Gerade im popkulturellen Kontext ist häufig von Sisterhood und (feministischem) Empowerment die Rede – die beiden schwedischen Künstlerinnen Neneh Cherry und Robyn zeigen im gemeinsamen Interview für den Guardian, wie man diese Begriffe ins real life überführt. Elektromusikerin Robyn ("Dancing On My Own") hat gerade "Buffalo Stance" Neneh Cherrys Superhit aus dem Jahr 1989 gecovert – eine klare Hommage, aber auch ein selbstbewusstes Statement:

The Guardian: Robyn, did you have any trepidation about approaching such an iconic song?

Robyn: Just getting the request to do it made me feel confident because I had Neneh’s blessing. I feel very comfortable with the song because it’s been with me such a long time. I was 10 years old when I started listening to Raw Like Sushi on summer vacation with my best friend. There’s so much nuance in the words that I could draw from. There’s a deep sense of belonging. It has to do with being present in your own life, being brave, being defiant – these core feelings that have shaped how I look at making music and what I think is important when you perform for other people.

Neneh Cherry: I’m not really into nostalgia, but I think that the journey of history is really important and so to be in this space where Robyn, who is one of the loves of my life, has put her voice to Buffalo Stance and made it hers feels monumental. You could say all the work is connected, but there are these thresholds and Buffalo Stance is one of those.

Das Gespräch ist geprägt von Freundschaft und gegenseitiger Bewunderung, Spaß und offenen Worten, zum Beispiel über das Älterwerden in einem noch immer männlich geprägten, sexistischen Business:

The Guardian: There are so many archetypes for older male musicians. For older women in music, there are fewer role models and stereotypes. And so the field is wide open for invention.

R: It’s freeing. You can be under the radar. You don’t have as much pressure in a lot of ways. You have less to refer to. It’s more queer, it’s more open. It’s like we’re filling in the gaps but in a much more conscious way. The canon is also so heavy with “the male genius”, the one person that came in and did the thing. As a woman, you’re less a slave to that way of thinking around what’s good or bad.

NC: It’s a very interesting place to be where I am – I’m a bit older than you – and feeling so unfinished and like I’ve got so much more to say and do. I was on a battleship for a while when I felt – not insignificant but very conscious of ageism, in particular when I was in the middle of menopause. Now I’m on the other side and I feel a quite deep sense of freedom. It’s about the quality of the work. It’s not so much about keeping up with what’s ultra cool, but feeling still that it can be cool without being strapped down by trends. It is different for a woman. A guy literally can turn up with a beer belly …

Kurzum: Ein beeindruckendes Porträt der Freundschaft zweier Künstlerinnen, deren Beiträge zu einer feministischeren, gleichberechtigteren Popwelt unbezahlbar sind.