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

There is no real formula for sexiness; everyone has their own concepts. But if there were ever a recipe for it, John Duff is a cookbook full of ideas. The 36-year-old singer has released a new song called "Stick Up," and with it comes a video with two versions: one available on YouTube, and the other on OnlyFans.

Duff is pragmatic and knows his fan base. They want to see him in as little clothing as possible, belting out dance songs in videos with thirsty homoeroticism set amid bright colors and sumptuous set pieces. It is an assignment he understands, and he has done it without taking all of his clothes off for six years. His latest single, "Stick Up," ushers in his new era, a bottomless one both figuratively and literally. He has joined OnlyFans to promote the the new track's video, and, according to him, it's been a long time coming.

"I was performing at a Gay Pride in Chicago in June," Duff tells EDGE. "And when I left the stage one of the executives of OnlyFans was there and he said, 'You should join the platform.' It is something my fans have asked me to do for a long time. I knew if I was going to do it, I would want to do it right, and I'd want to have a message."

"Stick Up" definitely has a message. As he explains it, the song is about society and how people perceive morality. There is a fine line between having agency over yourself and being unknowingly forced to compromise your boundaries for cash. "Integrity is for the poor, and if you're rich then you're a whore," he sings in the video, which uses a strip club and its performers as a metaphor for this concept, with a seedy, pig-faced owner overseeing the dancers.

Much like the context of the song, Duff did a little moral compromising by making an adults-only version of the video for OnlyFans. The videos for his past bops, like "Girly" and "Rich," kept it PG. It wasn't until "Hokie Pokie" in 2020 that he began to let more flesh show.

He seems to live in an artistic space that celebrates sexuality beyond the fourth wall. He knows how to exploit the viewer's lust without being pornographic. It's a successful tactic, and gets him "likes"; however it keeps him from entering the mainstream, a realm Duff has yet to break into.

"I ultimately was like we are six years into this and nobody's opening the door for me," Duff says confidently. "I'm only getting older. So let me do something cool. This existing music video, just make another cut of it, show a little more, post some pictures that you know Instagram would take down."

Posting on OnlyFans isn't Duff's main focus; he is a talented singer with great range and artistic vision, something that has only gotten more refined since he got away from the restraints of abusing alcohol. He has been alcohol-free for six years, and it freed his need to control everything.

"I think stopping drinking changed the way I operated; it became a little more routine, and actually quite a bit more collaborative. It was more fun for me to go sit with other producers and writers and people, and come up with it together," he says. "So, you know what they say about addiction: It's a substitution for connection. Yeah. So, I've been able to maintain my creativity and get things done through connection, and it's probably been a driving force in keeping me clean."