Credits: Tilly Antoine / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
On the occasion of her 40-year career, Jeanne Mas, an 1980s icon, is releasing a new album and has announced a farewell tour in several cities across France. In an interview with Libération on February 14, the singer of Toute première fois looks back on her career.
As early as 1986, with Sauvez-moi, Jeanne Mas took a stand against domestic violence, a fight she continued with J’accuse in 1989, where she denounced sexual violence.
These risky positions often cost her dearly, notably after an open letter to François Mitterrand in which Mas called for harsher punishment for perpetrators of sexual crimes, remarks some interpreted as support for the death penalty.
At 65, the singer, who lives in Arizona, makes no secret of the challenges of aging, especially in an industry that glorifies youth. An admirer of Pamela Anderson for her choice to appear without makeup, Mas also wants to free herself from these constraints.
Although reluctant to be associated with movements, Jeanne Mas says she is in favor of educating men rather than standing against them. She confides that she was the victim of sexual violence in her youth, but refuses to see herself as a victim.
As Jeanne Mas prepares to bow out with this album, followed by a farewell tour, she leaves behind a legacy of unforgettable songs.