“I would describe myself as opinionated, honest, and headstrong.”
Just a few weeks ago, ELETOM had an exclusive conversation with Girli (Milly Toomey), whose name was featured at GRAMMY.com’s Rising LGBTQ Artist roundup.
Identity, for her, is not a costume or a marketing tool. She writes from the tangled heart of her own experience, embracing its contradictions, tenderness, fury, wit, and glorious mess.
Girli’s world bursts with color and energy, refusing to fit into simple categories. For this British alt-pop artist, music is more than catchy tunes. It’s a way to speak the truth, helping listeners see themselves in her lyrics.
Get to know Girli
With 150k+ YouTube subscribers, over 27 million views, 198k+ Instagram followers, and 150k+ TikTok fans, Girli means more than just music to her audience. She gives voice to feelings they once kept to themselves, with over 209 million global streams.
Girli is part of a new wave of artists stretching pop’s boundaries, blending politics with pleasure, queer joy with heartbreak, and rage with vulnerability. Her songs shimmer with glitter, guitars, raw emotion, and cultural bite.
Girli draws inspiration from artists like Sophia Isella, MUNA, and Chappell Roan who showcase feminist music and refuse the male gaze. In a world that still tries to hush feminine anger, she actually turns up the volume. She is also optimistic about collaborating in the near future.
Her latest album, It’s Just My Opinion, feels like the next bold leap in her evolution.
“So, for this album, I wanted to do it a bit differently from the last two albums I released.”
In the past, her albums took shape slowly, squeezed between tours and life’s demands. This time, she carved out nine months to dive deep, crafting a collection that feels whole from the first note to the last.
“My style as a songwriter has always been very confessional and honest. I sort of go into a lot of different things in my personal life. I talk about queerness and relationships and family stuff and mental health, but then I think this album definitely has a political side.”
Girli’s songwriting begins as scraps of lyrics, confessions, and poetic fragments. She collects these pieces, then breathes them into melodies in the studio. Her songs are like diary pages set ablaze — vulnerable yet fierce, intimate yet expansive.
On It’s Just My Opinion, her honesty cuts deeper than ever. Tracks like “Slap on the Wrist” pulse with protest, channeling her defiance into every beat.
For Girli, protest is powerful even without a slogan. She refuses to play nice, daring to voice the anger women are told to swallow. She challenges compulsory heterosexuality, the male gaze, and the pressures that urge queer people and women to shrink themselves. This fearless resistance is why her music resonates so fiercely with fans today.
Girli on tour
As Girli steps into Pride season and a string of live shows, community becomes her anchor. The strength, rage, and joy she finds there fuel her, especially in a world where safe spaces for queer people remain vital.
“The LGBTQIA+ community is my home. I feel so welcomed, and it’s been such a big part of my life. I’m so inspired by people in that community – their strength, their rage, their joy… Despite it all, I’m really excited to play in the US and create a safe space for that community in what is quite a turbulent time politically there.”
Girli speaks of performing with a sense of celebration, but she never loses sight of how much these spaces truly matter. Her upcoming tour is more than a series of shows; it is a cathartic release. Kicking off on June 11 in Brooklyn, New York, and wrapping up on November 5 in Glasgow, she is set to bring her world to new stages.
“It’s so perfect that I’m touring during Pride month. It’s going to be such a party.”
What’s next for Girli?
Looking ahead, Girli does not want to limit herself. She said she might try other genres in future albums, especially since she enjoys indie pop and indie rock.
Girli also aims to continue touring and expand her community by performing in new regions, including Asia and South America. She remains authentic, becoming even more true to herself. Her music speaks to girls, LGBTQ+ individuals, outsiders, overthinkers, heartbreakers, and anyone unapologetic about their emotions.
“I’m just so excited to keep making music for as long as I can, as long as I want to.” True enough, halfway through 2026, Girli steps into a bigger spotlight, bringing her loud, opinionated (but confident) world with her.
For more on Girli and her upcoming tour, follow her on Instagram @girlimusic
