”It’s time that everyone in the whole world joined forces to put an end to the violent hatred that LGBT people face, whether in Norway or Nigeria, Uganda or USA, Iran or Ireland, ” says Petter Wallenberg. “The new song ‘We Don't Care’ is our way, as queer artists, to fight hatred with creativity. I made it with queer voices from four continents, including countries where it is illegal to be LGBT. We want to show the world that every human has the right to be and love whoever they want.”
On June 25, a terrorist attack against Oslo Pride killed 2 people and injured many more, sending shockwaves around the world. The attack was a horrific reminder that not even Pride celebrations are safe havens from violence and hatred against LGBT people. In over 70 countries, it is illegal to be LGBT, in some cases punishable by death. Many LGBT people are forced to stay hidden in order to survive, and after the Oslo Pride attack, fear is now rising in LGBT communities around the world.
Wallenberg wants to change that. He has founded the award-winning non profit organisation Rainbow Riots where he creates music and creative collaborations with other queer artists, often in countries where it is illegal or controversial to be LGBT. In 2019 Rainbow Riots opened East Africa’s first LGBT community center, a milestone for international LGBT rights, which was condemned by the country’s politicians in British newspaper The Guardian.
Exactly one month after the Oslo Pride attack, on July 25, the new Rainbow Riots single ‘We Don’t Care’ is released. The song is the world’s first World Pride themed anthem, which aims to use the power of music to mobilise the world against violence and discrimination. It was written and produced by Wallenberg featuring queer voices in four different continents; Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Now it’s the listeners’ turn to “travel” around the world, in one and the same song.
‘We Don’t Care’ is a mix of different languages and music styles, from rap, gospel and dancehall to African and Indian dance music. It is a genre and border crossing melting pot between professional artists and marginalized voices from global rainbow communities. Here you can hear Sweden’s first LGBT gospel choir Rainbow Gospel, rapper Jwl B from the American queer rap group Yo Majesty and Mista Majah P, a Jamaican reggae singer who risks his life fighting homophobia in Jamaica. Also featured are Shivanah, an LGBT refugee in Kenya and the drag artist Tropical Marca, India’s first queer rapper alongside the queer Ugandan artist collective Rainbow Riots Uganda. The song’s music video was filmed in Sweden, Uganda, USA, Jamaica and even as a Bollywood production in a temple in India. The result is both a new World Pride anthem and a global campaign to unite, across national and cultural boundaries against hatred, violence and discrimination, for every human’s right to freedom and love.
In this new music video for the song, directed by Petter, it’s the viewer’s turn to travel from country to country, across different cultures, to see the featured singers and dancers all performing the same song.
The music video features a Bollywood-style dance scene in India, a group dance performance in the rainforests of Uganda, a gospel singing Pride parade in front of Stockholm city hall in Sweden, rapping on the urban streets of Florida and more. It celebrates the beautiful diversity of the global rainbow community while highlighting that hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise. The Jamaican performance takes places in front of a list of the 70+ countries in the world that punish same sex relations – some by death.
All proceeds from the music sales of ‘We Don’t Care’ will be donated to victims of LGBT hate crimes.
Petter Wallenberg & Rainbow Riots – ‘We Don’t Care’ feat. Rainbow Gospel, Brayo Bryans, Tropical Marca, Jwl B., Mista Majah P, Shivanah & Rainbow Riots Uganda is out now on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms.
