Meet Girlish Figure | Singer-Songwriter & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Girlish Figure and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi girlish, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Boulder, Colorado and was raised in a very musically eclectic house. My father is a musician (a huge fan of the band Rush) and has a real talent for inventing his own guitar tunings. He was constantly writing songs around me, asking for my thoughts on their musical direction. My mother was always listening to either R&B, Joni Mitchell, or Kate Bush. All things I adore now! My mom’s creativity came through in her design sensibilities, cooking, and she also took photography classes when I was a kid. I have really fond memories of sitting with my mom in the dark room, watching her images come to life! I think having two parents who not only loved music fiercely in their own way, but also expressed their creativity in different ways (and really encouraged me to do the same!) is what made me see my music as something that is beyond just the audio plane. It can interact with other mediums to create something wholly its own.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A friend once called me a “jam factory.” I love to write 80s inspired ear worms that you can dance to, but when you stop and listen to the lyrics, you’re like, “Hold up, this is actually heartbreaking?!” Whatever you don’t work out in therapy, you can play one of my songs and work it out on the dance floor.

For a long time, I thought that to be a musician, you had to be seen as “cool” in some way, so I would try to lean away from my self-deprecation, my awkwardness, my shyness. But as I age, I realize that cool and weird live on the same plane! My music is sexy and awkward because I am both sexy AND awkward. My music is both angry and conflict avoidant. Because I am both of those things! Ultimately, my art is about rejecting the binary because I, a genderfluid, non-binary queer person exist outside of it. And regardless of your gender or sexual orientation, you do too. Those boundaries were meant to be broken.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, man. Where to even begin?! This city is all about *stars* so I think I’d like to show them a few different variants of that – first and foremost, we would definitely be going to the Griffith Observatory for a planetary show and then to watch the sun set over the city. The observatory also has a lot of fun history with the film Rebel Without a Cause filming there, so it’s a nice bit of Hollywood lore. Something a little less known is that you can actually get quite a good bit of stargazing out in Topanga Canyon, a little away from the city lights. There are some secret spots I like to go to, but don’t want to share publicly lest I get in trouble! 😉

I’d also look to see what shows are playing at the Hollywood Bowl because I think going to a show when you’re on a trip is TOP TIER. There’s nothing better than making memories at The Bowl. And to round out our classic Hollywood sight-seeing, we’d go see a movie at Grauman’s. At some point, we’d have to go to Dockweiler for a bonfire on the beach. And hopefully, Lucy’s El Adobe Café has reopened by then because that to me, is an LA staple that all deserve to experience!

See what I mean? Too many things! The second time they visited, I’d probably skip Hollywood altogether and just do a tour of all the great eating spots in Highland Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be here without the support of my family. Not everyone is raised in a household where they’re told that it’s not only OK to be who they are, but that they are celebrated for it. Mom and Dad, I love you both infinity!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlishfigure.mp3/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/girlishfigure

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlishfigure

Image Credits
Photo credit: Lee Jameson