Chris is the second studio album by French singer Christine and the Queens, released on 21 September 2018 in both English and French versions through Because Music. It was preceded by the release of two singles, each of which were released in both English and French versions: "Girlfriend" / "Damn, dis-moi", featuring Dâm-Funk, and "Doesn't Matter" / "Doesn't Matter (Voleur de soleil)". An English-language single, "5 Dollars", was also released alongside an S&M-inspired video, followed by the French version of "La Marcheuse".

On iTunes and other online streaming and download services, the album includes 23 tracks, with 11 in English and 12 in French, most of which are versions of the same song. The album is available physically in individual French and English versions and sets including both.

Background Although still credited to Christine and the Queens, Héloïse Letissier explained before the album's release that he had adopted the simplified moniker Chris, saying "it had to be Chris at some point because I was bolder and stronger and had more muscle [...] it was natural for me to shed the rest of the stage name and to cut my hair."

Music and themes In a track-by-track interview with Letissier, Pitchfork said the album "bounces from horny consumerism to melancholic machismo to stark vulnerability". It contrasted Chris with Letissier's debut album Chaleur humaine, saying that album's "warmth was slow-burning, [while] Chris is red hot, sweaty, and insatiable". Letissier later elaborated: "The first album was born out of the frustration of being an aberration in society, because I was a young queer woman. The second was really born out of the aberration I was becoming, which was a powerful woman—being lustful and horny and sometimes angry, and craving for this will to just own everything a bit more and apologise a bit less."

The Fader stated the album is "less starry-eyed than its predecessor", calling the lyrics more direct and sharp than before. It also claimed the album "explodes" Letissier's queer, feminist identity. Letissier named some of his references for the album were "immediate, catchy pop productions" by the likes of Cameo and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, also specifically naming Michael Jackson's Dangerous and Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope as influences. The track "Goya Soda" references the Spanish painter Francisco Goya.

Critical reception

Chris received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 89, based on 26 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". Robert Steiner of The Boston Globe called the album a "refreshing, empowering record" and complimented its "stellar production and contagiously danceable jams", as well as Letissier's "engrossing lyricism". Although he felt that the album "loses steam" in its second half, Steiner named "The Walker" as a highlight for its "poignant" portrayal of a victim of domestic violence. In her review for AllMusic, Heather Phares concluded that "As he examines what masculinity, femininity, strength, and vulnerability mean to him, Christine has never sounded more exposed -- or in control. A triumph, Chris reaffirms just how masterfully he engages minds, hearts, and bodies."

Year-end lists +Critics' rankings of Chris Publication List Rank AllMusic The Allmusic 2018: Year in Review Associated Press AP's top 2018 albums 9 Billboard Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2018 20 Clash Clash's Albums of the Year 2018 1 Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2018 6 Crack The Top 50 Albums of 2018 16 The Daily Beast Top 10 Albums of 2018 4 Dazed Digital The 20 best albums of 2018 8 Drowned in Sound Drowned in Sound's 15 Favourite Albums of 2018 3 Idolator The 25 Best Albums of 2018 2 The Independent The 40 best albums of 2018 1 The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2018 1 The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2018 14 Mojo MOJO's Best Albums of 2018 5 MusicOMH Top 50 Albums Of 2018 4 NME NME's Albums of the Year 2018 10 NPR Music Best Music of 2018 21 Pitchfork The 50 Albums of 2018 30 Spin The 51 Best Albums of 2018 27 PopMatters The 70 Best Albums of 2018 17 Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of 2018 16 Spectrum Culture Top 20 Albums of 2018 18 Spin The 51 Best Albums of 2018 27 USA Today USA Today's Best Albums of 2018

Decade-end lists +Critics' rankings of Chris Publication List Rank AllMusic AllMusic's 200 Best Albums of the 2010s Consequence of Sound Top 100 of the 2010s 87 Top 25 Pop Albums of the 2010s 15 Paste The 30 Best Pop Albums of the 2010s 24

Track listing

Notes All English and French track titles, except "Goya Soda" / "Goya ! Soda !", are stylised in sentence case capitalisation. The French tracks "Bruce est dans le brouillard" and "Le G" have no English counterparts, while the English track "Feel So Good" has no French counterpart.

Personnel Only English track titles listed, except for French-exclusive tracks.

Musicians Héloïse Letissier – arrangement, performance; drum programming , bass , Neuron , keyboards , Emu , harpsichord , drums , piano , additional synths Cole M.G.N. – additional arrangement , drum programming , bass , Moog , drums , keyboards , additional drum programming , additional synths Dâm-Funk – keytar , vocals , bass , drum programming David Frank – keyboards , bass , piano Marlon McClain – guitars James Manning – bass Lance Tolbert – bass Daniel Aged – pedal steel Bastien Doremus – additional drum programming

Technical Manny Marroquin – mixing Chris Galland – mix engineering Robin Florent – mix assistance Scott Desmarais – mix assistance Felix Rémy – recording assistance Michael Tainturier – recording assistance Chris Steffen – recording assistance David Davis – engineering Chab – mastering

Artwork Jamie Morgan – photos Tracy Ma – artwork Laurent Antoine – design Auriana Beltrand – design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) 17 US Current Albums (Billboard) 50 US Top Alternative Album Sales (Billboard) 6

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) 107 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 59 French Albums (SNEP) 68 Chart (2019) Position French Albums (SNEP) 164

Certifications

Notes

References