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A.Girl: Flowing with Growth

Celebrating the release of her catchy rap and R&B hybrid ‘Getting Older’, the Western Sydney artist talks us through maturity, keeping her homies close, and the power in owning your anxiety.

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Getting older is inevitable, but the thought of it often doesn’t sound as good as A.Girl’s song of the same name. The new track from the Western Sydney renaissance talent delves into the topic, coming to the conclusion that we should all just live in the moment. A positive message, from one of the best prospects coming out of the country. 

A.Girl doesn’t just live in the moment, however, as she also creates them. 2021 particularly was a year stacked with highlights, featuring the lush sounds of ‘Luv Drunk’, food-for-thought lyricism of her 64 Bars freestyle ‘Vision’, and the Drill-infused swagger of the Jaecy assisted ‘We Dem Boyz’. 2022 is shaping up the same way, having recently covered Stevie Wonder’s ‘Higher Ground’ for Triple J’s Like A Version, and showcased her limitless versatility in the realm of this latest joint. She’s come a long way from her 2019 debut track ‘2142’, and as she keeps getting older, the evolution of her talent and the rising of her stock follows. 

To celebrate ‘Getting Older’, I hopped on a Zoom call with A.Girl to chat about maturity, keeping her homies close, and the power in owning your anxiety.

Congrats on the release of ‘Getting Older’. How are you feeling about it?
It’s exciting to share music that I’ve been sitting on for a minute, and that also showcases my new sound. 

The song encapsulates growing older in a celebratory manner. How are you appreciating the process?
I think I’m just learning to accept everything that comes with it. It’s really hard to try and fight against it, and that’s something I did for a while, where I didn’t want to take on the responsibilities. I wanted independence but didn’t want to handle the things that come with independence. The main thing that I’ve learned is that you just have to flow with it. 

You’ve talked about this song as representing the fact that you want to live life fearlessly while being wary to not slip into the cracks. How do you avoid that?
I think I just surround myself with people who I know can come and correct me. It’s hard to try and do everything on your own. I did that for a minute, and it didn’t work. I was always questioning why it didn’t work, and I came to the conclusion that I do need a team around who can check me when I am slipping into the cracks. Reaching out and getting help from the right type of people is definitely what prevents me from falling in too deep. 

The literal process of growing older often comes with a sense of emotional growth as well, especially in the world of the music industry. How do you think you’ve evolved as both an artist and person reaching this point?
One thing I’ve noticed, and the people around me have noticed, is that my social anxiety has become bearable. Within this industry, there’s a lot of needing to go to events and network with people, where I have to showcase my personality. Now, I’m at a point with my social anxiety where I can manage being around large groups of people, where I can breathe, maybe have a little drink or smoke, and get into the right headspace. That’s just one of many things I can think of off the top of my head, and whatever growth I have in my personal life feeds into the creative side of making music. 

Is your anxiety something you can harness as a strength now?
I guess so. A lot of people behind the scenes in the industry know about it and know it’s a part of my persona. I think it’s relatable because it’s raw and real. Everybody goes through issues with anxiety. So for me, as an artist, being able to speak about it and embrace it is a way of claiming it, opposed to it being something that takes over my life. I guess it’s something that’s powerful, and I’m proud of it. I’m really proud that I can admit that I have anxiety that leads me to not being able to speak, experiencing leg trembles, or even having to leave the room at times. It allows me to own and control it like it’s my superpower. 

Do you sometimes feel like the music industry is designed in a way that triggers anxiety? I sometimes look at networking, and hate it, because the conversations feel more like bartering than genuine interest.
Yeah, because it’s like, if I fuck up and say the wrong thing, there goes my opportunity with that Spotify playlist, or there goes my opportunity with that, you know what I mean? I definitely think the industry is somewhat designed as a place of heightened anxiety, because you’re stepping into these rooms full of people within the industry, and you have to be on; there’s no room to fuck up. But I guess it comes back to owning the anxiety, and understanding that we’re all human, and we all fuck up sometimes. Everything happens for a reason. 

You’ve described wanting to create the feeling of “driving around with your homies, sharing your fears and aspirations – and living in the moment” with ‘Getting Older’. Can you remember any conversations like that from your personal life that helps fuel you to create tracks like this?
I always like to have those types of conversations with my homies. I keep it real with them. I like to explore topics that you don’t just touch on with anybody, and that’s why I keep them real close. 90% of the conversations I have with my homies are ones that I will always remember, treasure, and learn from. Not only do I want to be understood, but I also want to understand, and these types of conversations help me understand things in a broader way to the point where I can write about them.

What would be your one essential song to play when driving around with the homies?
Ice Cube’s ‘Today Was a Good Day’. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, or if the sun is out, that is one song that’ll make you feel good. The irony is that even if you’ve had a bad day, that song lessens it. It reminds you that you didn’t get killed, no one you know got killed, you didn’t need to go to court, nothing. You can listen to that song at any point in time, and it’ll remind you that your day was a good day. 

You’ve spoken in past interviews about the adversity you’ve faced growing up in Western Sydney. How do you turn past memories of struggle, into moments of happiness on tracks like ‘Getting Older’?
If you stay in the mindset of your area sucking, and the bullshit happening around you, it manifests into a reality. I’m very big on manifestation, so by looking at what I want for my area, what I see for my area, and what I see myself doing for my area, I can put my focus towards that. If I sat here like “Fuck, Granville is such a shithole, it’s all stabbings and kids feeling like they’re a part of this drill generation,” I’m just going to manifest a negative reality. So I prefer to shift my focus to what I can do to help the generations from my neighbourhood going forward, and how I can make a difference. 

Lastly, what are you manifesting for 2022?
For this year, in particular, the manifestation is money, money, and money [Laughs]. I feel like I have reached levels where I can’t go any further because I don’t have enough 0’s in my bank. I need the money to pursue the vision and go where I see myself going. Not on some greedy shit either, it’s just what I need in order to make the next step, so I can figure out what happens after that. Also, I want to put my family in a comfortable home, and live a lifestyle where I don’t have to worry about whether or not my card is going to decline. What I’m manifesting for myself holistically is to be an international superstar, and share my vision and knowledge with the world. I want to be the first female artist from Australia to translate and take over at like a Doja Cat fucking level and represent Maori women, indigenous people, and the whole of Western Sydney.

Follow A.Girl here for more and grab tickets to her upcoming show at the Sydney Opera House here.

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