Petter Wallenberg

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Petter Wallenberg (born 1977 in Stockholm) is a multi-awarded Swedish artist, author, director and human rights advocate. He is the founding director of Bland drakar och dragqueens (Amongst dragons and drag queens), a multi-awarded theatre production where famous drag queens perform stories to children. Petter is also the founding director of Rainbow Riots, an award-winning non-profit organisation that uses arts and culture to advocate for human rights for LGBT people globally. He has composed and produced several critically acclaimed music albums and in 2013 book "Historien om Leila K" (The Story of Leila K) was released in Sweden.

Music[edit]

In 2013, under his stage name House of Wallenberg, he released his debut album "Legends", featuring collaborations with amongst others Neneh Cherry, Ari Up of The Slits, Nicolette of Massive Attack fame, Yo Majesty and Victoria Wilson James from Soul II Soul.

The single "Legendary", featuring Swedish rap singer Leila K, became a Scandinavian radio and club hit and "Girls Like Us" featuring Efti from "Midi, Maxi & Efti", reached #28 on Finland Dance Music Chart. "Be Somebody", samples Octavia St. Laurent from the 1991 documentary about the vogue scene of New York, Paris is Burning. The video features a cast from the famous vogue houses of NYC, such as House of Ninja.

Legends received very positive reviews. Swedish music magazine Sonic rated it 9/10. In July 2013 House of Wallenberg released the single "Love Yourself Test Yourself" as the theme of a major Swedish campaign to stop HIV. Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton called it a "positive, uplifting, dancefloor ANTHEM".

In 2016, he released his follow up album ‘My House is Your House’, inspired by early house and gospel. The single ”I Believe” featured house music pioneer Adeva and reached #22 at Music Week Club Chart.

In 2017 Wallenberg composed and produced ‘Rainbow Riots’ - a music album featuring queer voices from some of the most dangerous countries in the world for LGBTQ people. UK magazine Dazed called it ”the zenith of international queer activism” and British broadcaster BBC deemed it ”the ultimate protest” and concluded: ”This is advocacy”. A whole chapter has been named after Rainbow Riots in the book Breaking down the walls of heartache - how music came out, by British journalist Martin Aston. Remarkably Rainbow Riots was also featured in a news story from the Jamaican Observer, famously one of the world's most hostile countries towards LGBT people.[1]

In 2019 he composed and produced the music album ‘Rainbow Riots India’ featuring India's first openly queer singers. The project was a collaboration with members of the Indian LGBTQ+ movement that achieved the historic victory of legalizing same sex relations in India in 2018. The first single was dubbed ‘India’s first Pride anthem’ by Indian media.[2][3][4][5]

In 2022 he composed and produced the single “We Don't Care" featuring queer voices from four different continents, including countries where it is illegal to be LGBT, all on the same song. The song is a protest against LGBT-phobia and all proceeds go to victims of LGBT phobic hate crimes.[6]

Advocacy[edit]

In 2013 Petter created the musical campaign ‘Love Yourself Test Yourself’ to encourage testing for HIV. The campaign went on to win a Clio Award, one of the world's most recognizable international advertising awards, and resulted in a renewed increase in HIV-testing.

In 2016 during the making of the music album ‘Rainbow Riots’, Wallenberg and his Ugandan collaborators were held hostage in the police raid of Uganda Pride. Swedish newspaper reported how him and his colleagues were forced down on the floor for hours by armed police officers who also arrested several LGBT people.[7]

The violent incident led to Wallenberg founding the organization of the same name: Rainbow Riots. Rainbow Riots, an international non-profit organisation that uses arts and culture to advocate for human rights for LGBT people everywhere.[8][9]

As the creative director of Rainbow Riots, Petter collaborates with fellow LGBT artists around the world, and has created a string of high-profile international projects, several of which have become milestones in the fight for equality. The achievements include:

  • Uganda's first LGBT community centre, a safe space for LGBT people in a country where same sex relations are illegal. The centre had not even opened before it courted controversy in Uganda. Minister Lokodo condemned the project and told British newspaper The Guardian that opening the centre would be a criminal act. Nevertheless, Rainbow Riots pressed on with the project, resulting in the creation of East-Africa's first LGBT community which stayed open for a year.[10][11]
  • ’Equal Rights’, an official musical campaign for the United Nations Global Goals For Sustainable Development.
  • ‘Rainbow Riots’ (2017), an album of music featuring queer voices from some of the most dangerous countries in the world for LGBTQ people.
  • Rainbow Riots India (2019), a music album featuring India's first openly queer artists, around the time of the decriminization of same sex relations in India. The first single was dubbed ‘India’s first Pride anthem’ by Indian media and Wallenberg was one of the guest speakers at India's first legal Pride in Mumbai 2019.[12][13][14][15]
  • Rainbow Riots Radio, a web radio series of queer stories, culture and history from around the world, created and presented by Wallenberg and dubbed “smart and surprising stories” by British newspaper Financial Times.[16][17][18]
  • “We Don’t Care”, a musical protest against LGBTQ-phobia featuring queer voices from 4 continents, to raise funds for victims of hate crimes.[19]

In 2020 Wallenberg and Rainbow Riots were awarded the Arco Nordica 2020 award from the International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network.[20]

Theatre productions[edit]

In 2017 Wallenberg created and directed  the theatre production Bland drakar och dragqueens (Amongst dragons and drag queens), where drag queens perform fairy tales to children. Since the premiere the Stockholm Public Library, the production has continuously toured Sweden and even made a guest appearance at Brooklyn Public Library in New York.[21][22]

Bland drakar och dragqueens has received major media coverage, including the front page of Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and national Swedish television channels SVT and TV4.[23][24][25]

In 2022 Wallenberg wrote and directed a musical play for children at The Stockholm Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of his concept Bland drakar och dragqueens with famous drag artists. The play included an original script, drag show, self penned songs as well as classical music played live by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s Academy with musicians from all over Europe. Since the premiere, the show has returned to Konserthuset Stockholm toured around Sweden.[26][27]

Books and media[edit]

Wallenberg is the acclaimed author with two published books under his belt: Historien om Leila K (2013) and Bögjävlar (2007).[28][29]

As a writer, editor in chief and art director, he also created and ran his own award winning arts and culture magazine ‘Mums’ from 2009 to 2014.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, When Coming Out is a Dangerous Thing, Changing minds through music". BBC. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  2. ^ "Sushant Divgikar to feature in India's first Pride Anthem". Mid-day. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  3. ^ Bhatt, Jinal (2019-04-03). "India's First Pride Anthem, 'Love Is Love' Featuring Openly LGBTQ Voices, Is Out". Mashable India. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  4. ^ "'We can fight hatred with creativity': Petter Wallenberg". DNA India. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  5. ^ "Petter Wallenberg's new album shines the spotlight on LGTBQ community". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  6. ^ guidetogay (2022-07-26). "LGBT Human Rights Organisation Rainbow Riots unveil New Single & Doco 'We Don't Care'". GUIDETOGAY.COM. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  7. ^ "Petter mitt i polisens räd mot Pride i Uganda". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  8. ^ Riots, Foto: Rainbow. "Polisen stoppade Uganda Pride -då hölls en hemlig Pridefest". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  9. ^ TT, TT TT (2018-08-14). ""Vi är den regnbågsfärgade motståndsrörelsen"". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  10. ^ Lindhe, Frida. "Rainbow Riots nya center ger ugandiska hbtq-personer en trygg plats". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  11. ^ "Minister condemns plans for Uganda's first LGBT centre as 'criminal act'". the Guardian. 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  12. ^ "Sushant Divgikar to feature in India's first Pride Anthem". Mid-day. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  13. ^ Bhatt, Jinal (2019-04-03). "India's First Pride Anthem, 'Love Is Love' Featuring Openly LGBTQ Voices, Is Out". Mashable India. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  14. ^ "'We can fight hatred with creativity': Petter Wallenberg". DNA India. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  15. ^ "Petter Wallenberg's new album shines the spotlight on LGTBQ community". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  16. ^ "Podcast: Rainbow Riots Radio — smart and surprising stories". Financial Times. 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  17. ^ TT (2018-05-30). "Ny podd berättar queer-historier". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  18. ^ "Rainbow Riots to launch new podcast focussing on LGBTQ rights across the world". GAY TIMES. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  19. ^ guidetogay (2022-07-26). "LGBT Human Rights Organisation Rainbow Riots unveil New Single & Doco 'We Don't Care'". GUIDETOGAY.COM. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  20. ^ "Rainbow Riots || Rainbow Riots is a politically and religiously independent, non-profit organisation advocating for human rights for LGBTQ people | Award for our founder!". Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  21. ^ Regalado, Foto: Miguel Angel. "Succé när dragartister läser sagor för barn". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  22. ^ www.florencemontmare.com, Foto. "Bland drakar och dragqueens i New York". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  23. ^ "Nu blir det drag på sagostunden". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  24. ^ "Bland drakar och dragqueens" dragshow och barnsagor = succé - Nyhetsmorgon (TV4), retrieved 2022-08-01
  25. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T.; Gotlin, Malin (2022-04-02). "Dragartisten Inga Tvivel höll färgsprakande sagostund i Lindesberg". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  26. ^ Holten, Foto: Olav. "Framgång för Bland drakar och dragqueens på Konserthuset". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  27. ^ "Bland drakar och dragqueens". www.konserthuset.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  28. ^ "Stormig resa med raplegendaren Leila K". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2013-10-17. ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  29. ^ "Katrine Kielos om "Bögjävlar"". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-01.
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