Meet the neon-haired punk princess putting up two fingers at corporate capitalism.
Formidably intelligent and sparklingly imaginative, GIRLI could have been anything she wanted – she could have sat behind a desk in the City tapping away at spreadsheets and getting paid a six figure salary. But instead she decided to wear pink camoflage trousers and make bolschy, plinky punk-pop. And that is EXACTLY the sort of decision we approve of.
In the last few months her unique, attention-grabbing sound and looks have gained her critical acclaim, and attention in NME, Paper Magazine, Vice, Dazed, The Guardian and more.
Dylan Jones got wasted with her at the Stonewall Season Closing Ceremony, and they talked social media, sexism and the gay scene.
Hey GIRLI! SO. I thought you’d be a really interesting person to ask…what do you think of how women are treated in the music industry at the moment?
It’s interesting. As a woman in the music industry, I’ve noticed over the last year or so, that it’s not outright sexist. But it is a very male-dominated industry. I always refer to it as a “lads club.” Because most of the people in big positions at record labels and publishers are male. There’s definitely a glass ceiling. And as a female artist I feel like you’re definitely more likely to get told what you should wear, or perhaps how you should act. There’s the whole element of being eye candy too. And you can also see it in how artists interact with each other. If you’re a female artist, you might be not chosen to go on tour with someone, because the act has to have a guy to go with them, for example. And there can also be this bitchiness that goes on between women in the music industry. Which is ridiculous, but there is this kind of bitch complex. When you meet another girl who’s doing the same thing, and they don’t want to talk to you. And you’re like “What?! Come on! We’ve got to stick together!” And they have this attitude of “I’m the top dog, I’m the top woman!” But it shouldn’t be about that. So I think, yes, there’s still a lot that goes on. But it also feels a lot better than it used to.
Social media and the internet are common themes in your music. Do you think the rise of social media is a good thing or a bad thing?
I think about this ALL the time. A big part of me really hates social media – there’s so much harassment that goes on online, and there’s so much shit that people say. Also I think it distracts us. Sometimes, y’know, I pine for “the good old days” or whatever. But I also think it’s an amazing tool. Politically, it’s amazing. It allows people to come together from wherever they are, and believe in something. And it’s great just for being a musician actually. You can really connect with your fans and put music out there, and someone halfway across the world can listen to it, and that’s really cool. I wouldn’t have a career without social media, and I wouldn’t have a social life without social media to be honest. But sometimes I’m like “urgh, I kind of wish we didn’t have it.”
So I’d compare your sound to PC Music. Is that accurate? Artists like Hannah Diamond, SOPHIE…
Yes I’m super into all that stuff! That kind of thing first came out in like 2013, and I remember getting super into it. I was obsessed. I think the production is fucking amazing. And it’s clever. It’s very internet, and it’s sort of tongue-in-cheek too, which is what I really like about it. I think I’ve always wanted to take influence from it, but to be a bit more punk. I want to say a little bit more. When I listen to PC Music, it’s not easy listening for the ears, but it is easy for the mind. It’s quite cute and not challenging. It’s very pop. But I do love it.
So I know you love going out on the gay scene! From what you’ve seen, what do you make of all the venue closures and stuff?
I think nightlife in general is massively threatened at the moment. Since I was like fifteen and had a fake ID, I’ve always been going to gay clubs. I, personally, haven’t seen the scene affected by closures. I think it’s more a wider issue with pubs and clubs being shut down in general, because of licensing and stuff, which is ridiculous. What I’ve started to go to a lot which I didn’t go to before is drag nights! And they’re still going strong! And they’re amazing! But yeah, I think probably quite a lot of aspects of life in London are dying, not just gay nightlife.
Sorry, I know it’s kind of a hard question.
No, no, you’ve got me thinking! When I go out to a gay club or whatever I sort of don’t really think about it, I just have fun. But then I guess it’s important to talk about this stuff.
So what do you think of what’s happening to London in general? You grew up in London right?
Yeah, I grew up in North West London and now I live East. So I’ve been here all my life. And I love it! It’s changing a lot though, which is really scary. I don’t like how it’s changing. A lot of young people and artists are being forced out, which is scary and it’s not fair. Because what made London relevant in the first place, is that it’s always been a hub, the creative centre of the UK. And in many ways, of Europe. And there’s so much inspiration here and so many things going on. And the fact that soon, generally the majority of people who live in London will have to be people who are in finance, or rich already…that, added to the number of buildings they knock down to build luxury apartments…a lot of the time you can’t live here unless your parents live here. And who wants to live with their fucking parents?! You can’t live here and work here, and it’s bullshit. London is becoming very financial. The creative vibe is being forced out.
What really got me was the transformation of Shoreditch. It happened SO quickly.
Yeah, literally! Who saw that coming?! It’s just fucking crazy.
So…do you want to talk about Donald Trump?
Ugh, what is there to say? I was so devastated. The thing is, people were waiting for something else like this to happen so they could say “right, yeah, we ARE as fucked as we thought we were.” How can you elect someone who’s on trial for sexual assault, has said that gay people should go to conversion therapy, has said it’s ok to assault women, has said you should build a wall between them and Mexico…as the fucking US president?! It just doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know how the world has even allowed this to happen. He’s dangerous. He’s so stupid that he’s dangerous.
This and Brexit have just made me feel so out of touch with the rest of society…
Yep! Because we’re in our little London bubble. Or our online bubble. And it’s all older people. Apparently if only 18 – 25 year olds had voted in the election, Clinton would have won by a fucking mile. And the same with Brexit. It’s all fucking babyboomers.
And then we’re left to pick up the pieces.
Yeah, exactly. When they die, we’re left with a messed up world.
Well, on that happy note, that’s all we’ve got time for! See ya!
Ha!
Just kidding. So what are your plans for the future? Is there an album? Are you touring?
So yeah, I’ve got my new mixtape radio show called GIRLI FM 2. And that’s really cool, it’s got loads of stuff like demos and chat and random skits that I’ve made. And next year I’ve got loads of new music coming out, and I’ll be touring!
Check out GIRLI’s radio show at soundcloud.com/girlifm
