Pride

I came to London nearly 6 years ago now. I only had straight friends at this point, because I didn’t actually ever meet anyone that was not straight, at least not that I was aware of (I grew up in the countryside and small towns). 
It didn’t take long until I became close friends with several people in London that are LGBTQIA+. I started collaborating artistically with Rachel and Henri aka Iron&Sparks who create dance performances from the queer perspective. They became the two main “characters” in my continuous music video to my debut EP ‘Arwen’, embodying the two poles involved in a relationship. 
For me, it was not a conscious decision to tell the story of the EP through a LGBTQIA+ relationship - I just loved the emotional intensity of Rachel and Henri’s performances. I loved the honesty and the way they share their emotions through the movement. 
This is what I believe is the key to finding balance in a relationship as well as in yourself. To be honest - about what you feel towards yourself (which is sometimes something that can be very hard) and also to your partner. 
And yes - this can be with another man or another woman or anything in between or unspecified. Feelings are very unique to everyone, we have labels for them, but every individual will perceive them in their own way. Matter of fact is that it comes from inside of us. Love is not something someone can put on you, like a hat. YOU CHOOSE IT YOURSELF. 
I am so proud that this past week all these choices were spoken out loud in London in the shape of colours, singing and dancing. That so many people came together to celebrate being attracted to whoever they truly are attracted to. I hope this appreciation for EQUALITY and DIVERSITY continues to spread to every little corner of the world! 

Watch the continuous music video to my EP here: 

Yvonne Mathieu