Gia Margaret: On Reclaiming Her Voice and the Meaning of Singing

Last Updated on 2026-04-23 by a-indie

After years of writing about music, you develop an instinct. Tap play, wait a few seconds, and you know whether an album is merely good or whether it promises something genuinely rare. Of course, that instinct can be wrong in either direction. But with Gia Margaret’s new album 『Singing』, the verdict arrived the moment 「Everyone Around Me Dancing」 began. More than a month after that first listen, not only has the feeling held, it has deepened.

Gia Margaret is a singer-songwriter and record producer based in Chicago. In 2018 she released her debut album 『There’s Always Glimmer』, an exquisite indie-pop record threading together elements of slowcore, ambient, and trip-hop. During the tour that followed, illness left her unable to sing, and she channelled that silence into two ambient albums: 『Mia Gargaret』 in 2020 and 『Romantic Piano』 in 2023. Now she returns with 『Singing』, her first vocal album since that debut.

The record retains the ambient warmth her work is known for, yet what strikes you most is its presence and immersive depth. Every sound feels eloquent, alive with the breath of lived experience, as though you are retracing her days alongside her. We spoke with her about the album, her past, and what comes next.

Artist: Gia Margaret Interviewer: Yuuki Takita Translation, editing, and proofreading: BELONG Media / A-indie

A Childhood Full of Music, and the Road to Becoming a Musician

What a Music-Loving Mother Gave Her

-Yuuki Takita: The press materials for 『Singing』 state that “every note on this album sings a warm requiem to your past self, and every layer shapes your future self.” We are a media outlet that values an artist’s roots, the background behind their music, and the music, culture, and art that have influenced them. Since this is our first interview with you, I would love for readers to get to know you better. Could you start by telling us how you spent your childhood?

Gia Margaret: I didn’t come from a family of musicians, but our house was always filled with music! All thanks to my mom, who had exceptional music taste and an interest in discovering it. So when I think of my childhood, I think of her, and I think of music. Driving anywhere with her was always exciting / and some of my most vivid childhood memories include watching her smoke a cigarette and sing along to R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, Enya, or Phil Collins… she was the epitome of cool. She bought me an Alanis Morisette CD when I was about 7 years old, because she thought I should listen to it. She bought me Joan Osborne’s Relish shortly after. And Coldplay’s Parachutes at 15, which was deeply influential. I think she was always thinking of me and wanting me to experience the excitement of music discovery. And absolutely encouraged me when I wanted to take up piano at such a young age. I come from an Italian-American household, and in our culture expressing oneself through art usually isn’t seen as practical. But I think my mom has an artist’s heart and maybe she didn’t get to express herself as much as she would have liked, or it wasn’t as encouraged. She kept me on a strict practicing schedule with the piano and for that I am grateful. Music has always been something that takes my breath away! I wasn’t the best student and had a hard time focusing in school. However, music has always been something I could hyper-focus on. It always made me feel like my brain wasn’t broken. I knew, my whole life, that I wanted to be a musician.

How She Started Out as Gia Margaret

-Yuuki Takita: Following on from that, how did you come to start your artistic career as Gia Margaret?

Gia Margaret: It was a slow roll. I started writing my own songs in college, just a few. And throughout my twenties I played local shows and in bands as well, and continued writing my own songs. At this time I also started experimenting with home recording and teaching myself to do so with the minimal equipment I could afford. That’s really how I started sharing my work. Most of the time I would upload it and not tell anyone about it. It felt exciting to do this and go about my life, and maybe a week or so after sharing something I’d get comments from complete strangers. I started to notice more of this happening as time went on. But I also went through dry-spells that were brought on by trying to find a more practical way to make a living. I think there was a whole year I didn’t make any music at all! I worked as a dental assistant after dropping out of music school, and then became a nanny, and then worked at a bookstore, and then decided I wanted to be closer to music so I worked at the front desk of the Old Town School of Folk Music here in Chicago. All of these jobs felt noncommittal enough, and I think I was subconsciously trying to keep space for music. It wasn’t until I was approaching 30 that I decided to make a record of my own. I remember it feeling sort of like a mid-life crisis and that if I didn’t do it then, I never would. It wasn’t until I finally bet on myself that it became a career. I released There’s Always Glimmer and 6 months later I quit my job and was touring full time. So much has happened since that first album, but I’ve managed to make a life for myself from music and that’s pretty incredible to me. I will never forget the years I struggled and that it never felt like it would be possible. I feel lucky every single day.

Turning Everyday Sound into Music: Life in Chicago

When Life Itself Becomes Music

-Yuuki Takita: I felt that this album, like your previous work, is deeply rooted in ambient music. I listened to it in many different situations: on walks outside, on the commute train, while doing household chores. The moment the music felt most natural in my body was while I was doing chores. That led me to think that this album might be expressing the rhythms of everyday human life, the sounds present within your own daily routines. It may be a somewhat loose question, but what do you think of the idea that this album expresses the sounds and flow of ordinary human life? Alongside that, could you tell us a little about your daily life lately? I believe you are based in Chicago; what does your life there look like?

Gia Margaret: I think this album and all of my work expresses the sounds of ordinary life. I feel like my life is pretty ordinary, if I were to tell you about my day, it might be like any other person’s day. I wake up, I make coffee, I feed the cat, I go for a walk and then I do my work. I take a lot of trips to the lake, which feels very unique to living in Chicago. I like observing life there: watching ducks swim in the water, watching dogs hop through waves and seeing how the sky+water change colors at different times of day. I think there’s beauty and ART in everything. Sometimes I catch myself appreciating the smallest detail. I think those details come up in music and in my love for field recording too. Field recording and songwriting feels like capturing small details of a bigger picture but also takes you back to the feeling of that moment. It’s abstract but I feel so present and in the moment when I am careful enough to capture it. And then present in my reflection when I listen back.

What Makes Chicago Special

-Yuuki Takita: I am also curious about Chicago as a place. What is the city like, and what kind of musical culture or environment does it have?

Gia Margaret: Chicago is full of wonderful art and diversity. You can see almost any kind of music and eat almost any kind of food. I think people here are humble and work very hard. They are kind, helpful and cool! I love my city so much, and the older I get and the more cities I see, the more I appreciate this one. It’s got different pockets that all feel uniquely their own. I live up north where it’s more quiet and closer to the lake, but I often go into the city for concerts or art. Everything feels like it’s within arms reach. I can get almost anywhere in 20 minutes. It’s small enough that you can experience all of it and you should. I’ve been here my whole life and I’m still discovering new things.