Fi McCluskey is bringing the bite back to socially conscious pop music

Raised in Dagenham and forged in the fires of London’s queer nightlife, Fi McCluskey has become a regular fixture at spaces like The Glory and The Divine, as both a performer and part of the community.

We catch up with Fi looking toward an empowered future and discuss queer voices, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and retiring to a desert island with Sharon Le Grand…

Congratulations on your recent single release ‘Scream’ and the hugely successful listening party at The Divine in Dalston. What made you choose this beloved LGBTQIA+ venue as the place to platform your new single?

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I am very excited to share ‘Scream’ with the world. The evening was fantastic, there was so much love and support in the room. Jonny Woo, John Sizzle and I go way back, but that’s another story for another time… Apart from being friends, I managed ‘The Glory’ for three years, so I know first-hand just how supportive they both are. Amazing artists in their own right, they know the hustle and have your back. For me it was a bit of a no-brainer; it felt like coming home.

With so many angles to your “sonic activism”, what is the importance to you of creating space to uplift queer voices in your artistry?

The queer community has been extremely good to me. I have found a loving home and have forged lifelong friendships. Human rights unfortunately are not a given, we must always be on our guard for fascism. With the world leaning towards the far right, especially with the terrifying situation coming out of the United States, now is not the time to be quiet. Trans rights, gay rights are human rights, and as allies we must speak up and while we are at it be LOUD! It is extremely important to me to uplift queer voices, and do so with love, and with solidarity.

The song is about embracing individuality, a theme sure to resonate with the LGBTQIA+ community among others. Beyond your powerful persona and brilliant activism, what can you tell us about yourself as an individual?

It’s a story as old as time, I suppose you could say I was one of the so-called ‘weird kids’ at secondary school. The first three years felt like three hundred. I would look forward to going home at the end of the day so I could watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I would think to myself ‘if only I had magical powers, I could zap myself to just about anywhere else’. This ‘character building exercise’, otherwise known as school, taught me resilience and empathy. As an adult I realised that being creative and thinking differently is in fact a magical power, and I had it all along. I believe this is why later in life I found a home within the queer community and have been embraced. These characteristics connect us.

The video is equally compelling, directed by the fabulous Josh Quinton. What made you want to work with him and how did the two of you arrive at such stark and stirring visuals?

Josh Quinton is a creative genius, we have worked together on a previous project, ‘Christmas Bitch’ so the rapport was already there. We knew we wanted to push boundaries and were both up for a challenge. We spoke about a dark palette, fever dreamscapes that embodied the song’s themes. From here we would weave our work together. Josh went away to return with the most magnificent storyboard. Credit where credit is due, his brainchild was just extraordinary; the dystopian, film noir world was perfect. My longing for a deeper human connection and Josh’s handcrafted methods of creativity went hand in hand. We wanted to celebrate this, particularly in the era of AI generated art, whilst also sticking two fingers up at big tech and their continuous theft of creative intellectual property. This is a huge problem and needs to be treated as such.

How important are visuals to your art?

The visuals are extremely important to me. I write in a very cinematic style, as in, whilst I’m writing, I simultaneously see scenes racing through my mind. They are clear as day. I long for impassioned exhilaration for example, or a Jan Svankmajer Alice through the Looking Glass effect, surrealist beauty. I catch myself saying things like ‘this would be the part where she finally escapes to freedom and runs dramatically down the beach, wearing a long silk flowing dress (that’s been really fucked up, but still looks fabulous)’. With the waves crashing against the rocks, let’s give them banshee, raw, animalistic drama. As the saying goes ‘you can say a thousand words with just one image’. The possibilities for expression and sensory stimulation, I find delectable. I love an opportunity to collaborate with other creatives; it’s one of my favourite things to do. Other creatives bring their perspective and talent to the table, and to bounce ideas around and watch them grow, elevate, twist and flourish, it’s a buzz. When the chemistry is there, it’s electric.

Other collaborations have included prominent figures in the LGBTQIA+ community such as Sharon Le Grand, Jonny Woo, Honey Dijon and Hannah Holland. How did those opportunities come about and what was it like to work with them?

The beautiful truth is that all these collaborations and opportunities happened extremely organically. Finding hedonism and like-minded creative individuals was like finding utopia. For characters like us collaboration is a natural progression. Obviously where Sharon and I are concerned, it is autobiographic. Who doesn’t love a good spin in the sack with Santa and two bottles of tequila? It’s what Christmas is all about after all. FYI Sharon and I are still hopeful for that Christmas no.1.

You’ve said that “Artists have the ability to turn emotion into something tangible”. A title like ‘Scream’ is visceral, rage, and reactionary. Meanwhile, your music and message are considered, thoughtful and methodical. Which is more potent in your songwriting? Do your songs come as a raw, immediate feeling that you translate into a statement, or is your art more a matter of channeling emotion into a predetermined framework?

This is my belief yes; just think about any time you have been moved by a piece of music. This connection is primal. Art is an offering, a connection; albums get people through life’s ups and downs. I find creating extremely therapeutic. This process varies; however, I love to jam, particularly over a heavy repetitive bassline. I get into a hypnotic state, tap into a different zone and build from there. To scream is also to release and to let it all out.

On your previous releases ‘Die Young’ and ‘Empty Space’, womanhood is a significant theme. With ‘Scream’, you are moving into broader territory. Do you think this is a natural progression or has the increasing scope been a reaction to the world around you?

The world can be a beautiful place, unfortunately, now it’s getting increasingly more difficult to remember this. Yes, womanhood is a prominent theme that is present in a lot of my work. I am a strong woman and proud of that. As it has taken me years to become a strong woman within a patriarchal society. Not difficult, not ballsy, not opinionated, as if that’s a negative thing to be. Or any other adjective they like to throw in front of the noun woman. When essentially, they are describing a strong woman. Until the 90s it was legal for a husband to rape his wife, within the UK. We still have a very long way to go, it’s impossible not to be vexed by this. The men that built these societal systems did so to fully benefit. The same men, and they are a specific type of man – just take Donald Trump, JD Vance, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk for example, we could go on – they are a disgrace. Men like this are responsible for the world’s oppression. Shining a light on these matters with the hope that, in turn, it will initiate conversation, I feel this is a good place to start. I believe art possesses the ability to do this. It can offer a different perspective or provide like minds solace. This is why demonstrations and protests are fundamental, the act of coming together is a powerful thing.

In the past, you’ve called social media “narcissistic pornography” — how do we tame it, and make it a positive platform for promoting awareness and social growth? Is that possible at all?

I stand by this statement; as personally, I find influencer culture grim. Just feels very tone deaf, particularly in the current climate. If we could all collectively stop giving them any attention that would be bliss. Normalising sharing everything about us is alarming. We seem to be rapidly losing the need for privacy. On the flipside, social media has facilitated revolutions; it is helping get information out of Palestine right now.

Let’s talk about the future. Despite the problematic societal norms you challenge, do you envision a positive outcome?

We must always keep the faith; it’s the only way, within our communities, and beyond. I am a firm believer in transversal alliances. Dialogue is important.

What are your musical plans for the rest of the year?

I am back in the studio working on my next EP with some exciting collaborators. I’m feeling very inspired to build the live show and to explore incorporating various horns and strings to add an element of dissonance and discord. I’ll be taking you by the hand and inviting you further down the garden path… I hope you enjoy the ride.