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[title]The French disco-pop collective L’Impératrice is finally touching down in Buenos Aires. On November 2, the Parisian sextet — Charles de Boisseguin, Hagni Gwon, David Gaugué, Achille Trocellier, Tom Daveau, and their new vocalist Louve — will bring their cinematic, groove-filled sound to the Music Wins Festival (tickets here), where they’ll share the stage with Massive Attack, Primal Scream, and some of Argentina’s most celebrated bands.
Formed in 2012, the band has continually reinvented itself, blending retro funk with a modern, futuristic sensibility. “We’ve gone through so many changes — a new voice, new ideas, new ways of thinking, writing, singing, moving, vibrating… everything!” they told Time Out. And as they prepare for their long-awaited debut in Argentina, they promise nothing less than “a tsunami of dance, fun, and disco freedom.”
L’Impératrice was born in 2012. How would you describe the band’s evolution since then? What were the biggest changes or discoveries along the way?
We changed singers — Flore Benguigui left the band a few months ago, and Louve joined as our new vocalist. We’ve also gone through many transformations: new voices, new ideas, new ways of thinking, writing, singing, moving, vibrating. Everything!
You’ll be sharing the stage with Massive Attack and Primal Scream at Music Wins. How does it feel to be part of such an iconic and diverse lineup?
We feel super shy, because every time we share a lineup with such major artists — especially like them — it’s intimidating. But it’s also a challenge: it’s our first time playing in Argentina, which makes it all the more exciting. Plus, we’re very grateful.
What excites you most about coming to Argentina?
People have been asking us to play in Argentina for a long time. We know there’s anticipation, that people are waiting for us, and that makes us really happy. In fact, we’ve barely played in South America — just once in Chile and once in Colombia.
If you had to describe a L’Impératrice show in one or two sentences — for someone seeing you for the first time at Music Wins — what would you say?
A tsunami of dance. Lots of fun, plenty of disco music for a great night out. And, above all, the freedom of music.
“L’Impératrice is the freedom of music”
Your videos and stage visuals have a strong identity — the color palettes, outfits, and almost cinematic atmospheres. How do you approach the visual side when creating a song? Does the image come before or after the music?
The sound always comes first, and the image follows right after. The sound is the priority. Unfortunately, this time we won’t be able to bring our full stage setup and scenography because we’re traveling a lot — we’re playing in Argentina, but also in Brazil, Colombia, and the U.S. beforehand. It’s really hard to move all that material. Still, we’ll be there with ourselves and the music — and that’s what matters most.
Will your Buenos Aires show be similar to your Coachella 2024 performance?
No, not musically. We’ll play some classics, of course, but the overall design will be much more minimalistic.