‘We write all of our best music with gay people’: FLO on creating songs for their LGBTQ+ fans (EXCLUSIVE)
Their love for the community goes beyond their musical writing process, as member Renée Downer tells Attitude: "They are the reason we're here"
By Aaron Sugg
Girl group FLO, comprised of Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer, tell Attitude their best music has been written with gay collaborators.
Formed in 2019, the London-based trio skyrocketed to fame with their 2022 viral debut single, ‘Cardboard Box’, and are set to release their sophomore album Therapy at the Club this month (July).
In 2024, FLO released their debut studio album Access All Areas, and later in 2026 released ‘Leak It’, a track that has since become a queer classic.
Access All Areas by FLO was executive-produced by MNEK
Access All Areas was executive-produced and co-written with frequent collaborator MNEK, alongside writers Sevyn Streeter, Jozzy, Talay Riley and Kierran Rogers – who wrote the album’s intro featuring Cynthia Erivo.
Speaking to Attitude at the 2026 PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe, supported by British Airways, ahead of presenting Attitude cover star Cat Burns with her Pride ICON award, FLO expressed their love for the gay men who have changed the way they write.
“We [Kierran and FLO] started working together very early on in our careers, but we write some of our best songs with gay people,” says Downer. “Most,” adds Douglas. “All of them, really,” Downer continues.
FO praises their gay collaborators for helping them write their music
“You can just say anything to them and they’re like, ‘Yes, I understand what you’re saying’,” Quaresma explains.
Douglas says their gay collaborators know how to “word it [songs] in a sexy, funny way that we just can’t do.”
Their love for the community goes beyond their musical writing process, as Quaresma puts it: “They are the reason we’re here.”
FLO say the LGBTQ+ community help them “live every day as our true authentic selves”
“They also really inspire us to live every day as our true authentic selves, which is really important in this world,” says Downer.
Douglas echoes her fellow bandmates, admitting the queer community give FLO “purpose”. She adds: “I think knowing that we are impacting the lives of people that necessarily didn’t feel comfortable to live their authentic selves really makes us keep going, and best believe they are making sure we step out in the best outfit we could ever step out in.”