In November 2019, protestors marched through the streets of Paris, protesting sexual abuse against women, and as they marched, they sang. The protesters were singing French pop song, ‘balance ton quoi’ by Angèle. The song rapidly became the pseudo-soundtrack of a movement, ‘balance ton porc’ (translating to denounce your pig). Often viewed as the francophone equivalent of the #MeToo movement, the movement aims for the denunciation of sexual abusers, such as Roman Polanski, an iconic French film director. Angèle, now aged twenty eight, in part thanks to her vocal criticism of this sexual abuse through her music, has rapidly become a leading voice of francophone feminism and activist for the rights of women.
Born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1995, Angèle quickly rose to enormous levels of fame in the francophone world. Notably in 2018 she broke Stromae’s record for number of weeks on top of the Belgian singles chart for her song ‘Tout oublier’, featuring her brother Roméo. As of today, Angèle has sold more than a million records and her 2018 album ‘Brol’ is certified double diamond in France, equaling legends such as Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Thus in light of her astronomical success, Angèle is a highly influential artist in the francophone world, often viewed as not only the current leading female artist in Francophone music, but leading Francophone pop artist.
It is often argued that due to her large platform, Angèle has a responsibility to tackle the pressing issues facing francophone women. However, in an interview with La Libre, Angèle explained that the inspiration behind ‘balance ton quoi’ was personal, perhaps not the societal inspiration expected of her. “I wrote it [balance ton quoi] on the metro. I was verbally attacked by a guy there. I felt a lot of resentment towards him and I wanted justice.” Balance ton quoi was therefore born of Angèle’s own personal struggles. This has become a point of criticism as it has been suggested that Angèle is supporting feminist ideas simply for her own gain. However, through the release of her music to the world, Angèle is sharing her voice with women everywhere, highlighting both the issues she faces, as well as the issues women across the globe face.
This idea is reinforced in the song’s music video where Angèle leads a ‘anti-sexism academy’, focusing on issues like consent and micro-aggressions. Angèle is clearly positioning herself at the forefront of opposition to sexism through ‘balance ton quoi’ and her debut album ‘Brol’ more broadly. Throughout her eponymous Netflix documentary, Angèle speaks of the ‘universal nature’ of the themes of Balance ton quoi, therefore if balance ton porc empowered famous women, balance ton quoi aimed the empower the average woman.
Topless images of her published non-consensually by PlayBoy France served as further motivation for vocal denunciation of the industry. In her eponymous Netflix documentary, Angèle confesses that as a result of the incident she cried for days, mourning the loss of ownership over her image. Through the publication of one photo, she lost her identity, her words lost their meaning, all that people recognised within her was not an artist or musician, but a pretty girl to be looked at and admired. This experience is reflected in balance ton quoi, influencing lines such as, “They’re talking like animals, they’re speaking badly of all girls.”
However, Angèle has been criticised for a lack of consistency, especially regarding her brother, Roméo. In 2020, Roméo was accused of sexual assault, and Angèle, a loud critic of sexual violence, as demonstrated by Balance ton quoi, was silent. She did eventually make a statement condemning the actions of her brother, however much of the damage was already done. Although, Roméo has since apologised for his actions and taken accountability, possibly influenced by his sister.
Although her second album ‘Nonante-cinq’ may have retreated from explicit feminist themes, Angèle is nonetheless a woman struggling to be heard, to be respected, to be equal with the men in her life, much like many other women in the Francophone world. Angèle is vocal about the issues she faces, and in the process, shares that voice with women across the world through her music. This fact cements her as a modern feminist icon.
