The Opener: Gia Margaret doesn’t mind if you misunderstand her lyrics

When Gia Margaret lost her voice in 2019, it felt like “reliving a nightmare every day.” That period of voicelessness led the Chicago singer-songwriter to burrow into drone (Mia Gargaret) and composition. Last year, “Hinoki Wood,” a standout track from Romantic Piano, found a new viral life as the soundtrack to “chill guy” memes and other such short-form video content. That digital success has been almost entirely divorced from Margaret’s name and broader body of work, though she’s noted in recent interviews that her audiences have begun to include younger fans.

Margaret releases her new album Singing this Friday, and as you might expect from the title, it's her first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer. Working with producer Guy Sigsworth (Rosalia, Madonna), Margaret’s latest maintains the close-quarters intimacy of her ambient work, urging the audience to listen a little more carefully. But the record also swells and expands beyond those quieter palettes, as on single “Good Friend,” which starts off a little trip-hop and ends with Gregorian chants, keeping up an irresistible groove all the while.

The FADER caught up with Margaret over email to chat about good and bad career advice, not caring if people misinterpret her lyrics, and her one and only tattoo.

What’s the coolest thing to do in your hometown?
Coolest thing to do is to go to the Lakefront right before the sun goes down. The water turns the lightest shade of baby blue and the sky turns pink. It never disappoints.

Tell us about the first album you bought and why.
The first album I bought with my own money was Sade’s Lovers Rock, I think. I was 14. I think she very much inspired my own singing when I first started making my own music.

When you’re not making music, how do you spend your free time?
I enjoy being in nature. Lots of walks on or near the beach (winter too!). I love to wander around an antique shop or sit and journal at a coffee shop. I make a lot of music while I’m holed up in my house, so when I am not doing that, I try to get out into the real world and do things that allow me to still operate as I do, quietly.

What was the last movie you watched?
The last movie I watched was Uncle Buck. John Candy is adorable in it and the interaction between him, McCauley Caulkin and Gabi Hoffman (who play his niece and nephew) alone makes it worth the watch.

Tell us about your favorite tattoo or accessory.
Favorite (and only) tattoo is Enya’s signature on my ankle. Favorite accessory is a ring my friend Gabi gave to me. It’s big and silver and has music notes all over it. I don’t feel myself without it lately.

Describe the best concert you’ve attended.
I saw Leslie Feist play in a night club when she was touring Multitudes. It was the most expertly mixed live sound I have ever experienced. And the theatrics of it was pure genius. It started with her in the round and acoustic. Eventually she crossed the floor and to a stage where a sheet dropped and behind it was a full band. And she did a whole other set with them. The creativity of that live show was something like I’ve never witnessed. Plus she might be one the greatest living guitarists / vocalists. An impeccable performer.

Explain a lyric of yours that people misunderstand.
I think it is a listener's right to misunderstand lyrics + take what they want from them. Go ahead, misunderstand them :)

Worst advice you’ve gotten.
I got some pretty bad advice from my professors in music school. I think they were trying to thicken our skin by serving tough love / suggesting some of us wouldn't get very far. Or even worse telling us not even to try. It felt impossible. And while it kind of is at times, age has shown me I’ll never be able to run from it.

Best advice you’ve gotten.
A good friend of mine told me not to go to dental hygienist school and to make my record instead. She implored. I think she even yelled at me. So I listened. And here I am.

What’s the ideal level of fame and why?
I don’t know if fame is really healthy for anyone? So my answer is no fame. But I understand there's a correlation between fame and success and sometimes you can’t have one without the other. (And with that comes resources and ways artists can better thrive and sustain themselves/expand their work.) I think the perfect situation is to be like Banksy or something. Where your work is widely recognized but no one knows what you look like so you can live your little life in peace.

Describe your perfect afternoon.
After spending a whole day in the sun, taking a shower and then taking a nap with the window open. I’m a simple woman.

What’s the best thing you’ve bought for $100 or less?
My Sony micro-cassette recorder from Ebay. I think it’s the same one Dale Cooper had in Twin Peaks. I take it everywhere and use it everyday. I have a whole collection of recordings of people saying various things that I want to remember from conversation. Playing it back takes me back to a moment in a way pictures/videos can’t. Guitar sounds pretty cool on it too.

What’s a motto everyone should live by?
Be kind! This world is a scary place. It’s the easiest thing you can do. It’s too bad our government isn’t doing the same these days.

What’s something you’re looking forward to?
I'm really looking forward to my first headlining tour. It's been a long time coming. Excited to see some of the people who have been listening while I've been in hiding/healing. (But I am a little nervous!)

What’s the last thing you wrote in your notes app?
A dream recollection in which I was watching television with my dead grandma. (?)