Interview - m0n0 jay - FVMusicBlog

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m0n0 jay’s rise has never followed the traditional independent artist blueprint. Emerging through the vivid, high-camp world of the Candy Gym, the Stockholm-based artist quickly built attention around a fearless fusion of powerlifting culture, theatrical visuals, and alt-pop experimentation. With over two million views and a growing underground following, the original version of “L.L.L.” introduced listeners to a world built on glitter, physicality, and unapologetic self-expression. Now, with the release of “L.L.L. (ATH Remix),” that universe takes a darker turn.

Completely reconstructing the original track into a brutal industrial trance experience, the remix trades polished pop structures for warehouse-ready tension, distorted basslines, and relentless energy. In this interview, m0n0 jay opens up about underground rave influences, competitive powerlifting, creative symbolism, and why the Candy Gym was always destined to have a basement version after dark.

“L.L.L.” originally introduced the world to the Candy Gym through bright, high-camp pop aesthetics. What made you want to completely strip that world back and rebuild it into something darker and more abrasive for the ATH Remix?

I wanted to show that powerlifting glitter pop actually works in different types of clubs, from a powerlifting club to a dance scene at night. This is the perfect track to listen to hype for a personal best, or just a great workout. But beyond the gym, stripping it back was about exposing the physical friction beneath the glitter. I wanted to crank it past 135 BPM to capture that terrifying, sweaty, unapologetic endurance that happens when the lights go out.

The remix feels designed specifically for 3:00 AM warehouse spaces rather than commercial playlists. Was there a particular moment, rave, or underground scene that inspired the direction of this version?

It’s interesting that you note this, because people have told me the pop hook still shines through the darkness, and honestly, I view that as a badge of honor! It means the melody survived the descent into the basement. It has its own niche, but is heavily inspired by Gesaffelstein. I wanted to replicate that exact chest-rattling tension and audio brutalism that makes a dark warehouse feel both dangerous and completely hypnotic.

ATH completely deconstructed the original track structure. What was it like hearing your vocals removed from a pop framework and dropped into a relentless industrial trance environment for the first time?

I absolutely loved it from the moment I first heard it. Dropping this to the SoundCloud underground first felt like a homecoming. The cult following there immediately understood what we were doing with the deconstructed vocal loops. The vocals were supposed to be treated as a sound library, and I really enjoy how the initial repetition is reconstructed in a new form. Hearing my natural, ringing vocal chopped up and mechanized against ATH’s abrasive bassline was a revelation. It proved the vocal could cut through the dark like glass.

Your music often blends physicality, strength, and body movement with emotional intensity. How does the heavier techno production on this remix amplify the “power, not performance” philosophy behind m0n0 jay?

I didn’t just come up with a persona, I am authentically a competitive powerlifter and an artist. I live and breathe my own playlist, building strength and enjoying life every day. The heavier remix isn’t only about health, it’s about raw release. It forces you into the present moment, embracing the sweat, the adrenaline, and the primal friction of exactly where your body is right now. I can’t highlight it enough – “before and after” is toxic and doesn’t help anybody in the long run.

The remix still keeps your breathless soprano and the iconic xylophone MIDI from the original. Why were those elements important to preserve amid such a radical transformation?

The xylophone midi started just as an improvised piano at first, but was a really strong hook that I promoted to a co-lead, mischievous character. Keeping it but mapping it to a darker sound is a continuation of this direction – the characters literally take the first stage, just like you would on a competition platform, with the clank of metal accompanying your lifts. That contrast creates an ‘uncanny valley’ effect, it feels sweet, but it sounds threatening.

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Releasing the remix exactly 69 days after the original feels very intentional and very “m0n0 jay.” How much of your project is built around performance art, symbolism, and calculated pop culture commentary?

It’s my debut, and I’ve enjoyed building the creative direction for it, including the release timeline and lore. All of the elements like colors, fabrics and timing are working together: tulle, green lace, candy, metallic sounds, physical items being destroyed is what binds the upcoming EP together. We are going on a full-on ride through music and art. As an independent Executive Producer, I control every data point. The 69-day math is just a playful, high-camp smirk. Those who are actually paying attention picked up on the sex-fueled, between-the-lines meaning. The tulle fabric of these lyrics has multiple layers.

After generating over 2 million views and dozens of press features with your debut era, did you feel any pressure to stay within the viral alt-pop lane instead of pivoting into darker underground territory?

Honestly, there is no commercial safety net here. I am an independent artist funding this entire universe myself. But that is exactly where the freedom comes from. I get to bet on the exact, unapologetic art I actually want to make. Pivoting into the dark underground wasn’t a reaction to pressure; it was just me using my independence to take a massive artistic risk.

The phrase “Candy Gym operating after hours” paints a vivid picture. What does the “basement” version of the Candy Gym represent emotionally or psychologically for you as an artist?

My powerlifting club operates out of a basement. This is where I test my songs with a crowd of friends and DJ during competitions. It’s a safe space where everybody comes to train for individual reasons, but supports each other no matter what. Metaphorically, after hours, we dim the lights and dance instead of lifting. Psychologically, it represents the uncurated mind. It is the space where the adrenaline crashes, and you have to work through the raw, unfiltered reality of giving it your everything.

There’s a fascinating tension in your work between glittery hyper-pop aesthetics and raw industrial aggression. Do you see those worlds as opposites, or are they actually part of the same identity?

You don’t have to choose a single bland lane – you can be yourself in glitter, glam, and strength, while being angry, authentic and making art. They are two sides of the exact same coin. The glitter isn’t hiding the aggression, it’s the armor you wear to go to war with the iron.

This remix feels less like a one-off edit and more like the opening door into a heavier electronic era. How much does “L.L.L. (ATH Remix)” hint at where m0n0 jay is heading next creatively?

It’s pretty much telling of the direction of this part of the emotional arc of the Secret Selfies EP. Just after midsummer, I’m releasing “Variant,” a dance diss track confronting my experience with sexual assault, dropping exactly two years to the day after it happened. It is the best piece of music I’ve made so far. Get ready for more darkness…

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