THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Petter Wallenberg’s connection with India goes way beyond music. It is more a case of identity and respect, which Petter felt was lacking when he first arrived here. “Being gay, I was legally a criminal in the country, until Section 377 got scrapped last year. But not before I started working on my debut album, Rainbow Riots India, which was a means of protest,” says the 42-year-old Swedish music producer, who is the founder of Rainbow Riots, a Swedish organisation that advocates for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
Petter recently released the first single from the album, Love is Love, which features drag queen Sushant Divgikar and transgender dance group Dancing Queens. He tells us, “It’s been hailed as India’s first pride anthem, which is amazing. What makes me the happiest is the response from regular people.”
Incidentally, the title, Love is Love, was inspired by one of the responses that he got from a crowd who had gathered to listen to him speak at a pride march in Mumbai, right after homosexuality was legalised last year. “I shouted: ‘Love is what?’ and the crowd responded: ‘Love!’ The atmosphere was electric. So many people came out into the street and showed that they were no longer afraid to show who they were,” he reflects.
We caught up with Petter and found out more about his musical journey and why he believes that there is a long way to go for the LGBTQIA+ community in India. Excerpts:
How would you describe your musical style?
My musical roots are in disco music. Disco music represents freedom. When disco came into prominence, it was the soundtrack to the LGBTQIA+ liberation, with the roots in American black soul music, often fronted by big disco divas and strong women. That is so political in itself, as the opposite of macho rock music at the time. Disco was like a big glittery revolution, and since then, it’s lived on in new shapes and forms. My style is very much a homage to classic dance music,.
What are the lessons you learned in your career so far?
I have had an amazing journey. At 18, I left Sweden with a one-way ticket to London. I threw myself into the club scene and spent most of my twenties living a chaotic existence. I have never had a ‘normal job’ but always cut out my own path, by creating art and humanitarian projects.
If I have an idea for a project, I don’t let anything stop me until I achieve that. You just have to deal with challenges as they show up along the way. It’s life. A big lesson in life is to not dwell on what you can’t do, or what is holding you back. I think it’s important to constantly grow and develop. But be kind to yourself and others. We humans just tend to complicate things. But life is short — so try and make the most of it, and enjoy the ride!