Bambie Thug: 'There was no talk of any alternative genders at school in Macroom' 

'Fangtasy' is in some ways, the anti-'Doomsday Blue', they suggest. “It’s a fun song. I made it three years ago on Halloween and completely forgot about it. We found it recently and I went, ‘woah. It’s a very accessible’,” says Bambie. “For anyone who’s been like, ‘oh…Bambie Thug is only whatever, in this one box…’ They’ve seen me only scream or do metal. It’s a good song to go – ‘no I’m a songwriter’. I’m excited - it’s accessible for everyone and it’s radio friendly. I think maybe it can be a new Halloween anthem. It’s not even out yet and there’s loads of people doing dances already on TikTok to it.” 

This time a year ago, Bambi was an obscure singer whose Ouija pop sound had attracted a niche following with its mash-up of heavy metal and Charli XCX style-hyperpop. Today, they are an artist in the spotlight – having come through a gruelling Eurovision where controversy over Israel’s participation filtered into the contest itself.

Nobody felt the heat more intensely than Bambie, who was asked to remove pro-Palestinian messaging written in ancient Ogham script on their body before the first Eurovision semi-final. The singer would go on to miss a rehearsal for the final after accusing Israeli state broadcaster Kan of a rule break. They said they had “raised multiple complaints to the EBU [European Broadcasting Union] regarding instances I have experienced this week.” That’s on top of the pressure of singing to a global audience of more than 150m.

“A competition like that was stressful. And then you put in whatever was happening on top of that. There were a lot of feathers ruffled,” says Bambie.

Doomsday Blue was not a song for the faint of heart, and there were grumblings about sending such an avant-garde act to Sweden - though Eurovision royalty such as Johnny Logan came out to support Bambie. “I think that’s great,” says the singer of the Marmite  “love it or hate it” reaction to 'Doomsday Blue'. “Art that makes people question themselves or get angry is doing a good thing.” 

They recall Eurovision week as hugely intense, with all that drama on and off stage amplifying the strain. Bambie looks back on the contest as an opportunity to learn about themselves and the workings of the world.

“It was an amazing experience. I grew up a lot. I learned a lot. I learned to be better at my boundaries. I learned to be better at getting my point across. At being more direct. I learned how to speak, from doing so many interviews. Of course, it was stressful. We were the Irish entry, we were loud as hell, we were annoying to everybody. To be honest, everything, when it’s close to your heart, is going to be stressful in some way. I’m extremely grateful to the platform it has given me.” 

One thing that helped Bambie cope, they feel, was coming from Cork. Bambie is of the view that Cork people don’t wilt when the pressure is on. They stand up, loud and proud, for what they believe in. 

“I mean, I’m from Cork – do you know what I mean?” Bambie grew up in Macroom, the child of a Swedish father and Irish mother. “I always had my little friend groups at school. I don’t think I was ever super-popular anywhere. I only got bullied a little bit in secondary school. That was around the time I was doing [Dustin’s Daily News] Star Search. It was probably because I was like, ‘Look at me’,” they say about their appearance on the RTÉ talent show hosted by the eponymous turkey.

 At St Mary’s Secondary School in Macroom, there were no 'alternative genders', they say. Still, school was a generally positive experience. There was none of the misery historically associated with the Irish education system. “The only thing we had is that we were Swedish growing up in the town. We were baptised Protestant. So, being not Catholic was a little bit exclusionary.” 

Bambie remembers trying hard to fit in. “I definitely was conforming a lot when I was a kid. In school, you got a uniform. The worst thing I did was make my skirt super-short. There wasn’t a queer community growing up. I only got bullied a little bit. But then nearly everybody gets bullied as a kid. Those who don’t… they must have some magical or mystical thing about them.”

 They lean forward, warming to the subject. “I went to an all girl school. There was no talk of any alternative genders. There were bits I loved about school. And also bits I didn’t like about school. I loved that I got to learn all the church music. I love being in the choir. I loved skipping class to go and play guitar in the prayer room – my music teacher would always vouch for me: ‘yeah, they’re learning something for us’.”

After school, Bambie briefly attended Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, a post-primary college in Cork city with a large music department, before receiving a scholarship to the Urdang Academy, a north London performing arts school. Part of their musical education, they say, was a Cork Live at the Marquee gig by Lady Gaga in 2009. “There was her and these two smallish tellies on the stage. It wasn’t a biggest setup. I remember being like ‘wow’.” 

Bambie has a devoted fanbase, but they have never felt suffocated by their followers in the way that artists such as Chappell Roan have complained about.

“My fans are super kind and super nice,” they say. “They care about my mental health. If I tell them it’s too much, they apologise. There are these group chats where if they start tagging me, someone will say, ‘Guys, stop tagging Bambie… they’ll come and say hi if they want to – give them their space.’ If I’m doing meet-and-greets after a show – I’d be there for as long as I could. I’m still growing [in popularity]. I might collect some crazy people who don’t know how to respect people’s boundaries. For now I’ve had only good experiences. I’m really proud of that fans I’ve made."

It’s a strange moment to be non-binary. On the one hand, gender-fluid people have never been more visible. But then there is social media, where many figures with a high profile attack the trans and non-binary community on a non-stop basis. For some, being anti-trans is practically part of their personality. Without it, who would they be?

“You’re always going to have both sides. You’re going to have, ‘I can’t understand it’. That’s probably because they’ve never met someone [non binary]. And then you’re going to meet people who are empathetic and compassionate, who don’t care.” 

Bambie is baffled as to why someone else’s gender identity is anyone’s business. “It has nothing to do with you – how someone presents, feels or identifies as. It is worrying to see the amount of people who are high up in politics across the world who have almost a vendetta against it. For me, I couldn’t care what anybody says about me. What’s important for me is to continue to push boundaries in the fields that I can – and make more people aware of it. And shine light on more trans and non-binary artists. There are artists who don’t have the light on them and are probably discriminated against because of that [being non-binary].” 

Bambie strives to be the best role model possible. “All we can do is continue to push and support where we can. Even when really terrible things are being thrown at the community politically or whatever – when change is coming, there is always combat. There is always hard combat to try and stop that."

Being in the initial vanguard of non-binary people out in public comes with quite a responsibility. Bambie seems up to the task.  "I guess try into get into as many people’s minds and eyes and brains as I can, who might not ever known or being exposed to trans or non-binary people. Be kind. If someone meets me and I’m super nice and kind to them and open – so many things can change with conversations. It [transphobia] is actually just a disconnect in communication. And that’s what we need to change, definitely.”

It’s a cause they will continue to champion as their career gains momentum. But that’s in the future – for now, there is that upcoming Cork concert. Hold tight to your ouija boards – it is sure to be a homecoming to remember.

Bambie Thug plays Cork City Hall on Thursday, November 7. The single 'Fangtasy' is out now. Other upcoming gigs include Oct 31, Academy, Dublin; Nov 2, Roisin Dubh, Galway.