Artist, musician, songwriter and performer, Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher (or « c » in reference to the speed of light), is much more than an ex-partner of billionaire Elon Musk. At 36, the Canadian has established herself as a key figure in experimental electronic music, despite a career sometimes overshadowed by her private life. Her relationship with Elon Musk gave her three children with names as singular as they are futuristic: X Æ A-XII, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus Musk. While the exact circumstances of their meeting remain unclear, their relationship was made official at the 2018 Met Gala before publicly ending in 2023. Today, Grimes stands out as an artist in her own right, asserting her independence in the face of controversy linked to her former companion.
A character out of time
Grimes is not just a singer, she is a universe. With her colorful hair, her magical makeup and her futuristic outfits, she embodies an aesthetic as unique as her music, a mixture of electro, dark wave, dream pop, and sometimes even R & B. Artistic director of her own project, she builds a world that resembles her, inspired by Japanese imagination, medieval music, and science fiction stories.
Compared to a character straight out of a manga like Alita, Grimes is an artist who lives her art every day. This offbeat universe has won over an international audience: with more than 6.4 million plays on Spotify and hits like Genesis and Oblivion, it fills theaters around the world. For this musician, creation is an outlet, a space of freedom where she can decompress and express herself fully.
However, her career was marked by her high-profile relationship with Elon Musk, whose controversial actions continue to impact her public image.
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Beyond the controversies?
“I’m not him. » This is how Grimes responded to a wave of criticism after his ex-companion Elon Musk made two Nazi salutes during the inauguration of Donald Trump. Although she is often called to account for Musk's actions or opinions, Grimes goes to great lengths to distance herself from his political positions. The artist remains distant from the billionaire, who has rebuilt his life and other children. But part of her audience threatens to turn away from her, fearing that she endorses the ideas of her former partner. The woman finds it “absurd” that she is asked to answer for her ex's actions, while understanding the concerns of her fans. Ultimately, was it so surprising that this character who seems to come from another world found herself linked to the owner of Tesla and SpaceX? Not really. But beyond this old and still criticized relationship, Grimes continues to reinvent himself as an artist with the release of his latest project in October 2024.
