.jpg) |
| John Duff |
In “Somebody’s Daughter,” his crooning ballad about unattainable and momentarily-rewarding sexual relationships, out artist John Duff turns the tables on gay baiting music artists like Harry Styles, Charlie Puth, and Nick Jonas. “Honestly, every artist today is gay baiting and LGBTQ+ media eats it up,” he says. “Maluma took off his shirt; give it a grid post! As though every freaking gay isn’t posting shirtless pictures every day. It’s exhausting. That’s why I’m going against the grain in my new song and video - I’m straight baiting. Maybe, now, I can be fetishized too.” John Duff’s “Somebody’s Daughter” is being distributed independently and will be available Friday, September 1 on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video will available on YouTube.
“You see, when you start out gay in the industry, you’re reduced to being a niche artist or comedy act,” John Duff asserts from his Los Angeles home. “I have been told over and over that the themes of my music aren’t ‘for everyone,’ so I wrote a super misogynistic song that now ‘everyone’ can enjoy.”
Produced by John Duff, Alex Delicata, Eren Canatta, and Luke Moellman, “Somebody’s Daughter” is about a phenomenon many young people, gay and straight, face today. They want love but then devote all of their energy on heated one night hook ups, rather than on relationships with substance.
The visual, directed by Shawn Adeli (who also directed John Duff’s “High Heels” video), reflects on the song’s theme. It spotlights a couple that are clearly not right for one another, but takes the story a step deeper by exploring the underground world of adult porn and social media platforms like OnlyFans where users pay influencers for access to exclusive, often salacious, content.
Duff was inspired to take this direction for the video when the respectability of his work was questioned by another gay music artist. “I felt judged for my overt sexuality. He said, ‘audiences want a spiritual connection, not sex.’ I told him that’s code for: no one wants to see you naked.”
“My spirit is wild, fun, and free and as a performer, I am shameless,” John Duff continues. “As far as I’m concerned, shamelessness in your body and sexuality is a step toward enlightenment. Not away.”
He views porn as an art form - “Sex is theatre and bodies are sculptures” - and champions freedom of sexuality. It’s why he has decided to bust out of the closet as not-not straight. “Like how Diplo is not-not gay,” he explains. “I can’t confirm or deny, I’m just saying I’m not-not and seeing how that goes over when I spin it the other way.”
As far as the kissing scene with actress Nellie Salisbury, his co-star in the video, John Duff insists it wasn’t his first experience with a female. “To paraphrase Diplo, I’m pretty sure I hookup with women all the time.”
John Duff’s “Somebody’s Daughter” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video is available on YouTube. Follow John Duff on Facebook and Instagram @ iamjohnduff
.jpg)
