Au New Obs, Jessica Morali et Jonathan Belolothe rights holders of the composers of the Village People hit, YMCAconfide. During Donald Trump's last election campaigns, the song became the ultimate anthem of his rallies. Yet carrying a strong message of racial diversity and sexual freedom, it established itself through the American president's meetings with the very conservative electorate, even making him, on several occasions, perform a few dance steps.
None of the republican's ideas, however, seem to fit with the values shared by the song. The surprise for Jessica and Jonathan was total. “That a Republican like Trump, with the ideas he has, would use a Village People song for his campaign is still a mystery to me. Why did he choose a gay anthem with an Indian and an African-American police officer, instead of, say, a song like Born in the USA ? Et YMCA isn't even an American song, it's a French song. Today, she is at Sacem,” asks Jessica Morali, the niece of Jacques Morali, one of the composers of the title.
Since 2020, Donald Trump has used the Village People song without paying any royalties. Despite several attempts to contact the president's teams to discuss this use, Donald Trump has always relied on ignorance. “We didn’t have a say. Since 2020, Trump's team has never asked us: do we have the right to use the song? The letter we sent to him went unanswered. But, to tell the truth, the main purpose of this letter was to say that we had not been consulted and to make it known officially,” explains Jessica Morali.
In 2020, the rights holders attempted to take legal action. On the advice of their lawyers, they finally saw fit to drop all charges. “I realized that it was wasted effort, that it was a procedure that was not only long and expensive, but which had no chance of succeeding,” confides Jonathan Belolo, general manager of Scorpio Music and son of Henri Belolo, the second composer of YMCA.
-That same year, the Republican candidate lost the elections. The subject is then no longer relevant. But in 2024, do it again. Trump shows up again and makes YMCA his anthem for the second time in a row. Jonathan and Jessica find themselves “unable to claim economic damage in court”. “The rights holders of YMCA therefore decided by mutual agreement that we were not going to ban the use of this song by Trump, said Jonathan Belolo. Apart from economic and personal considerations, I didn't want to ban half of America, or more, from dancing at the YMCA because of Trump. »
The title resonated in Washington this Sunday, January 19, before the inauguration of Donald Trump scheduled for January 20 at the US Capitol. The Village People group was present to provide a show during the event's festivities.
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