Meet The Mystical Emerging Talent… Gia Ford
Rising star Gia Ford is giving a voice to the underdogs and outsiders with her immersive music. Hailing from Sheffield, the young talent fell in love with the arts at a young age, with the ‘Poolside’ singer developing a passion for poetry and songwriting. As she got older, Gia found solace in the likes of Kate Bush, Bjork, The Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield, who helped her develop a deeper appreciation for multilayered lyricism. The ‘Alligator’ singer also honed her craft by performing at open mic nights in Brighton and travelling to London to meet other like-minded artists.
In 2020, Gia made her official debut with her track ‘Sleeping In Your Garden,’ a haunting record that set the stage for her mesmerising storytelling. Since then, the emerging talent has released dynamic singles that have showcased different facets of her artistry while indirectly prepping fans for her biggest story yet, her debut album Transparent Things (out on 13 September). Described as an “immersive collection,” each track on the album is set to explore the intricate tales of “the downtrodden to the downright dangerous”. We were able to chat with Gia about her highly anticipated record, her latest single, ‘Paint Me Like A Woman’, working with legendary producer Tony Berg and her upcoming UK tour. Check out our full interview below.
Heya Gia, thanks for sitting down with Spindle. How’s your summer treating you?
Well, it’s pretty rainy! But I’m busy with the album release, and I don’t mind the wet weather, so I’m happy.
Congratulations on ‘Paint Me Like A Woman.’ It’s such an excellent record. Can you take us through the creative process for the track? What kind of journey did you want to take listeners on?
Thank you! I had recently watched the movie ‘Monster’, and wanted to create that landscape pretty quickly. Liam Howe, who I wrote the song with, turned my initial chords into this drunken western kind of thing, and then from there it was just about conveying the emotions I wanted my character to have. I didn’t have a second verse for quite a long time for this one. Then, one day, a couple of months after taking the demo home, I hit the right melody and lyrics for that section, and from there, it came together pretty quickly. It developed a lot in the studio when we were recording it too, and it’s the addition of a live band who we let free on it – they really brought it to life, and gave it such a raw human energy in the outro.
The production has such nostalgic energy that’s reminiscent of 90s indie folk rock. Was this your intention? What’s your favourite musical aspect of ‘Paint Me Like A Woman’?
I wouldn’t say so, I can’t recall any specific references; the band just sort of riffed on it and did what they felt was natural. They only listened to the demo once, so for them, it was purely tempo, chords and story. But I think the way it’s written perhaps lends itself to that sort of sound – the demo was super 90s, actually, come to think of it… maybe I could do a special release of that in the future. My favourite musical aspect is probably the fact that the piano, drums and acoustic guitar were all recorded together in the live room, at the same time – bleed all over the place. But it created this brilliant glue at the core of the song, having Conor, Benny and Rob all playing through it together like that. It wasn’t stitched together in any respect. Will, our engineer, did a great job with that.
We need to discuss the track’s fantastic music video! The visual also does an incredible job of highlighting the haunting and emotional lyrical content of ‘Paint Me Like A Woman.’ Can you take us through the storyboard for the music video? What elements of the track were you excited to bring to life?
Melanie Lehmann directed the video, and she wanted to pull it away from rage and into a sort of quiet understanding between two women. So, she wanted to create that sense of camaraderie and friendship that come out of having experienced similar things. We also wanted to retain this Angel theme that had been running through the visuals up until then, but without the wings – so the girl ended up playing a sort of fallen Angel character who is then helped up by my character.
You’re gearing up to release your debut album, Transparent Things. How has that creative journey been for you?
It’s been a long time coming! I had a year where I wrote a lot of the songs on the album, but I didn’t know they’d end up on an album until I got the deal with Chrysalis. So I was just collecting songs really. It’s been interesting to find a thread among them – they’re thematically in line with one another accidentally, and through that discovery, I’ve noticed things that I tend to do, and things I tend to talk about. I hadn’t felt aware of that really until I put all the songs together.
What type of topics or messages did you want to explore with this record? Based on the tracks you’ve released so far, each explores a different character or perspective. Would you consider Transparent Things an anthology of sorts?
Yeah definitely. Like I said previously, I wasn’t consciously writing about certain things so that they would inform each other, or even end up together. I don’t like to talk about myself directly, so telling the stories of others (real or fictional or abstract) helps me to explore certain parts of myself through people and things outside of myself and my life. I get quite disassociated quite often as well, so I think the idea of writing about myself is quite literally impossible a lot of the time – I have to dive into other worlds instead; otherwise, I’d never write anything or feel inspired. I’m one of those people who feels flooded with creative energy when I’m in unfamiliar places, and it’s the complete antithesis of that when I’m in a place that’s too familiar to me, so maybe that explains something.
We hear you teamed up with producer Tony Berg, who’s worked with Phoebe Bridgers. What was your favourite aspect of working with Tony?
He was just so wacky and funny, which really lightened the atmosphere. It’s a lot of work and it can get the best of you at times, so that was really helpful. He also knew when to wear his mentor hat – I really learned a lot from him. He also took food and rest very seriously – I’m terrible and will just let myself spiral into a black hole of lethargy and brain fog, but Tony knows how to stay on top of his game. He’d also really fight for something if he felt it was right, but if I pushed back, he’d always let me have the final say. That was more than one thing, but I loved a lot about making the record with him.
What do you want fans to take away after listening to Transparent Things?
I don’t want them to take anything away specifically – I don’t know what it sounds like to people who haven’t had a hand in creating it – but I guess you always want people to think it’s of good quality and isn’t trying to be something it’s not.
Which track off the album are you most excited fans to experience?
It was originally ‘Paint Me Like A Woman,’ but now that that’s out, it’s ‘Housewife Dreams Of America.’
Will you be touring Transparent Things?
Yes – I’m going on a headline tour in November around the UK.
If you’re able to, can you give us a little teaser of what fans can expect from your show?
It’s hard for me to say as I’ve never been an audience member, and I’m always wondering how I can improve when I watch videos of my live performances. But my band are brilliant, the songs are great, and we’ve all got good hair.
Looking ahead, what are the top five goals you want to achieve over the next five years?
1. Play Glastonbury
2. Tour America
3. Record at least 3 more albums
4. Be writing music full-time
5. Have the basic bones of a fictional novel
Make sure to check out Gia Ford’s latest single, ‘Paint Me Like A Woman’ and its respective music video below.
