Somewhere between showcasing her impressive collection of cheeky feminist slogan tees and keying the car of a man who catcalled her in the street, London-based artist Girli has been crafting her third studio album, It’s Just My Opinion. What she first described as “opinionated pop music” has become an upbeat return to her unique, indie-leaning pop sound.

Bridging the gap between female rage and hopelessly romantic pop songs, the 12-track album moves through an emotional landscape shaped by her own experiences as a young queer woman and outspoken activist. Much like its promotional singles, it is defiant and defensive, angry and soft, playful yet politically charged all at once. With songs like “Squirm” and “Slap on the Wrist,” she sets the tone for making heavy subject matter feel deceptively light — like the kind of music you want to scream along to, sweaty in a room full of people.

Ahead of its release, Girli puts her cards on the table, opening up about her relationship with her fans, the rage sparked by patriarchal cultural trends — from the manosphere to online misogyny — and how the experience behind the album has been shaped by the tension of being politically vocal in a digital world.

Hi Girli! Your third album, It’s Just My Opinion, is right around the corner — it’s out this Friday. How are you feeling? 

I’m feeling incredibly excited. It’s been such a long time coming. I think it’s about fucking  time — my fans deserve it. They’ve been waiting a while. 

It’s Just My Opinion is the kind of phrase that feels like it could introduce something revealing, confessional, or even shocking. What made you choose that title for the album? 

I chose the title because, while I was promoting the second single from the album, “Slap on the Wrist” — a protest song about rape culture in our society and the victim-blaming that is so prevalent — I was thinking a lot about perpetrators of sexual violence and how they so often get away with no consequences. 

As I was promoting these songs on social media, I was getting so much blind hatred in the comments. I realised the kinds of things, and the kind of hate, people will justify simply  because it’s “just their opinion.” 

The way people don’t realise how significant and impactful opinions and words can be is nuts. So I was inspired to call the album that because I do feel like my art is becoming more interwoven with activism. But I also thought of it as having a double meaning — like,  because I’m “just a woman,” my opinion doesn’t matter to you, so it’s “just my opinion.” 

So far, you’ve released four singles, and each one explores very different emotions and sounds. What can we expect from the full album? How would you describe it as a  whole? 

The full album is a real journey through loads of different emotions and sounds. I’ve never been good at making a project be super consistent or about one thing, because that’s kind of 

not who I am as a person. But I would say it’s a lot more indie pop than my last album, with a lot more live instruments and live sound on there. 

As you mentioned, your song “Slap on the Wrist” talks about how sexual assault slips into the cracks of everyday life, and how trivialised it has become. You’ve always been outspoken about social injustice affecting minorities, especially women. What are your thoughts on the fact that, culturally, we’re still in a place where songs like this need to be written? 

I think misogyny is getting worse. In 2010, it felt like we were moving forward from the ’90s  and 2000s, but now I feel like we’re actually going backwards. Fascism is becoming scarily popular again, and with online misogyny, the manosphere, the racism we’re seeing toward refugees and immigrants, and the way homophobia and transphobia are becoming more common in law, as well as in society more generally, I think it’s a really frightening time — and it makes me enraged. 

In that regard, how do you think music can help keep the conversation around these topics going, while also helping people cope with the realities we live in? 

Music and art have always been essential and very central to activism. You know, it keeps people going, it keeps people motivated, it keeps people hoping, and it also helps express things that are difficult to say. 

Throughout this album rollout, you’ve been very transparent with your fans about your goal of making it your first album to chart. Most artists in this industry don’t really talk about numbers like that. How come you do? 

I get that some artists enjoy having a sort of mystery surrounding them, and that’s cool, but  I’m not a mysterious person. My goal with this album was to make everything feel very authentic, which is why I also vlogged the whole writing process behind it. I put all my cards on the table, and I think fans appreciate it when you’re real with them. 

This honesty and your willingness to let people look inside the business side of things say a lot about the kind of relationship you’ve cultivated with your audience. How would you describe the relationship you have with your fans? 

I would say my fans are like an extension of my friends. I’ll have fans come up to me at gigs,  or comment online, and say things like, “I’ve been listening to you since I was in high school,  and now I’m in my 20s,” or, “I met my partner at one of your gigs, and now we’re married  and have a kid.” I think I’ve really grown up with my fans, and I have a really beautiful relationship with them. They’ve made my career possible, and I’m so appreciative of that. 

Scrolling through your Instagram, I’ve noticed that during this album cycle, you’ve really embraced the statement tee — even wearing one on the album cover — saying all sorts of things with your chest. What do you love so much about it? 

Yes, the statement tee! It’s really become a theme of this record. I think it just ties in with everything. I’ve always been a political, outspoken person and artist, and the slogan tee is just such a perfect way of communicating that.

I’m collaborating with this amazing feminist T-shirt brand called The Spark Company, and  I’m wearing loads of different slogan T-shirts that they’ve made. I’m also going to be encouraging fans to wear their own slogan T-shirts as the dress code for the tour. I think it’s gonna be really fun. 

Finally: If you could wear one slogan tee for the whole world to read right now, what would it say? 

It would say: “Trans people and immigrants aren’t the problem. Billionaires are.”

The post Don’t Get Mad at Girli — It’s Just Her Opinion.  appeared first on Indie is not a genre.