Following up our March 2026 interview with Benjó James, we dive deeper into the music, lyrics, and man behind the Flowers for Juno curtain.
Coyote Music: You’ve mentioned loving pop songwriting but filtering it through darker and more experimental production. Are there any mainstream pop artists that you think "secretly" share DNA with goth or post-punk music?
Flowers For Juno / Benjó James: Lady Gaga's latest record "MAYHEM" is the best example of taking gothic industrial and making it radio friendly.
CM: Your music has an interesting push-and-pull between glamour and decay—beautiful melodies alongside distorted textures and damaged aesthetics. Do you consciously chase that contrast, or is it a by product of just "you being you"?
FFJ / BJ: The latter. In my head I'm writing a simple pop song, but when it comes to its realisation there's overdrive and glitching and perverse samples everywhere.
CM: I feel like many of your songs feel very immediate and instinctive, almost like they were captured in a single emotional burst. Do you usually overthink songs afterward, or do you trust the first impulse and just run with it?
FFJ / BJ: I get all of my songs released within a week of starting to record them. I want to capture that authenticity, even if the final product is flawed.
CM: You’ve referenced analogue textures and distressed media a lot. Do you think modern music has become too clean sonically and visually?
FFJ / BJ: 100%. Metal especially. Far too air conditioned.
CM: A lot of artists today carefully curate their public image online. Your responses almost seem intentionally detached from that kind of strategy. Is avoiding over-explaining yourself part of the appeal of Flowers for Juno? Along those lines, your streaming platforms have about 10 times as many followers as your more visual social profiles--same question rephrased: is that intentional, or just reflective of your artistic focus?
FFJ / BJ: I actually specifically avoided interviews initially; if it were possible to have ZERO social media presence or whatever I'd do that. I prefer keeping the attention solely on the music. Too many people in bands spend more time trying to be 'influencers' than doing actual music.
CM: Since you record so much yourself, do you ever struggle with knowing when a song is actually finished, or could you tweak mixes and arrangements forever?
FFJ / BJ: Definitely the latter, which is why I just get it out as soon I can to avoid this.
CM: You mentioned the recent singles leaning more into the influence of Type O Negative. Are there any other artists or albums that heavily shaped the current era of Flowers for Juno?
FFJ / BJ: Type O Negative - October Rust My Bloody Valentine - Loveless SALEM - King Night Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral Electric Wizard - Dopethrone Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger Seal - Seal Off the top of my head these are the records that most inform current Flowers for Juno.
CM: Your lyrics often reject the stereotypical “sad outsider” themes associated with darker music scenes. Do you think goth and alternative culture sometimes takes itself too seriously?
FFJ / BJ: It's not so much that...but goth is socially acceptable now. You're not truly an outsider, you're just LARPing. They want the dangerous credibility that goths had in the 80s and 90s but without any of the social risk. People forget how uncommon having a tattoo was 30-40 years ago...their used to be a genuine stigma. You're not edgy if what you're doing is normalised.
CM: If someone had never heard Flowers for Juno before, which one song would you want them to hear first—-and would that also be the same song that you think best represents you personally?
FFJ / BJ: "My Bloody Kisses". It's just me jamming in the moment, being completely shameless about my primary influences.
CM: You’ve built a pretty distinct aesthetic world around Flowers for Juno already. Beyond music, are there any films, books, fashion movements, or visual artists that inspire that universe?
FFJ / BJ: When it comes to film it's either huge historical epics from the 60s and 70s like Doctor Zhivago, Ran, Lawrence of Arabia, Nicholas and Alexandra, Iphigenia...90s psychological thrillers like A Perfect Murder, The Game...and I love Alfie and Closer from the mid 2000s. I'd argue that the current FFJ aesthetic is informed by the darker side of Newcastle nightlife and street reality, albeit seen through a more romantic lens.