How self-experimentation to gain access to NYC’s clubs, led Harry Charlesworth to become a fixture on the nightlife scene. From the LGBTQIA+ issue.
Club kid Harry Charlesworth is a fixture on the nightlife scene in NYC. His career started with self-experimentation to gain access to clubs in the city, and now he is making an impact DJing.
Speaking about the early days of his career, when he was an ambitious teen, he says, “One of the easiest ways to get into a club when you’re young is to do makeup and look really scary. That’s kind of how it started. I got more heavily involved in nightlife and it became a career. First I got better at it, and then I defined a particular character or how I liked to look when I went out.”
Initially, it all started happening with a group of friends, who included Aquaria and Sussi. As twentysomethings, social media had a major role in their rise. “I think we were some of the first people who were actually going out onto the scene,” says Harry. “We were younger and also sharing it on social media, using that as a vehicle to display us going out.” His unique style at the time was undeniable, and still is. It attracted work opportunities and attention from clubs. “I guess, from there, we started doing more parties in a professional sense—hosting or producing them—and just becoming integral parts of the community,” he says.
Making an entrance is certainly in Harry’s remit. At times he says he dresses for a reaction. “[When] I’m going to a party, I want to be disruptive. I [behave] very much on a whim most of the time and just want to interact with people in a space. Some people think it’s fab, some people think it’s psycho. I love making people’s eyes pop out of their heads when I’m on the club scene.”
Fluid in his artistic form, Harry is now exploring his masculinity and music, “It’s interesting, my style has changed so much recently. I’ve had this reverse, getting-comfortable-in-my-own-skin [thing] and being
OK with being more masculine… I’m a DJ now, and that was also a really organic process, because I love music, I have a really particular viewpoint sonically. So that definitely developed from going out—it was a natural progression.”
Used to setting a precedent, Harry was involved in National Geographic’s January 2017 issue on gender. But it meant so much more to him personally: “The word ‘queer’ is under my face in National Geographic. That was really special for me because, at that time, my family were still really confused with what I was doing with makeup and going out. For them to be able to see that was really special.”
After three years studying at the prestigious Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design in London, Harry returned to a New York that had undergone great change politically: Trump had just taken up the presidency when he left. I ask him what changes he noticed when he came back. “I’ve seen the nightlife scene as being way more inclusive of all people,” he says. “The general mentality of everyone is so much more positive. When I left, it was right when Donald Trump had been elected, and people where so angry and upset, understandably. But I think that people have taken that and turned it into something really beautiful. I help with this one party, Melting Point. It’s a rave and it raises money to help people who are detained at the border [with the US].”
It seems that people are actively engaging through causes that are the antithesis of the administration. Representation for the LGBTQ+ community is now, arguably, more important than ever due to the current stance of the White House. About this, Harry says: “Trump being president has definitely inspired a lot more people who have bigoted views to be more vocal. That’s why I think it’s important for people to not step down, or be afraid of being comfortable with who they are. It’s very scary and people are already targeted in general. Especially trans women of color—there were so many murders last year. But I’m 100% an advocate for people expressing themselves how they want to, or how they should. The obvious answer is, yes, you should and it’s extremely important.”
Harry not only embodies youth but has a rare, clear, insightful opinion on the politics shaping the LGBTQ+ community. Meanwhile, his talent for visual perception has seen his career evolve into DJing and music in just as engaging a way as his club kid aesthetic.
Instagram: @harrycharlesworth
Photography: Fabien Baron
Styling: Patti Wilson
Makeup: Lena Koro
Hair: Ward Stegerhoek
Set design: Stefan Beckman
