Case Study: only fire

Objective

To build sustained editorial visibility around Only Fire’s singles and new EP Sex Demon, strengthening his positioning within the global queer club and electronic underground while bridging into fashion and culture media during his first campaign with a major label.

Challenges

• Artist operates within a niche, explicit, and club-focused sound, limiting suitability for mainstream outlets.

• Highly competitive editorial landscape, with reduced commissioning budgets and slower turnaround across culture media.

• Balancing credibility across multiple verticals: electronic music, queer media, fashion, and underground culture.

Approach

• Developed a chaptered narrative that framed the campaign beyond individual singles, positioning Sex Demon as a feature-heavy, conceptually cohesive project.

• Prioritised scene-relevant tastemaker outlets over volume pitching, focusing on electronic, queer, and fashion-adjacent platforms aligned with the artist’s audience.

• Tailored pitches by vertical:

  • Electronic press: production, club functionality, and live context.

  • Queer media: identity, community relevance, and cultural provocation.

  • Fashion/culture: runway crossover, brand activations, and visual world-building.

• Leveraged strategic moments (festival performances, Pride events, digital virality, brand associations) to extend relevance beyond release dates.

Key Achievements

• Secured coverage and support for lead single “DUMB” from Resident Advisor, Mixmag, and Wonderland.

• Exclusive editorial features with Schön!, RED-EYE and BUTT Magazine.

• Locked a filmed feature with Heds carRADIO (LA).

• Initiated active feature discussions with Document Journal, TANK, SSENSE, Clash, and multiple fashion-culture titles.

• Achieved strong email engagement rates (60%+ opens) on EP preview outreach, with repeat engagement from DJ Mag, i-D, British Vogue, Attitude, and 10 Magazine.

• Supported cross-vertical visibility alongside performances at major festivals and Pride events.

Client Impact

• Established Only Fire as a credible, scene-rooted artist rather than a novelty act, reinforcing long-term positioning.

• Built recognition across key tastemaker outlets, laying groundwork for future releases and campaigns.

• Strengthened alignment between the artist’s music, visual identity, and cultural positioning.

• Created durable editorial relationships that extend beyond a single release cycle, supporting sustained career growth rather than short-term press spikes.

Press Highlights Include