‘I’ve been around fetish culture since I was about 18’: SAFIRE on unapologetic desire and new single ‘EROTICA’

Independent artist SAFIRE‘s new single ‘Erotica’ is out now, the latest instalment in a discography she counts as her 14th independent, self-funded release.

Behind it sits a queer, trans, non-binary and female-led production team, months of planning on a tight budget, and one woman doing every job on set herself – creative director, art director, casting, booking agent.

It also lands after what SAFIRE describes as the hardest stretch of her career, two years of homelessness she’s only recently begun speaking about publicly. Attitude caught up with her to talk through the mood boards, the fetish culture and the grind behind ‘EROTICA’.

Attitude: For anyone who doesn’t know SAFIRE, describe yourself in three words…

SAFIRE: Contradictory. Perfectionist. Ambivert!

You just dropped ‘EROTICA’. What’s the track about, and where did it start?

I think we need to hear more about female sexuality. I’m tired of it being diluted or packaged up to make it more comfortable for everyone. I wanted to write something about sexuality that felt empowering and maybe a bit provocative in places. I write very visually, so I normally start with a mood board, and ‘EROTICA’ was actually one of the song titles sitting on one of my mood boards.

The mood board had images from Madonna’s Sex book alongside kink and fetish imagery,
intimate photographs of couples, quotes and poems. I use all of that as a way of getting into a
world before I write, rather than just sitting down and trying to write lyrics from nothing.

The video is… hot, and you directed it yourself. Where did the concept start?

We owe quite a bit of that the Callum Sterling’s butt! I knew very early on that I wanted to work with a gay man so that I could have a masculine physique in the video. I wanted to feel completely comfortable being myself on set, and I knew I wouldn’t have felt as safe or as relaxed exploring that kind of work with a straight man… I wanted it to feel like you’d found somewhere you weren’t supposed to be… I wanted to put this beautiful, powerful woman into that environment and create a contrast between the two. I’ve also been around fetish culture since I was about 18… I think the fetish community is one of the safest communities I’ve ever been around. There are very clear boundaries. You have to ask permission… I really admire that confidence to express yourself sexually while also taking responsibility for the space you’re creating.

Your creative team brings together queer, trans, non-binary and female talent. Was that a deliberate decision?

I don’t think there’s enough representation of those people in the industry. I know statistically that the industry is still predominantly made up of cis white men, so any opportunity I get to work with people who are underrepresented, that’s who I want to platform and give my money to. I pay for everything myself, so it’s not like I have this huge budget to distribute, but whatever I can give, I want it to go to those people. I think that matters.

You’ve spoken about a difficult few years. How did that change the way you work?

I was homeless for a couple of years when I started releasing some of my music… I got evicted from my home because I had long COVID and couldn’t work properly… Another crazy thing is that I made an album for Sony in a friend’s attic during that period… The biggest thing it’s changed for me is my determination. I think, if you can make work while you’re fucking homeless, then you can make work through pretty much anything

What comes next after ‘EROTICA’?

‘PHANTASM’ comes out on 9 October, then I have a BBC Live Lounge performance on 29 October. Then I’ll be dropping ’11:11′ in early November. I’m already writing and getting the next body of material ready.

Smash Hits magazine sadly folded years ago, but we still love to ask this classic question anyway: if you were a biscuit, what kind would it be and why?

I’d be a Belgian triple chocolate cookie, filled with chocolate chunks! Very sweet, lots of layers and surprises, but there’s definitely a warning label somewhere.