Every day, a personality invites herself into the world of Élodie Suigo. Today, the founder and leader of the American disco group Village People, Victor Willis. This Saturday, July 1, 2023, the group is back on stage for the Jazz Festival of Enghien-les-Bains.
Victor Willis is the founder and frontman of the globally successful disco group Village People. Since the end of the 1970s, his hits have never stopped making the whole world dance. Impossible not to have a title or several in our playlists. In total, Village People have sold over 80 million records worldwide as san francisco (1977), YMCAs (1978), In The Neavy (1979), Go West (1979), Macho Man (1978). This Saturday, July 1, 2023, the group is back on stage for the Jazz Festival of Enghien-les-Bains.
franceinfo: France seems to give you a lot of memories. It must be said that the group was originally produced by two Frenchmen, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo. What does France represent for you?
Victor Willis: Listen, France really represents the origin of the Village People. There’s always excitement to come back to France, to maintain the image of the Village people and above all to allow the fans to enjoy the show we’re going to give them.
You entered the group very quickly and I specify that you are the police officer of the group since its beginnings. There is also the Indian, the soldier, the cowboy, the construction worker, the leather man, then the police biker. Who had the idea to make each member of the group a real testosterone character?
It’s Jacques (Morali, one of the group’s French producers, editor’s note) who came up with the idea for the other characters. For the policeman, it was my idea.
From the start, the image of gay icon conveyed by the group was not a reality in real life as for you for example. Was it hard to bear the fact that it’s not your sexuality or your way of life?
In reality, the Village People, at the base, with the first album, it was written, it’s true, around a gay way of life. Afterwards, I participated quite a bit in the writing and it was really aimed at any lifestyle or community.
“Village People’s music has truly become music for everyone.”
Victor Willis of Village Peopleat franceinfo
Initially, you were in the band Wiz on Broadway. I would like to know when you started singing, what you did before the Village People because that’s why we came to get you.
In fact, I was recording my solo album, besides, actually playing in The Wiz and in other musicals. I had been in New York since about 1972 and I had done a lot of things on Broadway so it was part of my skills when I met Jacques and when he wanted us to record something for his band The Ritchie Family.
In 1977 your first album came out, it feels like yesterday when you listen to the sound, with the title san francisco. You were really on the front of the stage and this title will become the first hit of an exceptional career.
“It’s true that the song ‘San Francisco’ is very emotional for me, because I grew up and was raised in San Francisco, it’s my hometown. And it was really the first song of the group .”
Victor Willis of Village Peopleat franceinfo
When we went into the studio they had a definite concept of how they wanted us to do it and when I came in and recorded it I changed the way it was written a little bit. and planned so that it is a little more in my style to me. Obviously, they liked it and suddenly, it was very important to me.
Let’s talk about the scene. When you were solo, performing was really part of your adrenaline so what did it represent in this band? You will go on stage again, this July 1, 2023 in Enghien-les-Bains.
It is very important for me. It worked well for me because I am and have been the lead vocalist. I wrote all the songs, all the hits and I sang them. I was a solo artist and the leader of a band, it was perfect for me.
How was the title born? YMCAs. since you are at the heart of songwriting?
When we were making this album, Jacques told me that he was walking in the streets of New York and that he saw places like this called: YMCA He asked me what that meant, this what these letters represent. So I explained to him that it meant: Young Men’s Christian Union and he asked me: “What do you think of that? Do you think we should write a song about it?“And we said:”Yes why not ?“I told him I was going to do the music, he the lyrics and that’s how we wrote: YMCAs
What does this career represent for you?
It simply represents my life. What I have accomplished throughout my life. And that represents what I still do today and that I intend to continue to present, in particular to the French public, this July 1st.