Rouge Mary. Photo credit: Nadja SayejAs soon as I walk backstage, I'm stopped by Rouge Mary. “Are those tits real?” she asks, and immediately starts touching them. “Oh my god! I love your jacket. It is so 90s! Take it off!”We're at the Gretchen Club in Berlin, a dimly-lit club in the city's deadzone full of European-esque pillars crowning the stage, and I decide to listen to Rouge Mary. The OMG what am I doing alarm goes off, because that's what happens when you are surprisingly hit on, but I know I'm not getting naked so I take off my jacket and give it a whirl. That's when Rouge Mary decides to kiss me—without realizing I'm a journalist—and tells me I kiss like a man, which is apparently a good thing.Rouge Mary is a whimsical Algerian-French singer from Paris who is gospel to the core. Along with the spine-tingling Belgian vocalist Gustaph, the duo have joined up with Hercules & Love Affair, the music project of NYC-based DJ Andy Butler. On May 26, they drop their new album the Feast of the Broken Heart, the project's third record and first in three years. Below, Noisey is happy to premiere the record's single, "Think," which was written by Butler and Rouge Mary in a hotel room after a gig in Zurich."It was our first collaboration," says Butler. "In my mind the song is the most unusual on the record with a kind of bouncy broken feel. The pads at the beginning were inspired by a song from a mix tape that has existed in my head since I was a 15-year-old."And like "Think," the record is rougher and more aggro than the previous two albums. If you catch these preachers on tour this summer, they'll open performaces with shit like, “We’re gonna house you like mama fuckers,” while sporting dragon-toothed leggings and retro platforms. After shooting their live gig (and after I was unexpectedly kissed), I had a backstage chat with the two vocalists about androgynous idols and getting churchy in the club.
Rouge Mary: I wanted to sing when I was younger. I went into a church and met an amazing guy who said God accepts you no matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’ve done, no matter who you are. I said “But I look like a transvestite.” He said “It’s okay because God does not judge the physical. It’s what’s in your heart and your soul.” I was a boy in an African choir singing African dialects and he taught me technique the African way.I heard the band is about bringing spirit back into the nightclub, is it true?
Gustaph: When I started singing house five or six years ago, I found a spiritual home. There’s a similarity to gospel, actually—the repeating of hooks, there’s a kinship. It is something that leans towards spirituality. People still feel the need to belong. Club culture in general has a sense of belonging for a lot of people. Before there was a church, now people go clubbing to feel connected.What can you say about the album coming out next week?
Gustaph: I think it’s more rough and aggressive than the previous two albums. I only joined the band two years ago. It was a test to find out what we were going to do for a new album. I co-wrote the "Do You Feel the Same" single with Andy [Butler] together, we wanted to make something that had an early techno and rave sound, along with a deeper, melancholic vibe. Something emotional that would clash with a hard, aggressive sound. Andy wanted to go to a rawer place not just the music but the message.Who are your biggest influences?
Rouge Mary: I knew I wanted to be a singer because I was inspired by androgynous singers like Prince, Michael Jackson, Brian Molko, David Bowie and Skunk Anansie. I wanted to be one of them, twisted between girl and boy. I didn’t know what kind of music to go into, so I went into gospel because I believe in the message of Jesus Christ. It’s such a peaceful message and it accepts everyone.You were discovered in a really interesting way.
Gustaph: I was in a club singing to house music. I’m from Belgium, I lived in Ghent for a long time, so I developed myself as a musician there and I studied at the conservatory. I hung out in the DJ and electronic scene and met a guy named Radi. He has a label called We Play House Recordings. That’s how Andy discovered me, I was doing a song with Radi and Lady Lou and I went up to Andy and said I was a huge fan. I didn’t want to give tapes, CDs or ‘sell myself’ I just said “I love you.” A week later he called and asked, “Do you want to join the band?” It was a chance meeting that changed my life forever.
Gustaph. Photo credit: Nadja SayejHow did you get your strength and confidence to execute your dream?
Rouge Mary: I have been living in Paris for 20 years. Paris is very arrogant. In Germany people are very free, I feel freedom in Berlin. Whether you’re having fun or not, I am here for one hour and 30 minutes and I intend to have fun. You better have fun with me, and if you don’t you stay backwards. I was a scandal at Comédie-Française in Paris where I sang in a Tennessee Williams play, I was an androgynous soul singer. I was wearing stilettos and makeup, but I was a man. The more you are yourself the more people follow you. People want to be themselves but they don’t know how. My message is always positive, forgiving.Is Europe not a fan of over-the-top divas?
Gustaph: In Belgium, it’s understated. You go onstage and you don’t want to be a diva. They always tell me to tone it down. They said, “Relax and wear leggings.” Chaka Khan has influenced my diva sound; I’m hugely inspired by her. Rouge and I are both influenced by soul and gospel music.Are you mending your hearts on the new album?
Rouge Mary: There is no song on this album that is called The Feast of the Broken Heart, no title track. I asked Andy who is very smart and he has been making music for many years. He said if you listen to the continuity of the album, the beginning is a bit pessimistic, saying “You broke my heart.” Then, it changes. When we met, he said “Let’s do songs.” I was like, “My message is only positivity, I don’t know about darkness.” He said, “Let’s gather all the pieces of the broken heart and make it another heart, stronger.” You know what they say in Asia, when you break a vase: They fill the gaps with gold. The broken thing is stronger and more beautiful because it’s broken. I think that heart is more beautiful when its broken, then we can see the light that’s inside. Amen.Nadja Sayej is always making out. Find her on Twitter — @nadjasayej--WANT MORE?Sylvan Esso Think You Look Great TodayTURN UP: This LED Rave Headband Will Change the Way You Party
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Noisey: How did you become a singer?
Rouge Mary: I wanted to sing when I was younger. I went into a church and met an amazing guy who said God accepts you no matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’ve done, no matter who you are. I said “But I look like a transvestite.” He said “It’s okay because God does not judge the physical. It’s what’s in your heart and your soul.” I was a boy in an African choir singing African dialects and he taught me technique the African way.
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Gustaph: When I started singing house five or six years ago, I found a spiritual home. There’s a similarity to gospel, actually—the repeating of hooks, there’s a kinship. It is something that leans towards spirituality. People still feel the need to belong. Club culture in general has a sense of belonging for a lot of people. Before there was a church, now people go clubbing to feel connected.What can you say about the album coming out next week?
Gustaph: I think it’s more rough and aggressive than the previous two albums. I only joined the band two years ago. It was a test to find out what we were going to do for a new album. I co-wrote the "Do You Feel the Same" single with Andy [Butler] together, we wanted to make something that had an early techno and rave sound, along with a deeper, melancholic vibe. Something emotional that would clash with a hard, aggressive sound. Andy wanted to go to a rawer place not just the music but the message.Who are your biggest influences?
Rouge Mary: I knew I wanted to be a singer because I was inspired by androgynous singers like Prince, Michael Jackson, Brian Molko, David Bowie and Skunk Anansie. I wanted to be one of them, twisted between girl and boy. I didn’t know what kind of music to go into, so I went into gospel because I believe in the message of Jesus Christ. It’s such a peaceful message and it accepts everyone.
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Gustaph: I was in a club singing to house music. I’m from Belgium, I lived in Ghent for a long time, so I developed myself as a musician there and I studied at the conservatory. I hung out in the DJ and electronic scene and met a guy named Radi. He has a label called We Play House Recordings. That’s how Andy discovered me, I was doing a song with Radi and Lady Lou and I went up to Andy and said I was a huge fan. I didn’t want to give tapes, CDs or ‘sell myself’ I just said “I love you.” A week later he called and asked, “Do you want to join the band?” It was a chance meeting that changed my life forever.
Rouge Mary: I have been living in Paris for 20 years. Paris is very arrogant. In Germany people are very free, I feel freedom in Berlin. Whether you’re having fun or not, I am here for one hour and 30 minutes and I intend to have fun. You better have fun with me, and if you don’t you stay backwards. I was a scandal at Comédie-Française in Paris where I sang in a Tennessee Williams play, I was an androgynous soul singer. I was wearing stilettos and makeup, but I was a man. The more you are yourself the more people follow you. People want to be themselves but they don’t know how. My message is always positive, forgiving.Is Europe not a fan of over-the-top divas?
Gustaph: In Belgium, it’s understated. You go onstage and you don’t want to be a diva. They always tell me to tone it down. They said, “Relax and wear leggings.” Chaka Khan has influenced my diva sound; I’m hugely inspired by her. Rouge and I are both influenced by soul and gospel music.
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Rouge Mary: There is no song on this album that is called The Feast of the Broken Heart, no title track. I asked Andy who is very smart and he has been making music for many years. He said if you listen to the continuity of the album, the beginning is a bit pessimistic, saying “You broke my heart.” Then, it changes. When we met, he said “Let’s do songs.” I was like, “My message is only positivity, I don’t know about darkness.” He said, “Let’s gather all the pieces of the broken heart and make it another heart, stronger.” You know what they say in Asia, when you break a vase: They fill the gaps with gold. The broken thing is stronger and more beautiful because it’s broken. I think that heart is more beautiful when its broken, then we can see the light that’s inside. Amen.Nadja Sayej is always making out. Find her on Twitter — @nadjasayej--WANT MORE?Sylvan Esso Think You Look Great TodayTURN UP: This LED Rave Headband Will Change the Way You Party