Petter Wallenberg

Welcome to the official site of Musician, Producer, Director, Author and Activist Petter Wallenberg. Information and updates from all of Petter's artistic and cultural projects can be viewed here, including Rainbow Riots, House of Wallenberg, and Bland drakar och dragqueens. See below for the latest updates from Petter's creative outputs.

News

19/6/18: Subtitled episode out now!

The subtitled version of the second episode of my podcast Rainbow Riots Radio is out on YouTube!

18/6/18: Financial Times!

Wow! My podcast Rainbow Riots Radio got a glowing review in leading global media outlet Financial Times!

14/6/18: I have written for Gay Star News!

I have written a piece for British news site Gay Star News which is out now:
"I’ve spent the last two years creating a new podcast called Rainbow Riots Radio, featuring queer stories from around the world. It’s both a web radio series and a musical collaboration I have made with some of the people I have met during my travels to fight for LGBTQ from Uganda to India, Australia, Jamaica and Nigeria.
I wanted to give voice to my queer brothers and sisters who are often silenced. Little did I know, that I would barely unveil the podcast before it nearly got silenced.
The first episode came out two weeks ago and features an intimate interview with 73-year old gay historian and author Lars Fimmerstad, who has lived through modern gay liberation and lost the love of his life during the Aids crisis in my native Sweden.
In this episode we touch upon how gay people were vilified and silenced in mainstream media and society, not that long ago.
It’s not an unfamiliar story, yet I had to fight to get it heard, as when I tried to run an ad for it on Facebook, they banned it, deeming the content too ‘political’.
I was surprised. As queer people, we didn’t choose to be political. We just want to live our lives like everybody else. When two straight people hold hands in the street it’s viewed as personal – when queer people do it, it’s viewed as political.
That a big American corporation censured our queer stories, was a dejavu moment to me.
I remember when I was fifteen, and another big American corporation, The Disney Company, stopped the British pop group Erasure from performing on Swedish TV because front singer Andy Bell is openly gay, which went against the brand’s ‘family values’. This was in 1992. It’s really not that long ago.

But people forget. Queer people forget. We are so eager to be accepted, that we happily bury the past and move on. But it’s important to remember our history, or it can easily repeat itself.
So I protested and I went to the media. Last week the Facebook ban of Rainbow Riots Radio was all over the Swedish news.
I think this helped my case, because after I demanded that they prepare a statement to the media, they finally budged and lifted the ban. ‘We have decided that the content is not political’ was Facebook’s somewhat puzzling explanation.
It just shows that it’s worth fighting your corner. But the battle is not over.
This is a conversation much larger than just content on Facebook. Many of the people who I have interviewed for Rainbow Riots Radio live in countries where it’s illegal and dangerous to be queer. In more than 70 countries around the world we as LGBTQ people risk being arrested for simply being ourselves. In regimes where we have no human rights – social media is often the the only voice we have. To take that away is to silence all of us.

If we get complacent, we risk losing our rights. Not just us queer people, but everybody. Before we know it, freedom of speech can be taken away. That’s why it’s important that we keep getting our voices heard.
Today we release the second episode of Rainbow Riots Radio, which is about Jamaica, a country so homophobic queer kids live in the sewers, fearing for their lives.
The guest this time is my friend and collaborator Mista Majah P, a Jamaican rapper who is one of the few taking a stand against homophobia. This can be a dangerous thing to do. During our talk, things got deadly serious, as he suddenly received a death threat.

No matter how far we have come, violent homophobia is still alive and kicking in 2018. This is what makes all queer lives political, regardless of whether we ourselves choose to be political or not."
Read here:

13/7/18: The second episode of my podcast is out today!

The second episode of my podcast Rainbow Riots Radio is out today: Episode 2: The Jamaican reggae artist who risks his life for gay rights
Rainbow Riots' founder Petter Wallenberg meets Mista Majah P, a Jamaican rapper and reggae artist who has a bounty on his head because he takes a stand against the violent homophobia in his country. To end the feature, Wallenberg and Majah P showcase their musical collaboration "Equal Rights" which is featured in a campaign for the UN's Global Goals.
Listen here:

Photo: Olav Holten

11/6/18: Gay Times Magazine!

"While we enjoy days of celebrations during Pride parades this summer, we must remember that the fight far far from over for many LGBTQ people across the world."
International LGBTQ magazine Gay Times wrote about the launch of my podcast Rainbow Riots Radio. Read here:

8/5/18: Swedish newspaper DN!

Today Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter wrote about how Facebook stopped the ad for my new podcast Rainbow Riots Radio and quoted me: "We didn’t choose to be political, we just want to live our lives. We want love just like everyone else. It’s the homophobia that makes it political”

7/6/18: Swedish news!

I was just interviewed by Swedish news show Kulturnyheterna about my fight with Facebook after they deemed my new podcast Rainbow Riots Radio "too political". Check it out here:

2/6/18: In newspapers all over Sweden!

Swedish News agency TT Spektra picked up the news about my new podcast Rainbow Riots Radio and blasted the news out in papers all over Sweden. Read the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet feature here:

1/6/18: QX magazine!

Qx magazine Sweden interviewed me about my new podcast Rainbow Riots Radio! Read here:

31/5/18: My new podcast out on Apple Podcasts!

My new podcast series Rainbow Riots Radio is now on Apple Podcasts! You can listen and subscribe to it for free. Every 2 weeks for the next 5 months there will be a new episode! Listen here:

30/5/18: My new podcast out today!

Today I launch my new podcast series Rainbow Riots Radio! A new episode will be released every 2 weeks, free to listen to and download!
Episode 1: A lifetime of modern gay history in Sweden
Rainbow Riots’ founder Petter Wallenberg visits 73-year old Swedish gay historian and author Lars Fimmerstadwho has lived through modern gay liberation. Through Lars’s memories we travel on a journey through the sexual revolution to the Aids crisis of the 80’s when he lost the love of his life.
Listen and download for free here:

28/5/18: DN interview!

Sweden's biggest newspaper Dagens Nyheter published an interview with me today. The headline reads: "Petter Wallenberg takes the queer fight to higher heights". Read the article here:

25/5/18: Radio P1 Kultur!

Jag var "divolog" och pratade om divor i Sveriges Radio P1. Vad är en diva och vad innebär det? Varför behövs divor? Jag gick loss totalt och här kan ni höra det. Jag kommer in från 16:06 minuter in. Här kan ni höra programmet:

23/5/18: US blog support!

My project Rainbow Riots keeps getting support from the US hiphop world! American blog Triple HQ are pushing "We Need Love" the latest track I made, featuring Ugandan artist Brayo Music. View post + video here:

21/5/18: I have created a new podcast!

‘RAINBOW RIOTS RADIO’ - QUEER STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD OUT MAY 30th!

I'm excited to finally launch my new project: A podcast that I have created and am presenting, called Rainbow Riots Radio - queer stories from around the world!

The show features interviews with people that I and my team have met during our travels around the world. All the music is created by me, featuring some of my guests on vocals.

Rainbow Riots Radio is out on May 30th with a new episode every 2 weeks. Available on iTunes and all major digital platforms. Keep up to date here:

14/5/18: Italian media support!

"We Need Love" - the new single I have written and produced for my project Rainbow Riots, featuring Ugandan singer Brayo Music is getting media support in Italy! Read here:

6/5/18: Jag är med i Sveriges Radio Live på Kulturhuset!

På tisdag kommer jag att vara med på Sveriges Radio live på Kulturhuset Stadsteatern i Stockholm kl 18 för att prata om divor tillsammans med sopranen Cornelia Beskow och sångaren Rickard Söderberg.

Kom och hör mig prata om mina favoritdivor, divan genom historien och vem som är/inte är en diva!

Mer info hittar ni här:
P1 Kultur live på scen: Leve divan – Birgit Nilsson 100 år.

4/5/18: Gay Times Magazine!

Gay Times Magazine called my new Rainbow Riots single "We Need Love" a "Pride anthem". Read here:

2/5/18: TV 4 Nyhetsmorgon!

Imorse medverkade jag i TV4:s Nyhetsmorgon med mitt projekt Bland drakar och dragqueens som mina sagodrottningar framförde LIVE inför en sprattlig publik av femåringar! Här kan se klippet:

30/4/18: My new single out now!

Out now: The new single “We Need Love” which I have written and produced for my project Rainbow Riots, featuring Ugandan singer Brayo Music on vocals.
“We Need Love” is the final single from the album Rainbow Riots featuring queer voices from some of the world’s most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people. All proceeds go towards fighting inequalities towards LGBTQ people in Uganda.
“We Need Love is a song targeting hate and discrimination” said Petter Wallenberg and Brayo Music. ”The song is a direct message from the victims of hate and discrimination to the masses. As the lyrics explain, all we need is love, nothing less and nothing more.”
Buy on iTunes:
Stream on Spotify:

27/4/18: World premiere at Gay Star News!

I have written a produced a new protest song ”We Need Love” in collaboration with Ugandan singer Brayo Music. The world premiere of the video is at Gay Star News, who called the track a ”dance anthem” and wondered if it could be 2018’s unexpected hit. Hear the song, see the video and read the interview with me and Brayo Music here:

19/4/18: 100 000 views on YouTube!

The video I have directed, "Set Me Free", now has over 100 000 views on YouTube! This is a great success for me, my organisation Rainbow Riots and the Ugandan LGBTQ movement. The world is listening!

12/4/18: Italian media coverage!

I'm very pleased that my project Rainbow Riots keeps getting recognition and media support around the world. This time in Italy! Read here:

6/4/18: New single out!

Out now: The new single ”Pride And Prejudice” that I have written and produced for my project Rainbow Riots!

I recorded ”Pride And Prejudice” with a spoken word poet and choir vocals by my Ugandan collaborators Rainbow Riots Uganda.
All proceeds go towards Rainbow Riots' work empowering the Ugandan LGBT community.

Stream on Spotify:

Buy on iTunes:

Cover photo: Tania Marti
Design by: Johan Mauritzson

23/3/18: UK music platform!

"Using music to give the marginalised a voice, bring those together who thought they’d never belong, and reconcile outdated views, Rainbow Riots is a project which prides itself greatly on the achievements of these once neglected, amazing individuals."

British music platform Keep Hush championed my project Rainbow Riots and posted our video "Equal Rights", which is part of a campaign for the UN's Global Goals. Read here:

20/3/18: BBC interview!

BBC Cultural Frontline interviewed me and my Ugandan collaborator Kowa Tigs about how my Rainbow Riots project came about during the violent police raid of Pride Uganda 2016. To hear the feature and see the photo montage of our work in Uganda by Tania Marti and Kamoga Hassan, click here:
“Uplifting, defiant, uptempo… The ultimate protest…this is advocacy” - Tina Daheley, BBC Cultural Frontline

15/3/18: Radio P4 Stockholm!

Idag var jag inbjuden till P4 Stockholm för att prata live om min föreställning Bland drakar och dragqueens där dragartister framför sagor för barn. Med mig hade jag dragartisten Inga Tvivel AKA Jan Ericsson och vi pratade om hur denna smått galna idé blivit så populär.

13/3/18: Radio P1!

P1 Kultur gjorde idag ett reportage om mitt senaste projekt Bland drakar och dragqueens, där dragartister framför sagor för barn. De besökte mig och min sagodrottning Carnita Molida på vårpremiärens sagostund som ägde rum i mina gamla barndomshoods i Farsta. Lyssna på inslaget här:

8/3/18: Advisor to the government!

I’ve just been to a meeting with Sweden’s governmental international development agency Sida.
I was invited as one of the advisors for the development of new strategies in Uganda - and of course I made myself very clear about the need for equality for LGBTQ people.
If we keep fighting, a change will come step by step!

7/3/18: My song at Mardi Gras in Australia!

It makes me proud that ”Freedom", the song I wrote and produced, was a marching song in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the legendary Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia!

"Freedom" is taken from the album "Rainbow Riots" that I composed and produced, featuring queer voices from some of the world’s most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people. All proceeds go towards fighting inequalities towards LGBTQ people in Uganda.

Buy on iTunes: https://goo.gl/DJ7ty8
Stream on Spotify: https://goo.gl/2RVw1G

27/2/18: Brazilian magazine!

It's thrilling to see that my project Rainbow Riots has such a big following in South America! Here is a big interview with us by a Brazilian web magazine:

26/2/18: French magazine!

If you speak French - check this out: French website Djolo wrote an article about my project Rainbow Riots and the new single "Set Me Free" that I have composed and produced, and the video I directed for it.
Read article here:

23/2/18: Bland drakar och dragqueens vårturné!

Här kan ni se filmen jag regisserat om Bland drakar och dragqueens!

Bland drakar och dragqueens är min föreställning där de kända svenska dragartisterna Robert Fux, Carnita Molida och Inga Tvivel framför sagor för barn på bibliotek
.
Efter succén med den fullbokade premiärsäsongen på Stadsbiblioteket är det nu dags för barn i hela Stockholm att få ta del av Bland drakar och dragqueens!

Detta är vårens datum:

*Farsta Bibliotek – Söndag 18:e februari 12.00 och 13.00
*Kista Bibliotek – Söndag 18 mars 14.00
*Kista Bibliotek – Söndag 15:e april 14:00
*Farsta Bibliotek – Söndag 6 maj 12.00 och 13.00
*Skärholmens Bibliotek – Lördag 2:a juni kl 14:00
Bokning sker via respektive bibliotek.
Arrangeras med stöd från Stockholm Stad och Kulturrådet.

21/2/18: My new video has 90 000 + views!

Check out the latest single “Set Me Free” that I have written and produced for my Rainbow Riots project featuring Ugandan singers Kowa Tigs and D Black. I also directed the video which was filmed in Uganda and now has over 90 000 views!
"Set Me Free" is the new single taken from the album "Rainbow Riots" composed and produced by me, featuring queer voices from some of the world’s most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people. Buy here:
All proceeds go towards Rainbow Riots' work against inequalities towards LGBTQ people in Uganda.

20/2/18: Bland drakar och dragqueens vårturné!

När jag var liten kastade de sten på en om man stack ut från manlighetsnormen. Igår stod barnen på kö för att få glitter av vår dragqueen Carnita Molida. Det var nämligen turnépremiär för föreställningen jag skapat, Bland drakar och dragqueens - i mina gamla hoods i Farsta.

Det kändes viktigt att ta ut det här projektet till barn som inte bor i innerstan och extra kul att börja i Farsta. Vi förändrar världen en sagoläsning åt gången!

Följ Bland drakar och drqgqueens här:

20/1/18: Award!

I have received an award from the Stockholm Arts Council!

The jury’s motivation:

”Petter Wallenberg has a strong music profile which innovates the club scene through inclusiveness and solidarity. With his heart in queer culture he lifts house music to new colourful heights”