Caroline Polachek calls Moogfest lineup "self-congratulatory PR" in new statement
As mentioned, former Chairlift singer Caroline Polachek pulled out of Moogfest after seeing the lineup announcement. She said she was “furious to be (without approval) on an all-female & non-gender-binary announcement list,” and added, “gender is not a genre. I don’t need a sympathy pedestal, esp from a male curator.” Moogfest responded with an apology for “reframing you in a way that takes focus off of your artistry and talent…we believe that using our platform to center women, non-binary and transgender people is an important tool to combat the erasure and invisibility that can occur when these identities are kept on the periphery.”
Polachek has now responded to that statement with another, longer statement which says, in part:
I have no issue with all-fem/gnc lineup, but that’s not what Moogfest is….this speaks not to the artists or their music, but to the politics of the festival and self-congratulatory PR. To do this without permission from the artists on display is exploitative and unprofessional…
…Moogfest and all other festival have a responsibility and an opportunity to simply position inclusivity as normal. Creating a separate channel to prove the point that “womxn make great music and deserve a podium” is fine and well, but me choosing to present my music outside of gendered brackets doesn’t prove that point any less.
Read her whole statement, which she shared on Twitter, below.
https://twitter.com/carolineplz/status/938856533521203200
