Girli made her live Ann Arbor debut last month inside a packed Blind Pig. The London singer-songwriter spent Pride Month touring North America in support of her latest album, It’s Just My Opinion.
Girli sat down with Ferndale Radio after her show to talk about her new record, creating a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, the rollercoaster ride she’s had with the music industry and more.
“The major label signing at the start of my career was such a difficult period.” – Girli
After releasing two major label EPs in 2017, Girli’s debut studio album Odd One Out was unleashed in 2019 via PMR Records. She was dropped by PMR later that year — which Girli addressed in her song “Has Been.” But going independent turned out to be the freedom Girli needed. Her 2024 album Matriarchy was universally praised, and the same can be said about It’s Just My Opinion.
“The major label signing at the start of my career was such a difficult period, and I think it really sucked a lot of my creative freedom and my voice,” Girli said. “And then, I was fully independent for a bit, and then I signed to an indie label [Believe Music] instead of the major label. And it…just gave me so much more creative freedom — and I think that’s when I started to really grow my fan base, because people saw the authenticity more than before when I was kind of being…squashed and molded.”
At one point during her set at the Bling Pig, Girli voiced her support for trans people, much to the delight of the crowd. As a queer artist herself, Girli knows how important it is to be a source of support for LGBTQ+ youth.
“I feel honored, honestly. I just feel like for me when I was a teenager, I remember the artists who I looked up to and how much they inspired me and made me who I am. Shout out Tegan and Sara,” Girli shared. “I just feel like being able to be that for other people is…an incredible honor.”
Watch the full interview using the YouTube embed above, where we also talk about the powerful message of “Slap On The Wrist,” how amazing dogs are and more.
Girli’s third studio album It’s Just My Opinion is available now.
