- Music
- 21 Jun 25
Moncrieff on toxic masculinity : "I see a lot of men suffering with their own rigidity"
The Waterford rising star sat down with Caroline Kelly to discuss his debut album Maybe It’s Fine, incorporating different genres in his music and reaching truth through simplicity.
In a recent tell-all interview with Hot Press, Moncrieff dished his thoughts on the power of toxic masculinity and how he’s made an art of defying gender expectations.
Taking readers through his humble beginnings in music, the Waterford singer-songwriter remarked on how the norms of secondary school forced him to rethink his relationship to gender.
“I grew up doing everything, from painting to all sorts of sports,” he revealed. “I just wanted to do everything all the time. Then going from that to an all-boys secondary school with 1,300 students and a massive sporting history, it was risky to express yourself in any way that wasn’t in sport, or wearing a certain type of clothing, or keeping your feelings hidden. That was my first real experience with the male stereotype.
“For a long time, I went along with it because I just wanted to fit in. But as I grew up and started making music, I just cared less. I began to understand a bit more the societal expectations that myself and other boys were plagued by back then. Where I’ve landed is that if masculinity is about being brave or courageous, then what’s braver than expressing the truest version of yourself, regardless of any fucking arbitrary social code?”
Upon leaving secondary school, Moncrieff began to redefine masculinity on his own terms, seeing how the jock stereotype fosters such a stronghold on young lads. While he believes there is an “element of strength” to masculinity, Moncrieff finds “men who are vulnerable and open to be incredibly strong”.
“It seems a lot of men are always trying to be stoic and tense,” he continues. “In sport, coaches will always tell you that if you’re tense, you’re setting yourself up for injury. The same logic works for emotions. I see a lot of men suffering with their own rigidity. You have to be flexible and malleable to open up.”
- You can read the rest of Moncrieff’s absorbing interview with Caroline Kelly in the June Issue of Hot Press Magazine, which is available to order online now.
