‘Deep Conversation’ Led Christine and the Queens and MGMT to Make Their ‘Dream’ Collaboration ‘Dancing in Babylon’ (Exclusive)

Last year Chris from Christina and the Queens received news that at first seemed like a “dream” – then quickly inspired him to jump for pure joy.

The French indie star, 35, was contacted by none other than one of his favorite artists, psychedelic-pop masters MGMT — whom he previously referred to as his dream collaborators — to work with them on a track on their upcoming fifth studio album.

They ended up creating “Dancing in Babylon,” a stunning ’80s-inspired power ballad and visual from the duo’s new album Loss of life (out Friday via Mom + Pop), which encapsulates the feelings of love and honesty the artists wrestled with when writing it.

“I’ve always been a real fan of their music,” says MGMT’s Chris, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. “I had a lover in my life who also lived in London, and at the time we shared a common passion for MGMT records.”

Chris from Christine and the Queens and Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser from MGMT.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty, courtesy of MGMT

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He adds: “As a musician, I always listen to music with emotions and my own practice. They helped me make music.”

Although their collaboration only took full shape when VanWyngarden, 41, met the singer-songwriter in a studio in Paris, he explains that he and Goldwasser, 41, evolved from a Eurohouse beat to a dreamy ’80s synth sound. , realized that it could be a duet.

“When it was in the ’80s power ballad halftime zone, we really didn’t think of anyone else,” VanWyngarden says of working with the Christine and the Queens frontman.

After the “People, I Was Sad” lead singer and artist met in the studio, they realized how fruitful — and how emotionally fulfilling — the collaboration would be. VanWyngarden reflects, “We talked about where we were with the emotions and intentions we wanted to put into the music. And there was a lot of crossover – just thinking about love and loss and this spiritual dimension that’s not psychedelic in some way, it’s not religious, but it’s honest.”

“Trying to tackle that as an artist is a real challenge,” he continues. “And I saw Chris do the same.”

Christine and Queens perform in California in April 2023.

Scott Dudelson/Getty

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“He was ready for a deep conversation, and so was I,” says the hitmaker, who also goes by the name Redcar, of their conversation that led to the writing of a heartfelt song about the proclivity of love. “I think sometimes if you choose that frequency, you choose together.”

The music video also marked a full circle moment for MGMT. The indie icons reunited with director Ray Tintori, with whom they attended Wesleyan University and shot the music videos for hits like “Electric Feel,” “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” from their seminal 2007 debut studio album. Oracular Spectacular.

Together with A bit of a dark age group and French stars, the video also features actor/director John Cameron Mitchell, actor Julian Morris and his husband Landon Ross, and longtime MGMT collaborator and former college classmate, choreographer Max Goldblatt. Like much of the synth-pop favorite’s artwork, the visual tells a hallucinogenic story — this one through queer love and commitment — that also involves futuristic ’80s fashion, a video game set in a war zone, and a sandwich.

MGMT.

Johan Freeman

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one [Tintori] say no,” shares Goldwasser. “It started with the idea of ​​a love story and then went back and added layers of dreams. And then the sandwich and the video game were icing on the cake.”

The multi-instrumentalist and VanWyngarden explain that the seeds for the video and his reunion – which Chris described as “very [The] Notebook‘I’ve been waiting for this” — were set back in the spring of 2023 when they reconnected with Goldblatt, who choreographed their set at the Just Like Heaven music festival.

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In the video, Paranoia, Angels, True Love the musician dances with the Hedwig and The Angry Inch star, 60, who signed on to the project just days before when they were put together by a friend of Chris’ from the theater world. In the end, he became a “wonderful partner” and “delighted with the energy” of the set, according to the musician.

The queer romance at the center of the visual also ties in with the song’s initial concept that attracted artist Christine and Queens. “I remember when [MGMT] sent a song [they] said it’s a love song between two guys, and you also had that love story in mind,” he recalls. “I could project myself and I thought it was just a sexy idea to give a real love story for two men in love.”

MGMT’s ‘Lost of Life’.

Courtesy of Mom + Pop

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In essence, the entire project — with its creative freedom and long-term relationship at the helm — harkens back to the sincerity of VanWyngarden and Chris when they first approached the song in Paris.

“I think part of the success of the video was the conversation that Chris and I had in Paris about relationships and love and those deep things that you experience as a human,” says Vanwyngarden. “There’s real chemistry and emotion — and it’s great to do something that’s ultimately a pop song, but has real depth.”

Chris couldn’t agree more. The “Girlfriend” singer says: “This collaboration was very useful for me at a time when it’s good to remind all questers about the energy that needs to be put into work. And I think energy is very important in who you work with and how you protect your imagination and even how you dream.”

He adds, “It was a fresher splash of water in my face — a reminder of, ‘It’s important to focus on energy because the pursuit is so much more joyful.'”

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Source: HIS Education