Interview: Queer UK Based Pop Artist Le Fil Discusses His New Single/Video "Boyo"

We connected with Le Fil, a British-Chinese androgynous gay male pop artist based in London, for an exclusive interview to discuss to his brand new single and music video, “Boyo”. We also picked Le Fil’s brain about how his sexuality is reflected in the music that he creates, his fashion sense and how it intersects with his music, and what we can expect from him musically this year.

After reading our Q&A with Le Fil, be sure to connect with him on his website and social media, and listen to more of his music on Spotify.

Congratulations on the release of your new single "Boyo", and its visual. Tell us about your creative process for the song itself; also, who produced it?

Thank you, I’m so thrilled to release it finally. I had the hook and chorus in my head for a while, and really focused on getting the lyrical balance right so that it felt joyful and optimistic. It’s meant to look towards a time where we do actually question our choices around masculinity a bit more, but I also wanted it to be a summery song you can move to too.

It’s pop music with a message! It definitely felt like the song to lead the new chapter with as it really sets the tone for the next couple of releases, which are all songs I produced with a London team called The Animal Farm.

The music video for "Boyo" looked like a lot of fun. Where was it shot? Who directed it? Also, who were the guys that appeared in it?

The “Boyo” video was directed by me, and we filmed it back in my hometown of Brighouse, which is a small Yorkshire town in North England. As the song references my seven year old self and the process of learning about masculinity and my identity, I wanted to go back to the streets where I played as a kid and explore that literal journey of growing up. It was so much fun being back at home and the guys were absolutely amazing. I took them all to my parents house for lunch and my parents loved it. It was really important for me to cast a local team because back when I lived up there, all the creative jobs would always be in London or the big cities. I wanted to create some fun opportunities up there, so I put the word out on Facebook and through recommendations from my friends and even my past school teachers, we created this fab team.

How would you say that your sexuality is reflected in the music that you create?

My lyrics are all really personal and come from my experiences of relationships and interactions with people. As a gay man, I write about those experiences - whether it’s about the voyeuristic feeling of watching boys kick a ball around cars in Boyo or dating a straight man who has a partner already, like in my song “Nightlife”. I’m not scared to explore those feelings because I want to be honest.

Like most of my music references such as Kylie, Gaga, Madonna - I am strong with my sexuality, but most men in pop just shy away from the flamboyance of it. It’s so sexist, like you always see Jay-Z as the covered up guy, dad-dancing around a sexualised scantily clad Beyonce. Or even this year's Superbowl, J-Lo is in her nude illusion bodysuit dancing suggestively while both the rappers were fully covered, dancing around her. That gender power balance is the norm, for all of mainstream media. You never see a covered up female rapper dancing around a sexualised, scantily clad gyrating male singer in a nude illusion bodysuit, I want to be that! Let’s challenge the rules a little!

Following up on that last question, tell us about your fashion sense and how it intersects with your creativity as an artist?

Fashion, or more importantly, style, is a huge part of my work and communication with people. It’s how I express myself and how I try to find new ways of defining what it is to be a man. There’s so much more to play with than just a basic t-shirt and a pair of jeans to represent masculinity.

Like in ancient times, men had long hair or wore robes, which are basically dresses. We could do that now too, though if we do, the majority of public would call you a drag queen straight away or refer to you as a woman. I’m not trying to emulate a woman, I’m just trying to redefine what it means to be a man, hence me writing “Boyo”!

There’s so much drag in pop culture at the moment, with the majority of drag pastiching the opposite gender with fake boobs and fake hair, that when I appear with my long hair and eye make up, most people assume I’m woman, or in drag or transitioning.

There’s less about the fluidity of gender and androgyny which is what I try to do with my own style. I loved the androgyny of Boy George and David Bowie’s Ziggy; it felt creative. Even when I perform for Sink The Pink (a London LGBTQ collective), I always say I’m a boy whether or not I’m in my day looks or dressed up for the stage.

Unless I’m dressed specifically like Posh Spice for a Spice Girl performance, my stage look is basically an extension of myself. I’m not trying to become someone else, I’m just trying to be my very own superhero, an amped up me!

What are some things musically that you look forward to accomplishing this year?

I’m really excited about releasing the new music. Everything in this industry is all about the song. The power of that 3 minutes can launch shows, projects and bring new people together. So I’m looking forward to putting the new songs out and seeing what happens.

Previously I released two EPs, but this time I’m so excited to release them as individual singles instead, as there’s so much creative mileage you can have around each release.

Connect with Le Fil: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook