When an album kicks off with a song whose lyrics are “My pussy is bionic / Plug it in, charge me up / Show me that you want it,” you know you’re in for a treat. Horny, bubbly, funny — Only Fire’s sophomore album, Hoe Weekend, is a celebration of all things hot. Even if his lyrics are still pretty over the top and explicit, however, the Berlin-based artist feels like “it’s way more tasteful than it used to be!” To celebrate his new work, we sit down with him to discuss what makes a perfect hoe weekend, not relying on shock factor as heavily as before, and remixing his favourite artists.
Hello, it’s a pleasure to have you back! We last interviewed you in 2022. Where would you say you stand now compared to back then, both personally and artistically?
It’s a pleasure to be talking to METAL again!! Now, in 2026, I definitely feel way more accomplished both personally and artistically. Back in 2022 I still used to live in Zagreb not really happy with my life because it just wasn’t the right place for me, but my music career has made it possible for me to make a big change in my personal life — to start travelling all over the world, move and meet so many amazing people along the way, and all of this helped so much in my personal growth and shaping my music.
Hoe Weekend arrives six years after Double Penetration. What feels most different about the artist you were then and the one releasing this record now?
I feel like the most different thing in my new music is not solely relying on shock factor like I did back then but wanting to make people feel good and sexy in any situation. There are still some over-the-top lyrics throughout this new work, but I feel like it’s way more tasteful than it used to be!
You road-tested much of the album in your DJ sets. Was there a particular track whose reaction on the dancefloor changed your mind about it?
The reaction to Club Hoppin’ when I was playing it live way before I even had an album in mind definitely helped in making me pick that one as the first single. People love a long build-up and a fun catchy drop.
You joked on IG that if Spain won the FIFA World Cup, you might release that song the following Friday, which you did. I’ve seen a lot of girls and gays joining in this tournament; people who usually reject sports weirdly tuned in for that. How have you lived this phenomenon, especially having that song and being able to play with the timing of it all?
It was honestly such perfect timing for it, and it all happened very randomly. This song was chosen as the second single from my album a month before the World Cup final and I never could have known that Spain would actually make it to the finals and win around the time of its release. And I’m really glad they did because it made the whole release of my song so much more fun!
Your robotic femme vocals have become a signature. Who is that voice to you: a character, a fantasy, an alter ego, or all of the above?
I would say it’s a character that sometimes also dives into a lot of my fantasies. I feel like for me it’s a really fun way to write songs, I find it easier to write lyrics from a character’s perspective than from my own.
“I find it easier to write lyrics from a character’s perspective than from my own.”
You recently remixed Lykke Li and Peaches. What is the pleasure of remixing another artist’s world, compared with building your own from scratch?
Not gonna lie, every time I do get asked to remix someone else’s work, at first it’s mostly an anxious feeling because I’m thinking, ‘what if they think my remix is shit and that I butchered their song?’ But when I actually work on it and it all clicks and I’m confident in what I made, it’s a really exciting feeling. I’m very grateful that all these artists that I love trust me with their music.
You have a busy schedule ahead: Pride in Toronto, album presentation in Berlin, and upcoming gigs at festivals in Rotterdam, Rio de Janeiro, and Athens, among others. How do you ground yourself when you spend so much time travelling?
I think travelling is what grounds me and makes me feel the most myself. Usually, when I stay home in Berlin for too long, I start feeling bored and every day starts to feel the same with not much to do. And then I’m just counting days until my next gig out of the city.
To finish, if you had to plan the perfect two- or three-day Hoe Weekend, what activities would it include?
It’s probably giving a vacation getaway to somewhere cunty like Rio, Mexico or Miami with my friends in a fab Airbnb, going to the beach, going club hopping and getting some hot trade.
