Exclusive Playboy Interview: MUNA Talks New Album Dancing on the Wall

Today, Playboy published a new feature and photoshoot featuring indie pop trio MUNA, coinciding with the release of their new album, Dancing on the Wall.

In the candid conversation, Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin reflect on the band’s evolution from seeking queer representation to becoming it themselves. They discuss reclaiming the Playboy legacy through their own lens, why butch and masc representation was central to the shoot, and how their latest album embraces a darker, more physical energy shaped for the live stage.

MUNA also opens up about body image, gender expression, vulnerability, and the relationship between performance and identity. From navigating the hyper-visibility of queerness to creating art that prioritizes authenticity over appearance, the trio offers an intimate look at the people behind the music, revealing artists increasingly focused on representation, creative freedom, and building a lasting connection with their audience.

Please see highlights below and read the full story on Playboy.

Link to Assets HERE

Photo Credit: Imogene Barron for Playboy

• Katie Gavin on queerness and representation:”At the time, I was still on a journey of [dealing] with the hyper-visibility of my sexuality. Being in a queer band [is] in some ways hyper-sexualizing. While [that Playboy issue features] cool representation, it definitely is still from the male gaze.”
• Josette Maskin on masc representation: “There is a real conversation to be had about Naomi and I being more realized versions of different kinds of masc-presenting people, whether the public eye wants to absorb that or not. We have to be ourselves no matter what, and the band has allowed us to really figure out who we are.”
• Katie Gavin on her fitness preparation for tour: “Naomi and Jo are bodybuilding. I’m booty-building, If I’m shaking ass onstage, I want it to be a powerful ass shaking.”
• Josette Maskin on the band’s role in expanding queer representation: “They saw themselves represented by Naomi being free, topless and without tits, being who they are, [Our fans] see someone like that, and they see themselves.”
• Katie Gavin on image vs. art: “Ultimately, what we’re doing as a project, and the art we’re making is way more interesting than how we fucking look.”
• Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson on the band’s early search for queer representation in music: “When we first started as a band, we actively sought out material that represented us. One could say we’ve re-created it onstage.”
• Katie Gavin on her comfortability with nudity: “I’ve come to a place of neutrality around being naked, I think that’s also part of being in a band and being a performer. You’re naked a lot of the time in front of people, and you’re changing backstage or whatever.”