EDGE Interview: John Duff is in the Buff on OnlyFans but it's his Bottomless Musical Talent that's on Display

Duff is still very active in the creative process for every video. He lays out the treatments, which are typically a series of image and movie references.

"If you think you're making something new, you just don't know what you're doing," Duff contends, suggesting that originality has become a form of imitation. "Everything's been done. So, you know, you pull pictures that represent the lighting, and you pull pictures that represent the shot. I bring in people who are very good at what they do. 'Be Your Girl' and 'Stick Up' are both entirely queer teams of people, which has been such an awesome thing for me to be able to do."

Duff says his pronouns are he/him, and he has a boyfriend. That would make him a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but Duff's not about labels.

"That's what I am, you know, to make it easy for everyone," he says. "I find the boxes get a little dangerous for all of us. Why place such limitations on your life?"

But some freedoms are lost when you're in a relationship. What did his boyfriend think of him appearing in the buff for "Stick Up"?

"Hates," he says. "You know, he looked at it, and it's very artsy and cool. And honestly, if you watch the video, it's kind of funny."

Duff doesn't think there is shame in professional nudity for cash on an adult content platform. But he does say that for some gay artists it's viewed as a nail in their coffin. Whether the same is true for heterosexual creators or women he can't say, but he believes gay guys already have some moral judgment against them from the establishment, "so they're looking for an even more cookie-cutter version of a person."

Duff is aware of the stigma around doing sexually explicit content, and he doesn't have any plans of going into the industry, but he jokingly says he's willing to do something morally compromising to get to the next level. So far, that hasn't happened.

His latest album, "Greatest Hits," is an aggregated sample of his artistic range. From the funky musical theater vibe of "Forgotten How to F**k" to the heartfelt swagger of "Nobody to Love," there should be no reason he hasn't landed on the contemporary charts. He feels differently about that.

"I came out the gate with the song 'Girly' and the video, and it went viral," he says. "And I had a very strong image and brand. That was not all of me, clearly, as I've continued to express myself, but it has limited me, right? We live in a social media algorithm world. So I can put out a beautiful adult contemporary album like I did this year, but my audience wants to see me in a belly shirt, do dance music. And so, because I have nothing to support me, no one to get me in front of the right people, essentially, I have to keep feeding the beast."

Now that his album is out and he's entered OnlyFans, Duff is taking some time for himself. He says he is interested in bodybuilding and possibly participating professionally; he already has a coach. But he is hoping that "Stick Up" will be successful.

"So, there's part of me that says, 'Hey, if this thing takes off, we're ready to go'," he chuckles. "If it doesn't take off, I'm taking a nap."