Welcome to Archer’s Queer Fashion Files! Each month, we interview trendsetters and tastemakers, showcasing the diversity and talent of the fashion world. You can check out all episodes of our Queer Fashion Files here.

In Episode 22, Hailey Moroney chats to Fresh Hex about sound, gender expression, the music industry and more.

Fresh Hex has spent their career building a sound that thumps in your chest and lingers in your head. A razor-sharp producer and boundary-pushing songwriter with a background rooted in sweaty club corners, they most recently emerged with a debut EP called teenager that was less of an introduction and more of a revelation. 

Beyond the studio, they’re a DJ’s DJ, the choice to open for genre-shaping icons like SOPHIE, Ninajirachi, Cashmere Cat, & Alison Wonderland. Their debut Mix Up for Triple J, earlier this year, set the station ablaze, with Mix Up host Kailyn Crabbe declaring that “Fresh Hex is a star in the making”. 

They’ve recently stepped out from behind the decks to grab the mic. Their new live show, which debuted at SXSW Sydney, brought the energy, strobe lights and sweat you’d expect from someone who’s been waiting their whole life to make this kind of noise.

All images by: Hailey Moroney

Hailey Moroney: Howdy, Fresh Hex! Long-time fangirl, first time interviewing.

Fresh Hex: Hi! It’s a pleasure to be both fanned and interviewed – thank you for having me.

HM: Let’s jump straight into the juicy stuff. Can you talk to our audience about your identity journey? Share as much or as little as you please. 

FH: I’m comfortably non-binary now but it took me a long time to really understand what that meant to me and for it to feel legitimate (turns out you can have imposter syndrome in the queer community).

I grew up with very long (and beautiful) hair and looked extremely feminine prior to puberty. Because of this, I was almost always referred to as ‘she’ by those who didn’t know me. I played soccer as a kid and I have these really vivid memories of boys on the other team refusing to shake my hand after matches because they thought I was a girl. Sometimes I saw boys walk into the bathroom I was in and back out in a panic to check they were in the right bathroom. (This obviously still happens, and once I’ve assessed that I won’t be physically assaulted for embarrassing someone, it’s very entertaining.)

Of course, by the time high school rolled around, the real bullying began. I won’t repeat the names used, but let’s just say they didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel.

For a long time I didn’t feel comfortable putting myself under the ‘queer’ banner because I had a very narrow understanding of what queerness was. A lot of that changed in the last 5 years: I have a partner who is INCREDIBLY supportive of me and has helped me to explore and nurture my gender identity.

Future enbys: avoid issues, date a pansexual!

HM: You just got back from SXSW Sydney. How was this experience? 

FH: I loved every second of it and I met so many wonderful people, fans, industry, fellow artists.

It was the debut of my proper live show as Fresh Hex, so I was very nervous and excited. I went in super prepared: I’d hired a space for three weeks beforehand and rehearsed non-stop. The shows marked the beginning of my live era and I can’t wait to play more shows. I saw some killer acts too.

HM: Who should we check out?

FH: Kidskin is an almighty entity. Kai Cult turned a tiny room into an insane moshpit in less than 30 seconds. Sacred Hearts blew me away with their new wave 80s-tinged sound. And Jasmine.4.t warmed the hearts of all.

HM: You used to DJ for your shows. Why did you want to make it a genuine live performance? Talk us through the process of breaking out of the studio and onto the stage.

FH: For me, DJing stopped feeling like an authentic mechanism for expression a while ago. It feels less exciting than it used to (although it’s still very fun). I wanted to perform every vocal live, to play and manipulate sound in real-time, and to leave myself room to improvise and change the show each performance.

I can confirm that no matter how many cables you think you’ll need, you’ll probably need more, so buy in bulk.

I’m proud of the show I built and there’s so much more I want to do, but I kind of ran out of money. There does come a time when you say to yourself: “Okay, stop. Maybe save that bit for next year.” I can’t wait to keep building it out and adding more live elements.

HM: You’ve been in the music industry since you were 18. What words of advice do you have for LGBTIQA+ young people interested in the music industry? It’s changed so much compared to when you came up, but you’ve navigated and adapted to the change. This isn’t common, and is a strength. How do you do it?!

FH: Listen to me: there’s nothing stopping you from making sounds and learning the craft – and doing that right now. We are living in a technological revolution and access to sound generation tools has never been easier. Don’t buy into the software vs hardware thing – there’s no battle, you can achieve incredible things without spending dumb amounts of money on hardware. Analogue purists aren’t very fun people to be around.

I really want to see more trans and gender non-conforming people in music, particularly atop the Billboard 100. Take a look at the charts of the last 20 years of popular music and you will struggle to find a song that was produced by someone who isn’t a man. The only way to disrupt it is to start.

I would like to note that it was great to see Margo XS of deBasement be so heavily involved in Zara Larsson’s album.

Regarding the shifts in the industry, change is inevitable and it moves faster every day, so be prepared for whatever worked yesterday to stop working tomorrow. Pop stars are constantly reinventing themselves: their look, their sound, their vision – don’t get stuck in the trap of thinking you can’t reinvent everything about your artistic project. It’s yours!

HM: If I’m new to Fresh Hex, which release do I listen to first?

FH: I would recommend starting with my debut EP, teenager.

HM: Okay, so now you’ve done SXSW Sydney – you’ve debuted the live show – what’s next?

FH: I’m off to London to do some writing with two of my favourite artists, Callie Reiff and Gregor McMurray, and a million other people. We’ve hired a studio for two weeks so that’ll be non-stop, and we’re playing some shows together in between sessions.

HM: Can we expect new music soon? Drop the goss.

FH: The next release is called AAA again again again, and it’s a sonic rework of teenager. I thought it was ready to come out in July but I was quite wrong; I feel there’s more to be done there before I feel ready. I can’t confirm the release date yet, but soon!

You can catch DJ sets from Fresh Hex in London on Nov 6 supporting Just For Fun at The Greygound in Peckham, then Pussypop in Shoreditch later that night; Thurs Nov 13th at The Glove That Fits with Callie Reiff and Gregor McMurray; and at Tourist Trap (Nachbar) in Amsterdam Saturday, Nov 15th.

If you want to pitch an idea for Archer’s Queer Fashion Files, email pitch@archermagazine.com.au with ‘QUEER FASHION FILES’ in the subject line. You can check out the rest of our Queer Fashion Files here.