GIRLI

A DIY record label and four LGBTQ+ artists walk into an arts venue and community hub… It’s only DTV Fest hosted by Pop Recs! Local legends bigfatbig, The Timewasters and DJ Samara Laboriel join queer dance duo NIMMO for a packed bill of the LGBTQ+ music scene’s most exciting stars. Rounding out the evening is Daemon T.V’s headliner, pop/rock/everythingincluding-the-kitchen-sink princess and walking middle finger to the status quo, girli.

With a career defined far more by her peaks than her troughs, the North London singer-songwriter and creator of “painfully relatable pop music for young people feeling lost, and trying to figure their shit out” recently emerged from a year-long hiatus with a brand new EP on the horizon, why am i like this??

“The pandemic actually gave me a chance to figure some shit out about myself. It was a bit of a rebirth.” Part of that process gave rise to this release, “a mix of songs written across a couple years; a couple of the songs are demos that had gathered dust,” all which feed back to the eponymous question on girli’s lips.

QUEER SPACES AND EVENTS ARE AMAZING, BUT QUEER ARTISTS ALSO NEED TO BE GIVEN MORE PLATFORMS IN NON-QUEER SPECIFIC FESTIVAL LINE-UPS TOO. REPRESENTATION MATTERS

“[This EP is] me desperately asking for answers and feeling lost as fuck in life. All of the songs are about figuring out different parts of my identity and relationships to other people – why I fuck up relationships, why my mental health sucks, figuring out young love, and navigating lame people sucking my energy.” girli eschews labels of any kind, be it in her personal or professional life. But as a member of the queer community, the opportunity to participate in this inclusive event is one she relishes. “...that’s the best thing about this show. Queer line-ups and spaces make me feel so safe and happy.”

Inclusive spaces aren’t a new concept, but their importance cannot be understated in a society where not everyone gets the space they need. “It’s so important to have events that create a space for LGBTQ+ people to express themselves, and experience LGBTQ+ art and creativity in a safe space.” They’re also a gateway to better social inclusion overall, as once LGBTQ+ creators are given access to an audience, they can better establish themselves and their brand for wider, mainstream consumption. “Queer spaces and events are amazing, but queer artists also need to be given more platforms in non-queer specific festival line-ups too. Representation matters.”

As an artist who has trodden both the mainstream and the underground music scenes, girli is ideally situated as an ambassador for the next generation of LGBTQ+ music. She may be “done with EPs for now” once why am i like this?? has hit your eardrums, but she’s only just getting started on this next chapter of her creative life.

As for DTV Fest, with a pay-what-you-can model and a guaranteed safe space for anyone of any gender or sexual identity, this event promises to be as inclusive as possible for all attendees from all walks of life.

girli releases why am i like this?? on 12th May. She joins NIMMO, bigfatbig, The Timewasters and DJ Samara Laboriel at Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland on Saturday 27th May. www.girlimusic.com