“I’m not America’s sweetheart, I’m more like Jeffrey Dahmer/Relatively be hated for what I’m than what I’m not,” Brooke Candy spits on “Freak Like Me”, a seething cut from her latest album SEXORCISM. Candy is a performer, musician, director, visual artist, freaky princess, high priestess of sluts all over the place. Having spent years in a record label purgatory that saw her fighting to maintain her subversive image, her message of queerness and sexual rise up that’s at odds with the industry machine, Candy stays a champion of the avant-garde and all of the scuzzy, uninhibited underground of artists with a freaky side. 

Think back to that iconic Grimes’ “Genesis” video, where a sherbert-braided Candy danced within the desert dust in a glance that recalls Hajime Sorayama’s feminine robot illustrations; the Dazed-produced “Everybody Does” video using geckos as accessories. Within the years since, she’s been garnering an indomitable discography and wealth of collaborators from Charli XCX to Rico Nasty and Lizzo, while her aesthetic has hopscotched from hypersexual femme cyborg, to a latex-dripping spin on the classic femme fatale, Siouxie Sioux 2.0, and BDSM kitty cat. Now she’s back with SEXORCISM, a testament of Candy at her truest, most confident self; a shocking display of sexual liberation and nonconformity across 12 tracks, a six-breasted feminine monster queen holding court on the confronting album cover art. 

Shot by photographer Roxy Lee for Dazed Beauty – who Candy met IRL for the primary time at London’s first Trans Pride march, which she covered for Dazed – Candy shows us a captivatingly raw side of herself. She’s stripped back to what she calls an “almost uncomfortable state”, naked, her most loved tattoos on display, devoid of make-up aside from singular swipes of cherry red lipstick and black eyeliner, avoiding retouching.

Today, Dazed Beauty speaks to Candy about her ongoing journey to self-love and body acceptance, and the way she fights the nice fight for reclaiming female sexuality together with her art and her aesthetic.

Let’s speak about this gorgeous shoot – it appears like a latest vibe for you.

Brooke Candy: So I met Roxy on the Trans Pride march in London – she was so cool, didn’t appear to be impressed by anything. I used to be like ‘fuck yeah, I really like you, I really like that’! The shoot felt uncomfortable for me in a way I needed – it was so raw and real. There’s little or no make-up, only one wig with long, dark hair, and nothing else covering my naked body in many of the shots. It scares the shit out of me to be exposed like that, but I attempt to do it as often as I can. Roxy’s work jogs my memory of Nan Goldin or a David LaChapelle fantasy. 

What’s it like for you as an artist, squaring those feelings of being uncomfortable or unsure of your body and look, while pushing what’s really an important message of sexual and self-liberation in your music?

Brooke Candy: I even have to consistently remind myself that the majority of the things I’m online have been through Facetune! Not understanding what was real and what was fake messed me up for some time. Even seeing the photos from this shoot threw me – like, this is actually what I appear like, without retouching. Sometimes I look within the mirror and I’m still unsure what’s really me. This shoot truly felt like a ‘wow’ moment – it’s coming at the suitable time, with this album, to feel not as bad about myself, to feel like I can love myself as I’m. 

That’s beautiful! Regardless of who you might be or where you might be in your life, how you’re feeling about yourself is an ongoing journey.

Brooke Candy: For real, it’s such a battle! But that also feels crazy to me that you could be on this self-destructive war with yourself – we don’t get to decide on this flesh that surrounds our soul, the sunshine and entity inside these bodies. Yes, we are able to mould and shape them to a certain extent, but there’s a lot power in accepting something you didn’t get to decide on, loving it anyway. But , it’s a symptom of capitalism, to not love yourself – you wish this La Mer moisturizer for $200, this mixing brush before you’re perfect. I believe it’s considered one of the good things on this hellish environment that we live in to do, just love yourself despite the rubbish we’re sold and the facade that’s put up online and off.

Sure – and we’re in that late stage of capitalism that we’re being sold back our own faces: Glossier’s ‘no make-up make-up’, Odd skincare.

Brooke Candy: We’re being sold this fake version of self-love and acceptance. “Look natural, but not too natural, the natural you’ve to pay for”. But then I’ve done make-up collaborations because I also imagine that make-up as a type of self-expression, it’s amazing. Hiding yourself, not a lot. Sometimes it’s about putting on a fucking mask and going crazy on stage, that’s cool too. 

“This shoot truly felt like a ‘wow’ moment – it’s coming at the suitable time, with this album, to feel not as bad about myself, to feel like I can love myself as I’m” – Brooke Candy

You’ve talked about coping with body dysmorphia before. How are you coping with that now?

Brooke Candy: Body dysmorphia and love is an ongoing struggle. Before shows I get anxious and I’ll eat less. That’s not healthy for the type of touring and performances I do, but then the costumes fit me in a different way and it gets me in these delusions that I even have to be this certain shape and size. I used to be taught that by people around me during my first record deal. Sometimes I could be on set, I might grab some food, and they might slap my hand. Now, I believe I’m recovering. I’m around quite a lot of women who’re like really really confident and don’t give a fuck about what they fucking appear like. Working with Lizzo was hugely fucking life-changing. And with my videos and my music, I’ve been putting myself within the uncomfortable position of being naked to face my fears. It’s attending to not be a fear anymore – I’m going to indicate you my saggy boobs, all my tattoos, the cellulite on my ass. I’ve also recently gotten sober, and that’s been good for my mental health.

How does this album reflect your current perspective in your sexuality and your self?

Brooke Candy: I’ve come a great distance I believe, and SEXORCISM is the height of what’s been a wild, tough journey. I grew up with a dad who worked for Hustler magazine, I frolicked in San Fransisco and LA and located a queer scene that I loved, I began stripping. Stripping is when I really began the journey to loving my body. I actually embraced my sexual identity. With this album, I just need to push this progressive agenda for sex and love and knowing your body. Sex is an avenue to so many great things – pleasure, knowing every little bit of yourself. It’s still frowned upon for ladies to be sexual beings and I wanted to indicate it in all of its amazing extremes. 

You’ve also been practising Japanese shibari – what has that been like?

Brooke Candy: That basically tested my body. It was a test of pain and endurance. I desired to see what I could possibly do under probably the most intense pain possible. Could I do a 30-minute set tied up in thick, tight bondage ropes? I actually began to know the tenacity I even have at my fingertips. 

I remember, before even working at Dazed, seeing that incredible “Everybody Does” video and wanting to know you more. 

Brooke Candy: God, I got $600 for that shoot and it’s still my best and most viewed! “Opulence” cost like over 1,000,000. Creativity trumps money any day. Any fucking day.

I’m interested by Grimes’ “Genesis” video too – how have you ever honed your visual identity over time? 

Brooke Candy: Once I started off, my aesthetic was very club-kid-meets-Hajime-Sorayama, transhumanism. We made my outfit for Grimes’ video out of metallic paper. I went through a period of blending cultural inspirations that I wouldn’t do now. Once I signed with Sony, they really toned down my image. 

I’ve had quite a lot of time to reflect, I’ve gotten all these tattoos and I’ve dyed my hair back too. Now, my aesthetic is driven by me, I’m proud to be my very own storyteller. Once I look within the mirror I can discover who ‘Brooke Candy’ is greater than I ever have before. I’m not that ‘crazy rat-braid girl’ or ‘blonde pop chick’ anymore. I feel like I lost myself for a very long time, and I finally found her – my music reflects that transition to my real self.

Tell me in regards to the cover art – you’re this six-breasted female monster, it’s incredible.

Brooke Candy: It was originally just going to be single art, but it surely totally blew me away. We were shooting and listening to very horny, ‘strippery’ anthems. I used to be squatting with my tongue out, all of it just got here together. It looks like a sexual exorcism. I mean, that is my sexorcism! It’s a release of what I’ve had pent up for years, sexually, creatively. I’m saying what I’ve been attempting to say for years. I mean, I’ve got a song about rimming with Aquaria and Violet Chachki!

“Stripping is when I really began the journey to loving my body. I actually embraced my sexual identity. With this album, I just need to push this progressive agenda for sex and love and knowing your body” – Brooke Candy

How has that drag scene been integral to what you do?

Brooke Candy: Drag culture has saved me from myself in a way – in my lowest moments with the ability to placed on a wig and perform a personality has helped a lot. It’s an escape into a wonderful life when possibly you don’t feel fabulous about yourself. Bob the Drag Queen and Detox have remixed our song “Rim”. Detox is like my nasty alter ego. I really like the culture and the power to flee.

Your partner Kyle England is a tattoo artist – how do you creatively interact with one another?

Brooke Candy: Once I was really depressed I covered myself with really depressing tattoos of guns and a guillotine. Kyle gave me all of those angels and flowers, old Renaissance statues, doves kissing. He helped me get better my body. The second I saw him, when he tattooed angels on my arm in a shack within the desert, it was love. My most up-to-date is my love birds tattoo – it’s so cute.

What’s a few of your most favourite recent looks?

Brooke Candy: At Charli XCX’s show in Portland, I wore these amazing silver lashes which were handmade by @byamelia.pdx – it was very Lady Gaga on the Met Ball. I really like working with Anthony Nguyen and Cuntress, and my primary is Jake Gallagher for hair.

What’s the perfect piece of recommendation you’ve got from make-up and hair artists?

Brooke Candy: These persons are incredible – they beat my face for hours, do my hair they usually’re the primary to lift me up when I want it; really, they only help me be positive. My favourite people on the planet are the those who I get to take a seat in a room and do hair and make-up. The glam team rule.