more like a return to the beginning than a sequel. “When people remember me, I’m surprised! » There are currently no shows scheduled in Quebec. Coming from France, where they played for two weeks, the group performed Tuesday’s Phoque Off alongside the RIDEAU event to generate interest from broadcasters.
“I was told that a change would hurt my career. I believed him. And I know that being openly trans and non-binary will put people off. But I’m the same and I want to say that we can also do it differently. We won’t have the same charisma, but we do it with joy. And people who need to hear it will hear it. »
Helping people to free themselves, to sow joy, ignite sparks, let glitter fly: That is ultimately Samuele’s goal. ” Yes. Distribute glitter and make the little hearts shine. And if it upsets people at the same time … too bad. »
pop
A tinsel in the gears
Samuele
In tempo music