Chanel and the controversy over ‘Toke’, her song for the Qatar World Cup: “I have my principles very clear and I am an artist”

When it was announced on Thursday that Chanel Terrero (Havana, Cuba, 31 years old) will interpret the official song of Spain for the Qatar Soccer World Cup, a reflection opened the way: it may not be compatible make the proclamation of the Pride (the singer was in charge of it last July in Madrid) and record the theme for an event that takes place in a country (Qatar) that does not respect LGTBI rights. Chanel, skillful manager of her social networks, surely she was aware of the controversy (fed, as always, on Twitter) before the press conference this afternoon. What the singer perhaps did not expect and caught her cold was that it turned out to be the first topic to be discussed in the round of questions, so point-blank. It was made by a colleague from the Efe agency, Javier Herrero: “I don’t know if it has represented a moral conflict for you to put one of your songs at the service of what some call the ‘World Cup of Shame’, because it is held in a country that persecutes LGBTI groups. Chanel shifted uncomfortably in her chair and replied: “I have my principles very clear and I am an artist. So: the further I can take my art and the more people my message reaches, the better.” An icy air ran through the press room in Torrespaña, headquarters of RTVE in Madrid, organizer of the event

What did Chanel mean, stumbling in her statement: basically that she was the last to arrive and that before her there are many people who could have made that reflection, even refused to participate… But, you know, soccer is soccer . The press conference continued along this embarrassing line for those on the stage: in addition to the singer, Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation; Domingo Olivo, from Sony Music, Chanel’s label; and two representatives of RTVE, Arsenio Cañada and María Eizaguirre. When informed that some national team players were going to wear the bracelet with the colors of the LGBTI rainbow flag, but that the Spanish “had rejected it”, the singer was forceful: “I cannot speak for another person. I can only speak for myself and I would be super proud to wear that bracelet.” The questioned, Rubiales, then took the floor: “Spain has not rejected anything. Spain wears an official armband with the word respect [respeto en inglés]. And it is possible that soon there will be some news in this regard.

Chanel, posing this afternoon before the press conference at the Torrestaña building in Madrid.Alberto Ortega (Europe Press)

It was a parenthesis in a press conference where it was said what had already been reported the day before: that a song by Chanel, Toke, It will be the official anthem of the Spanish team for a tournament that takes place from November 20 to December 18. It was expected that the music would be released, or at least for a few seconds. But that didn’t happen. The morning of October 24 to 25 will be on all platforms. For the rest, Chanel showed enthusiasm and joy (except in the mentioned section) and told some detail of Toke. “We recorded it on April 16 and it was the first time I went into a recording studio to create,” he said. She also reported that it was made without knowing anything about the World Cup theme and that she has not changed the lyrics after being chosen “just a few days ago”. “There have been more proposals from other record companies and we have chosen the best. The others were great songs, but Chanel’s proposal was very competitive”, commented María Eizaguirre, from RTVE, and Chanel announced “that it is a very popular song”. She has been helped with the lyrics and composition by Lery Sánchez, from Vitoria, and the American Kyle Hanagami will be in charge of the choreography of the video. Both were also in SloMo, his only song so far from the artist and dancer.

The reality of Chanel was seen last September in Coca-Cola Music Experience, held in Madrid. The singer appeared as the headliner of a festival that had the presence of Bizarrap, Maneskin, Lola Indigo or Manuel Turizo. They all performed for about an hour. She, however, was barely on stage for a few minutes, which she consumed in interpreting, with her usual courage, her only songSloMo. Ten months have passed since Chanel unveiled SloMo. It was in December 2021, in January 2022 he won in the difficult edition of benidorm fest and in May he won the meritorious third place in Eurovision after an explosive performance. And it is over. The rest has occurred in the offices.

SloMo It was published with the BMG company and everything indicated that the artist’s first album would be signed by that record company. However, a month ago the multinational Sony announced the signing of Chanel. One of the objectives that the company seeks is the following. “It is one of the levers for the internationalization of Spanish music. For this reason, her signing fits in with our commitment to promoting Spanish talent so that it shines in the world”, said the president of Sony Music for Spain and Portugal, José María Barbat.

Today, ten months after the first song, one of the most popular artists in Spain can say that she already has two songs. Although we will have to wait a few days to hear it.

All the culture that goes with you awaits you here.

subscribe

Babelia

The literary news analyzed by our best critics in our weekly newsletter

RECEIVE IT

We want to thank the writer of this short article for this outstanding web content

Chanel and the controversy over ‘Toke’, her song for the Qatar World Cup: “I have my principles very clear and I am an artist”