Angèle is not afraid to say what she thinks. Defiant in her beliefs, the Belgian pop singer-songwriter's millennial-girl lyrics tackle subjects that previous generations may have been afraid to assert.
Balance Ton Quoi from her debut album, Brol, which sold more than 1.5 million albums globally, addresses her own experiences of sexism. It became an anthem for the French #MeToo movement, turning her into a feminist mouthpiece at the tender age of 23.
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VIDEO: Angèle on her Hello! Fashion cover shoot
But, independent from that, Angèle is a huge star in Belgium and France. Not a day goes by that arguably the hottest musician in Francophone territories isn't recognised in the street. Her 3,4 million Instagram followers manifest how vast her fanbase is they can't get enough of her sweet spirit, authenticity and sometimes humorous videos. And, although not so well-known in the UK (yet), Balance Ton Quoi piqued the interest of five Brit Award-winning artist Dua Lipa.
“Her management called us during the first quarantine saying they'd really like to meet, because they had heard of the song," Angèle tells us from her Airbnb in Paris, when we speak on Zoom the day before her cover shoot. "Then I started to talk with Dua Lipa on social media, it was totally random but very cool," she smiles.
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Cardigan, £3,555, Chanel. Earrings, £6,300, Necklace £4,525, Bangles, POA, and Ring, £6,000, all Chanel Fine Jewellery.
Angèle, who will join Dua Lipa on part of her Future Nostalgia tour this year, went on to duet with the singer on her 2020 song Fever - and they met in London to shoot the video. "It was really fun, we're exactly the same age and even though we're not from the same country, so have a different way of doing things, we are good friends and very connected. She tells us that they talk about issues and experiences they share, as well as things that are going on in their lives. "And she gives me advice.… sometimes when I feel lost, I say “Oh, tell me, what do I have to do? So it is a very full-circle friendship.”
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Jacket, POA. Jeans, £1,404, Shoes 2,170 all Chanel. Bangles (top), £5,900, (bottom), £9,300, rings, (index finger), £2,850, (middle finger), £6,300, all Chanel Fine Jewellery.
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Primarily, however, the most important opportunity that Angèle has to thank social media for is launching her career She quickly gained notoriety when, five years ago, she began posting short clips on Instagram of her singing cover songs, whilst playing the piano She had previously not owned a smartphone, but a friend suggested she join the app. "I said, "What can I do on Instagram? I don't like taking pictures of my food'. And then I thought, OK, I like to play music, so let's do some videos. And not that many people were watching them at the time - but because Brussels is a very small place, everybody started to know who I was.”
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Angèle graces the cover of the June 2022 issue of Hello! Fashion
Read the rest of the interview with Angèle in Hello! Fashion’s June issue - out now.
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