[4] and Funeral for a Friend, as well as pop artists Prince, Madonna, Björk, Seal, Annie Lennox and Pet Shop Boys.
[5] British actor and writer Stephen Fry has described Fishel's music as "gloriously gay, sweetly romantic, wonderfully touching".
[8] Fishel's debut single "Football Song" was released worldwide by Young Lust Records on 7 June 2010,[9] with artwork by Italian comic book illustrator Jacopo Camagni.
Although the single was officially released in June 2010, the music video was uploaded to Fishel's YouTube channel 8 months earlier in October 2009.
The official music video for "The First Time" was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina[15] and is directed by Argentinian film director Alexis Dos Santos[15] (Glue, Unmade Beds, Random Strangers).
Accidental Bear described "Testament" as "a song of empowerment, encourages you to raise freedom flags and celebrates falling in love...How refreshing to hear something that is more rocking and less clubby.
'Testament' could easily be a Green Day song, with frantic guitars, frenetic beats and a style of vocal delivery usually associated with the lead singers of the best indie bands.
[27] The song is a comment on Fishel's experiences of the entertainment industry and of being repeatedly advised to remove any openly gay content from his work.
[8][28] In an interview with Blair Martin on Brisbane's Queer Radio 4ZZZ in May 2013, Fishel said that the song was a "fun, tongue-in-cheek response to certain A&R guys in major labels".
We have lived to hear many hit singles pushing the buttons of controversy; yet, we have never heard a delectable tune challenging the seemingly homophobic practices of the music industry.
[31] Rebecca Eisenberg of viral content website Upworthy called the song "pitch perfect", saying "when [Fishel] fires back at 2:44, I was grinning like a fool.
"[32] Cate Matthews from The Huffington Post called "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" "ridiculously catchy", and said "we're supremely happy that Fishel is standing up and singing his heart out – with one caveat.
[36] Not Thinking Straight was released as both a physical CD (on Bandcamp and Fishel's website store) and a digital download (on iTunes and Amazon worldwide).
In the album's sleeve notes, Fishel is credited as performing 'all lead and background vocals, piano, guitars, keyboards and programming' and as the sole composer and lyricist for all 13 tracks.
Back in May 2013, in an interview with Italian magazine Pianeta Gay, Fishel had announced that he was working on an EP of cover versions, including songs from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
[50] On 22 June 2014, Fishel released the first taste of new music from the upcoming EP in the form of a teaser video on his YouTube channel, for the song "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young",[51] an epic rock song written by Jim Steinman for the 1984 film Streets of Fire and originally performed by Fire Inc. Fishel's teaser video contains a three-minute preview of his seven-minute track, comprising footage of rain, thunder, lightning, fire and angels, and concludes with a topless male torso emerging through flames, accompanied by two interlocking male symbols, commonly recognised as a gay male symbol.
On 5 July 2014, Fishel announced via his official Facebook page that Cover Boy would include six brand new recordings and a seventh, older track.
Fishel requested that his fans, regardless of whether they were "gay or straight, transgender, bi, black or white, young or old (or anything in-between)", submit photos of what 'Pride' meant to them, their partners and their friends, with a view to including the submissions in a collaborative music video celebrating international Pride.
[53] Cover Boy was released worldwide the next day on 14 July 2014[58] as a seven-track EP, available as a digital download on all international iTunes,[59] Amazon and Google Play stores.
[63] The video is a compilation of clips and footage taken from the original animated Canadian television series The Raccoons, from which "Run With Us" was the official theme tune.
[65] On 1 December 2017, Fishel released new single "Bored of Straight Boys" for download and streaming worldwide, along with an accompanying animated music video on his YouTube channel.
[72] The song is also "a celebration of today's generation of fabulous, open-minded youth" and acts as "a call to arms against those individuals and institutions that still try to oppress freedom, equality and progress".
[74] Fishel's sophomore studio album M/F was released internationally by Young Lust Records on 6 July 2018, on limited edition Vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming services.
[75][76] The album was co-produced by Fishel and UK rock producer Lee Batiuk (Deaf Havana) and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, New York.
Some of the songs are "tongue-in-cheek", others explore "many of the joys and complexities that can accompany life as a gay man in the modern world, as well as tributes to different elements of LGBTQ culture, past and present.
"[68] On 7 August 2018, Fishel released a live action music video onto his official YouTube channel for M/F's fifth and final single, "I'm Totally Obsessed With Him".
[77] It was filmed at London's Shoreditch Town Hall and features Fishel fronting his band and performing choreography alongside an ensemble of dancers and musicians.
[79][non-primary source needed] On 18 October 2022, Fishel announced that his upcoming studio album, Tales of Queer Suburbia, would contain 13 new, original songs and be released in 2023.