Fine Young Cannibals’ Roland Gift reveals what drives him crazy — in a good way

Fine Young Cannibals recently released FYC40, a “definitive anthology” of the British group who topped the charts in the late ’80s. And while the band only released two official albums, their music still endures — especially their first #1 hit, “She Drives Me Crazy,” which has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows over the years.

Fine Young Cannibals frontman Roland Gift says one use of “She Drives Me Crazy” really stands out to him: Dua Lipa‘s Chanel handbag campaign, which came out in January of 2025. “I was very impressed with that ad,” Gift tells ABC Audio.

“There was something about it,” he continues, adding, “I even wrote to the director saying ‘Good job,’ because her sort of lip-syncing [to the song] … was very unexpected, and it was charming. And I think … it’s probably my favorite use of an FYC song.”

Given the success of that song and their album The Raw and The Cooked, many fans were disappointed when Fine Young Cannibals split, and so was Gift. 

“I think we had a little bit more in us, and it was a shame that we couldn’t keep the marriage together. You know, that’s kind of a regret that I have,” he tells ABC Audio.

“We hadn’t experienced the kind of success that we’d had. The record company hadn’t experienced that kind of success. The managers hadn’t experienced that. So nobody was really able to contain … the heat that we’d created.”

“It’s great that people still are interested and people still like the songs, but I feel like we had a bit more,” he notes. Despite that, he insists, “We wouldn’t reform.”

But if you miss Gift’s distinctive voice, he has a new holiday song called “Everybody Knows It’s Christmas,” and he still tours, albeit only in the U.K. for the moment. 

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