BETWEEN VERSIONS
JAMES MAJOOS IN CONVERSATION WITH SISI STRINGER
PHOTOGRAPHER: TOM HEARN
STYLIST: OLI REID
HAIR & MAKE UP: FELICITY SMITH
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: NICHOLAS JOHNSON
TALENT: JAMES MAJOOS @ KULT
INTERVIEW: SISI STRINGER
EXTRA: GRACE SKELTON
WORDS: CHARLIE BEKHOR
We are never just one thing. We move through the world in versions – edited, public, rehearsed – while something truer exists just out of frame.
left: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Monique Farrugia skirt. right: Tommy Hilfiger jacket, Luke Friend top, skirt, Christian Louboutin boots, Bvlgari rings
SISI: If there were no rules and you could play any acting role in any genre (or mix of genres) right now, what would it be and why? What roles are you interested in?
JAMES : “I want to do a suburban gothic. I’d play the sad, polite, well-mannered son of a nuclear family in a gated community, with some serious skeletons in the closet. He’s quiet, virtually nonverbal, barely leaves his room, except to slip out at 4 a.m. and cry on his bike beneath the streetlights as everything quietly collapses inside him. Ideally, the whole thing would be scored by Dev Hynes.I’m also really drawn to playing someone adjacent to power. Like a hyper-dedicated intern or PA to a tech bro master, who is on the verge of a mental break. Green, but efficient, holding everything together with thier mexicomango geek bar while quietly unravelling from stress about getting enough coke and meth for their overlord superiors and pissing blood about it in the office bathroom. Someone so deep in burnout but will do anything, including humiliate themselves, to appease his bosses to climb the, idk, industry ladder.Honestly, I don’t really have a dream role. I just want to be surprised by a script and the character.”
left: Fendi shirt, jeans, Christian Louboutin shoes, Loki Patera ear cuffs. right: Eloise Chang-Hunter bodice, Bassike pant
S: I’ve seen you be the suave sparkly superstar and I’ve seen you imperfect, vulnerable and human. How do you keep a healthy balance between public James and private James?
J: “Public James is a version of me, not the whole thing. I’m actually very anxious and pretty shy. Private James is quieter, messier, maybe boring, but also funnier. I’ve been told I can come off cold or intimidating, which always shocks me because I’m usually panicking internally.The people closest to me keep me honest, and I try to log off before the performance version starts feeling like the real one. That said, I’m a performative male in every sense of the word. Have you ever heard of this thing called the spectrum? I think I’m on it.”S: That was also the day we sat on the beach at sunset, and I heard your music for the first time. Everyone was stunned speechless; I’ll just say that. What should people know about you as an up-and-coming musician, and what can we expect?
J: “I honestly don’t know what to expect yet. I’ve been sitting with this music for a long time, probably too long, and maybe a little to my detriment. I’m still figuring out what I want to make and how I want to make it, while also navigating the whole teen-drama-actor-to-pop-artist pipeline, which is genuinely scary to me. I worry about getting it wrong or damaging my career by trying.That said, there have been these small moments where I work up the courage to share it, like that day, and I get to see how people react. I never fully believe the positive reactions, I really struggle to accept them, but they keep me going.It is coming out next year. I’ve said that before, but this time it’s real. And at the end of the day, it’s meant to be fun. That’s what I keep reminding myself.”
Alix Higgins top, pants, Jimmy Choo loafers, Gentle Monster glasses, Bvlgari ring
Between versions is not a place of confusion, but of focus. A space where control and vulnerability meet, where performance gives way to presence.S: Who were your greatest musical influences whilst developing your unique sound?
J: “For me, it’s less about specific artists and more about trying to capture an energy or atmosphere I’m feeling in my body. I’m much more influenced by mood than genre. Music that feels like a place or a time rather than a statement.That’s shaped my sound more than anything, the idea that a song can just exist with you instead of demanding attention.”S: For a friend or potential romantic partner, what are your love languages? What are your personal green flags? As weird or specific as possible!
J: “Quality time, always. Sitting next to each other doing separate things counts. So does driving around with no destination. Sharing music is a big one too, sending me songs you think I’d like, watching music videos together, letting something play all the way through.Green flags are curiosity, kindness, and someone who can make me laugh without trying too hard. I love being taken to new places to eat or drink, small discoveries that feel thoughtful. Anyone who’s comfortable with sincerity and doesn’t take themselves too seriously feels like a safe place to land.” 
left: Prada shirt, shorts, shoes, stylist’s own socks
What appears composed is often actively held. Anxiety remains close, shaping posture, gesture, and restraint. Presence becomes a discipline rather than a state.S: You have an obscure taste in memes, heavy on absurdism and irony. What hyper-specific niche internet communities have you recently been exposed to and what’s the most insane thing you’ve seen on TikTok this month?
J: “I’ve been really into Instagram Reels lately, especially the accidentally viral users. Someone with a couple hundred followers, a handful of likes, and a very sincere dream. Finding those accounts feels like striking gold. I also believe deeply in gatekeeping a meme. Some things are better left untouched.A lot of my favourite, most outrageous niche meme pages right now are being run by trans women. They have a real authorship to it. The humor is niche and completely unhinged in the best way.
Eloise Chang-Hunter top, metal skirt, Alix Higgins skirt worn underneath, Loki Patera jewellery
These images resist resolution. They privilege atmosphere over explanation. There is no fixed identity to present – only a moment suspended between who we are and who we are perceived to be.
Luke Friend shirt, Loki Patera ear cuffs
S: Like most of us, you’re aloof on Instagram but chaotic on TikTok. Where does your authentic self land on that spectrum? How do you get over the generational fear of being perceived?
J: “The “spectrum”? You wanna talk about the spectrum! If anything I’m on it and my taste in memes is revealing that to me. I don’t really post as much as I could be on instagram and TikTok and I don’t like post memes, but I love to repost them. It feels like I’m taking something out of the group chat and bringing it into the light of day. That probably says more about me than I’d like.As for the fear of being perceived, I don’t think I’m over it. I just move through it. I try to remind myself that being misunderstood is kind of inevitable, and that chasing control over how you’re seen is a fast way to lose yourself. At a certain point you either show up imperfectly or not at all, and I’d rather be present than frozen.”