girli Has An Opinion - and She Wants To Hear Yours
- Rebecca Rowe
- 19 hours ago
- 8 min read
Written and Photo by Rebecca Rowe
| If pegging the patriarchy is wrong, I don't wanna be right.
London born alt-pop singer girli and her fans wear their opinions on their sleeve (well, across their chest) on girli's latest North American Tour. The North American Tour continues girli's vision of matriarchy - delivering safe spaces and encouraging community. girli, who stands for social justice and encourages others to be outspoken, often uses her music as an outlet for feminism, mental health, heartbreak and celebrating Pride.
Many fans took the opportunity to fit the dress code - sporting opinionated tees alongside the artist, with girli picking her favorite mid-performance. Gathered together among supportive and encouraging company, some tees play lighthearted while some more explicit. It makes you think, what would you say if you felt safe to say it?
Back touring in Los Angeles following Matriarchy Tour 2024, MIXTAPE 317 had the chance to catch up with girli just before her performance. See more about which song she loves performing live, where she finds community outside of music (“queer pasta making” -I'm in!) and how she would describe herself as her own opinionated tee.
For anyone who may not be familiar with you can you describe yourself as if you were an opinionated tee shirt slogan.
Well I would write "opinionated pop music” which is actually, I changed it to my instagram bio, when I was making this album. I was kind of testing it, “how does this feel?” The album ended up being called “it's just my opinion” and on the backdrop for the show it says “opinionated pop music.” So that’s the slogan tee.
I guess if I wanted to add another I could write "opinionated pop music for those of the queer persuasion.”
You’re nearing the end of the North American tour, as you played some of these songs for an audience for the first time, has there been a song that has resonated with you more after being on tour?
I think, performing a song called “Pedestal,” which almost didn't get added to the live set. I was already, I think, playing eight out of the twelve songs, and I was like “uh, I actually feel like this one would really go off live” so we added it quite last minute. I just love how people respond to that. I've realized performing it live how uplifting and empowering it is as a song. It’s, you know, basically saying I shouldn’t put someone I have a crush on, on a pedestal and make myself feel small because I think they could do no wrong. And people really get really impassioned when I’m playing. I’ve had some fans come up to me after the show and be like “yeah, 'Pedestal' is really hitting, I’m going through a tricky situationship right now.” So I think that one has been really fun to do live. I mean, there are some songs I knew would hit live. Like “Slap On The Wrist.” That’s such a protest song I knew that was going to go off live, but "Pedestal" has been the surprise one.
I want to look back on Matriarchy for a second; you’ve described it as reinventing the word to be a safe space and community. Now your fans obviously can find that in your performances and being together in this community. For you, outside of music, what are those safe spaces for you?
Ooh great question. I mean I’m definitely really involved in queer community where I live, in London. I don’t really drink so I enjoy finding daytime sober activity. I have skateboarded for a while, although I get more and more worried about breaking my bones the older I get. But that's been a real community. There’s a big queer line dancing movement going on in London. I love going to those, I love anything that challenges you with a new skill. I’m kind of always joking - if there is a niche hobby there will be a queer group for it. There’s one in London called "dykes on hikes" which is sapphics going hiking. There's run clubs, there's craft clubs, there's baking, there's queer pasta making. I mean anything. Which I love, and it’s one of the positives of social media. You can access these things and find them, but I love in person activity when I’m not on the road ‘cause I think just engaging with community with your phone and social media can feel disillusioning.
I just have to touch on this - queerness is part of life, feminism should be the baseline and accountability the standard - and yet here we are. Those views are still polarizing topics. Why do you think it’s important for you to be “political” with your music and what advice do you have for aspiring artists to infuse their music with important topics?
It’s such a good point because I do get referred to as a political artist a lot, where I'm like these aren’t controversial topics, these are just human rights. There’s always two sides to it - I would say music fans are really hungry for artists to be opinionated and speak their truth and are not afraid to stand up for social justice. So I think, just being open online and in your music - not censoring yourself - that would be my advice.
But then there is this element where sometimes I get shadowbanned by the algorithm. I have to filter certain words, be careful about something because it might not reach anyone, it’s a really weird balancing act. I would say in general, I think people find that really refreshing, it used to be definitely a thing, if you said anything political your career would be ruined. And I just don't think it’s like that any more, 'cause music fans have a lot more autonomy. They can directly reach you.
Now, some of your songs are heavy in their themes and emotions - how do you prepare or even wind down after performing songs like “Slap On The Wrist” night after night?
I think it's just about balance. I actually find that song really uplifting to perform. It doesn't feel heavy, it feels empowering. It adds fuel to the fire instead of depleting my energy, but I think I prioritize balance. Sometimes it's good to be online sharing my thoughts and feelings and music, but it's also really important to log off and not spend too much time in the comments. I say I try to split my time between girli and Milly, who is me. Trying not to make it my entire world is important. Having hobbies and parts of my life maybe I don't post on social media, that’s just for me.
Speaking of "Slap On The Wrist," feminine rage is a force to be reckoned with, but do you think there is space for us to be angrier?
Oh my god, always! It’s so interesting how you still have to tiptoe around saying, you know, saying things about men. You have to be like “but not all of them” or you know “there are the good ones out there.” Not being able to fully say, examine every single part of your life and you’ll find that misogyny and patriarchy and things we find so normal and don’t question are still upholding patriarchal colonial capitalist systems. I feel I still, I could still go further.
And I see artists that I really admire who I would say are braver than me. There is an artist called Delilah Bon who is incredible, and she has a song called “Dead Men Don’t Rape” and it’s fucking incredible. But because she is so outspoken, she cancelled a US tour earlier this year. So still, we could always be angrier. I could be angrier.
Kind of more lighthearted - you’ve been doing these slogan tees, which I love. And you've encouraged your fans to wear them. What have been the best ones you’ve seen so far this tour?
There's been so many good ones. I did realize the first couple shows were all really explicit and not PG. I was like, maybe I should start picking some more family friendly ones. We’ve had “peg the patriarchy,” that was great, we've had “eating pussy cures depression,” that was great. We’ve had so many good ones.
The amazing thing is that people are really committing to the bit, I have this opinionated tees channel in the discord where people can submit them. People have been making some amazing ones. The other night had “be your own daddy, make your own sugar.”
Love It
We’ve had "the fear that gay men will treat you the way you treat women." Yeah the ones that were a little …
Raunchier
A little raunchier, there was an "I turn mascs into bottoms" or something. This one was great “I support a man's right to shut the fuck up.” To be honest I feel like my fans would wear these anyways to my shows before it became a theme. So I figured this is going to be easy. There will be some great ones. It’s such a great powerful way to be political, what you wear and what you say.
My cousin has one that I love that says "Jesus Loves Sluts."
Oh I love that! That’s amazing, oh that would win if it were here tonight.
Now you also travel with a queer, fem and non binary team - how have you been able to celebrate Pride?
I mean, everyday is pride. We pull up in a new city, we’re putting on a show where the majority of the people in the room are LGBTQ+. It’s kind of annoying in this venue you can’t really hang a backdrop, but we usually have our backdrop that we hang and we have a queer trans flag that a fan gave me at the D.C. show and we were like we should make this part of the set design. We’ve been hoisting it every night and every night feels like a celebration of Pride. And the fact that we're putting this show together driving across the country with no men, it feels like that's what Pride is all about. It feels really amazing. I'm so inspired by my crew. I'm so grateful for their time and energy.
To end here, what is an opinion you think everyone should have?
Such a good question. An opinion everybody should have … is that, this one might be a little controversial. I think I'm kind of borrowing this from a creator on TikTok I saw say this. She said "childbirth under the patriarchy is like body horror." And I was like, woah this is crazy. She went into talking about the way AFAB peoples bodies, we experience way more pain then we have to. Because there is so little research and support and we're so separated from - so I was watching this video how childbirth is - we're in the 21st century and it's still one of the most painful, traumatizing, horrific things an AFAB person can go through. It almost feels like a way the patriarchy is still trying to control us. If we lived in a matriarchy it would be way less painful. It still feels like a way of controlling AFAB people’s bodies.
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