girli

Out and proud singing sensation girli is the stage name of Amelia Toomey stylized in lower case. She is a London-based crooner who makes pop music for the younger generation covering mental health and queer relationships.

Her debut album Odd One Out gained over 53 million streams on Spotify and her sophomore record Matriarchy was recently expanded to a Queen Edition with additional material.

The pink-haired songstress talked backstage about her music and much more before her set at Empty Bottle in Chicago recently.

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Your fans were adorable when they brought homemade bracelets at the meet and greet today.

G: (girli) It's so sweet and I love it. It's like a bonding thing or a way to interact with people. I've been noticing it a lot more on this tour like people will bring stickers or bracelets to hand out to each other.

JN: So start off with pronouns and identity.

G: She/her and for identity I just say queer to be honest because that kind of just encompasses

everything.

JN: You are from England?

G: I am from London, England.

JN: Did you always want to be a musician?

G: No, I want it to be loads of different things. I wanted to be a vet. I've always loved animals. I was really into social justice and politics, so at some point, I wanted to be the prime minister of England!

JN: How did you wind up being a singer then?

G: My parents are actors, so that's where it came from like initially and then I realized music is more my thing because I loved writing.

I wrote stories and poems. I was excited to perform that writing to music.

JN: Aren’t your parents from Australia?

G: My dad is Australian and my mom is English. They met in London.

JN: What was your stage name inspired from?

G: Well it came from the band Blondie. My mom loved Debbie Harry so much and we had loads of CDs and vinyls around the house. One time I read an article about where Debbie got the idea of the band name. She was walking around New York getting catcalled by construction workers and they called her “Blondie.” She was blonde and they objectified that. She took back the power and named her band after that.

I loved the idea of finding a word that was used to mock femininity and make it cool.

JN: Did you know Debbie Harry is possibly bisexual? She mentioned it during an interview and then minimized it.

G: There's so much biphobia out in the world. If you're bi and you're with someone of the same sex then that qualifies, but if you're with someone of the opposite sex then you're kind of straight. The identity stays the same though.

JN: Right and it doesn't mean someone will cheat on their partner. That stigma is still around in some people’s thinking.

G: I feel bad about bisexual people because they didn’t get a fair deal and people don't understand them, then they don't have as much representation because they blend in.

JN: I read you were inspired by Tegan and Sara. I found them both to be lovely when I interviewed them.

G: I love them so much. Yeah, they were one of the first bands as a teenager I was totally obsessed. We were talking about fans making bracelets and that was me with them. I found their music and it felt like I just discovered water. I was like, “How was I living without this?”

JN: Now with you being out then you can inspire upcoming artists.

G: It’s so amazing to see how much queer representation there is now. When I was a teenager, which wasn’t that long ago, it changed. Before that it was Madonna kissing Britney Spears publicly to fetishize it.

JN: Bouncing from Madonna to Matriarchy, didn’t you release a Queen Edition of your album last month?

G: Yes, the original album came out in May, which was 14 tracks and videos have been released since then. I was bummed a few songs had not come out yet so I decided to debut this edition to play during the tour.

It’s part of the matriarchy world, but also a separate identity. I made videos to create visual worlds for these songs to bridge the gap between what will come next.

JN: Do listeners tell you that you sound like Charli XCX in some of your songs?

G: Yeah, but do you know why it's interesting though? Charli really influenced me when I started making music because I was really into hyperpop. I think now I've moved away from that sound.

I feel like I'm more in an indie-pop kind of world, but I'm always inspired by amazing women in pop music. Women are just dominating in pop music at the moment finally!

JN: Your song “Feel My Feelings” is about mental health. It's not like how do you approach your music by working through issues?

G: Yes. I’d say the main themes of the album were mental health struggles. There are also songs covering relationships and questions about identity.

Being in my twenties is the biggest rollercoaster and young people find my music to relate to it. My fan base is their own little community. My music has been the catalyst for a lot of those friendships and that's amazing.

JN: It’s a new generation that is finding safe spaces like that did at Indigo Girls concerts years ago.

G: It’s about creating a welcoming environment for everybody.

JN: On your track “Nothing Hurts Like a Girl” you have a lyric “It’s not all cherry chapstick and lemonade.” Was that directed at Katy Perry?

G: Yes. In the 2000s there was a fetishization of lesbian relationships. Lady Gaga said in an interview once that she didn’t think Katy Perry had ever kissed a girl. That sums it up.

Gay people love that song and so do I, but it was made by straight people.

JN: Fletcher’s “Becky’s So Hot” does hit differently. What have been the challenges of being like an openly queer artist?

G: I've definitely experienced homophobia online, but I try to not read it. It’s a lot of ignorance. When I started my career I was signed to a label where my whole team were you know older straight men and I didn't feel I was able to express my queerness. I found myself changing pronouns to men when I was trying to write about a girl.

When I left that label I rebuilt the team around me and became independent. That was when I started to be authentic.

JN: It must have been so freeing for you.

G: Yes and things do seem like they're getting better.

JN: What are you doing for the new year?

G: I will be back in England and I'll keep writing. I will start planning the next phase of the next era.

JN: Have you been to Chicago many times before this?

G: I've played Chicago twice before and it’s always a good time.

JN: Fans at the meet and greet had driven three hours to be here.

G: Yes, some of them flew in for the concert. It means a lot to me.

JN: Is it complicated to be based in England and go on tour?

G: Not really. I spent about six weeks in LA prior to this tour and writing for the next album. I flew out to the East Coast for those shows and then flew to Chicago from Philly to Chicago. It’s a short tour, but I'm hoping to come back. I would like to do a bigger tour with smaller cities. It’s a struggle to announce a tour and know you're always going to disappoint some people.

JN: Where would you like to play but haven’t yet?

G: I have never played Salt Lake City, Utah and I know there’s a big queer community there.

I haven’t played Austin, Texas yet either.

JN: I went to San Antonio’s Pride for the last two years and they have drag queens on barges along the River Walk.

G: That’s what they do at Amsterdam Pride. I have performed at many Pride festivals in Europe.

JN: We will have to get back here for one in Chicago.

G: I would love that!