Måneskin refuted accusations of queerbaiting that vocalist Damiano David and guitarist Thomas Raggi faced from haters for being heterosexual and having a gender-fluid style.
The term refers to the appropriation of the LGBTQIA+ cause and culture in order to gain popularity or financial return. Therefore, it's a marketing strategy that suggests non-existent relationships to attract public attention.
“There are some cases where this happens, but sometimes the accusations are so extreme,” bassist Victoria De Angelis in an interview with The Guardian queer people , who should be fighting against these stereotypes, to label it as that and create more hate. The fact that Raggi and David are heterosexual doesn’t mean they can’t wear makeup. Or heels. Many people are actually proud. But Italy is a very conservative country and they get intimidated by the fact that someone wears makeup or high heels, appears semi-nude or isn’t straight. But fuck them.”
Damiano also gave his side of the story: “Everything Thomas and I do is always filtered through the eyes of two people who are queer . Of course, we don't experience the same things, but we live very close to people in the community every day.”
Furthermore, the vocalist revealed that there is a conspiracy theory that the Italian band is being paid to promote queer .
David also responded to traditional fans that the group represents what modern rock and roll is. “I think the vision people have of us, and of me, is very off target. People think we behave like the Sex Pistols , or Mötley Crüe , but we're nothing like that… We have more education about the risks of drugs and how they affect your body. I don't even drink alcohol anymore.”
Last Friday, the 20th, Måneskin released his third album, Rush! (2023), which features mostly tracks in English.
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