BABYNYMPH

Spyros: Hello Baby, how are you feeling today?
Baby: I feel great, I feel good, everything’s great lately.
What’s been going great?
Um… just life in general. The last party we did was amazing.
The rave at the square downtown, where you DJ’d? I was there, actually. I had a great time. It’s exciting to see the Athens scene take off.
Yeah, it really feels like it is.
So, you recently changed your first name, now you’re going by “Baby”. How did that decision come about?
I feel like the name Baby generally represents me as a person. It’s also gender neutral, so I don’t have to explain anything to anyone – as a non-binary person it just makes more sense. In English, there’s the they/them pronouns, but in a language like Greek it doesn’t really work. So, I was thinking of a name to call myself so people don’t really have to address me as a man. Also, it’s cute. All the professional emails I get now start with ‘Hey Baby,’ so I feel like everyone’s flirting with me!
So, trying to get a little bit of background on you, you’re Russian?
I’m Russian. I grew up in Moscow, but I moved here when I was 11 years old, which is half of my life. I’m only 21. So, I’m practically a local. I spent my teenage years here, partied here. I identify as Russian, in terms of mentality, but I definitely enjoy Greece much more. Life in Greece is much better for me as a queer person. Russia can be really tough. I’m glad me and my family moved here when I was young, so I didn’t have to face all the queerphobia.
Not that there isn’t queerphobia in Greece.
Sure, but I exist in my own bubble here. When something happens, I don’t let it bother me too much. I just ignore it completely. I feel good in my surroundings and my life here is actually quite nice.
And you were raised in a very matriarchal family.
Yeah, girls only!
With a mom and a grandmother…
Yeah, and an aunt.
Did this make you feel a certain way towards men?
Yes, for sure. Most men have been quite rude to my family, so growing up as a cis-male made me feel quite uncomfortable with my gender, that it was something bad. It was a journey – and still is. That’s why non-binary, as an identity, works great for me without feeling like I owe anyone any explanation. There’s a lot of pressure, even from within the queer community. Everyone should be able to make these realizations on their own time.

It’s okay to be on whatever path you are.
Yeah, and I just don’t like explaining. I don’t even want to try to explain these things to myself.
Let’s talk a bit about the music you produce. I find it interesting that your tracks are always very sexual and playful, but you yourself are not a ho!
It’s true. I’ve been quite traumatized growing up. Also, dealing with my gender identity, I’m still finding a way that’s comfortable to express myself sexually. I feel like my music is the sexual energy that exists inside of me, but I’m experimenting and playing. The music I make is the reflection of my sexuality and my love life in general. On my album, there are some “ho anthems”, but also some tracks that deal with trauma from sex and relationships. This actually reflects my personality and inner struggle perfectly. In general, making this album has been quite therapeutic for me.
Even though you’re quite young, you have a very specific and quite defined aesthetic. What were some of your most important sonic and visual influences growing up?
My references have always been female porn stars with big tits. I actually find their look quite post-human and fascinating. Always been obsessed with plastic surgery, synthetic sounds and textures, very artificial things – the exact opposite of being a hippie!
How old were you when you got your first fillers?
18. I just found this person online and told them I would promote them on IG. It was an exchange of sorts. I think that you can transform your body however you want throughout your life. They say, ‘Don’t make these decisions now because you will regret it later,’ but I feel like you don’t know how long your life is gonna be and I just want to connect my soul to my body. I also believe that my body is just an avatar in simulation, so I can do whatever I want with it.
How do you feel towards the gay community? Your best friends in Athens are mostly trans girls, right?
Yeah. I’m more of a femme person, so I’m naturally more into the trans community. There’s a lot of sexism in the gay community and I don’t vibe with it.
What’s sex with gay men like for you?
I usually have sex with very masculine guys. There’s something nice in the idea of topping masculine men even though I’m more femme presenting. I usually get nervous when I have sex. I don’t know what I want to do and what the other person expects from me. A lot of the time I’m playing roles, which can be nice, but it also makes me not feel fully myself. When I have gay sex – let’s just call it gay sex, whatever – I have to play the gay guy and I can do that, it can be fun, but it’s not who I am. Why do I have to pretend I’m this masc top? I’m dominant, but I also don’t feel comfortable in my body pretending to be this person.
That said, I definitely remember you choking me when we hooked up.
Yeah, I love choking! And you’re also quite masculine… I like choking men! (laughs)

Do you count the times we had sex as “gay sex”?
Actually not, because we’re friends and it was very casual. It’s not like I met you on Grindr, we were just having fun and being silly.
Everybody performs a bit when they meet someone on Grindr. People who are more femme/queer, they’ll still send their more masc photos when they chat with someone. You might show up to someone’s place and they’ll have painted nails, for example, but in the photos that they send, they’ll appear more masc. I find it rather interesting.
I find the rejection of any feminine aspects on someone quite sexist. Things like painted nails or longer hair are things that you do with your body without making any statement about your gender necessarily. You do it because you like it, but it shouldn’t be explained so much. It’s true, on Grindr I have to choose more masculine photos if I wanna fuck. If I send around the photos of me that I actually find hot, I would never have sex! (laughs) But it’s because people find it very intimidating. I look fucking great and they just want a piece of meat. If I look super fabulous, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I can’t fuck with this queer person.’
What’s your opinion of Greek gay men?
I hate them! I don’t understand this “discreet” thing. Every time I fuck with a muscular daddy and I go to their place, they’re “discreet” and ask me dumb questions like, ‘How do you feel so comfortable expressing yourself?’ I just look at them and think, ‘Dude you’re just a tall white muscular daddy, what is your struggle in your life? Who discriminates you? Who are you afraid of even, your mom?’ We’re in Greece. It’s 2021. These are men we’re talking about. I don’t feel like they need to hide. Even I, a more extreme person in their eyes, I don’t feel discriminated or terrified of my identity. I feel like they’re very oppressed and that’s why they’re so afraid of femininity because there’s a lot of oppressed femininity in them. That’s why they behave in a certain sexist way.
Do you find them willing to look past your femme identity because of your big dick?
Oh, absolutely! It’s all ‘No’ until they see my dick and then they go, ‘Yes!’
One last thing – What are your plans and priorities for the future? Will you stick around Athens?
I felt like leaving, but I think I’ll actually stay. There’s a nice sense of community lately. There are no clubs here and no established scene, but Athens has been something like a playground for me. I feel we can build something here. Me and the dolls are taking over!
Fabulous babe, thanks for the lovely talk!
Thanks daddy!