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

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

Into the Heart of 『Singing』

The Meaning Behind the Title

-Yuuki Takita: This may overlap somewhat with the previous question, but could you explain the meaning behind titling the album 『Singing』? What feelings or atmosphere does that title reflect?

Gia Margaret: I think SINGING is so much more than the physical act of it for me. It’s something I need, almost spiritually. I think making this record was a reclamation of that, or even more, it felt like a discovery of it. It’s sort of simple too? It’s singing! It’s life! It’s music!

Behind the Scenes with Doug Saltzman

-Yuuki Takita: I understand the album was recorded between 2024 and 2025 in London, Eau Claire, and Chicago, with collaborators including Guy Sigsworth of Frou Frou, David Bazan, Amy Millan, Deb Talan, Kurt Vile, and Sean Carey, among others. Your long-time partner Doug Saltzman also played on many of the tracks and co-produced the album. What kinds of conversations, ideas, and exchanges did you and Doug have as you worked through the making of this record?

Gia Margaret: I think working with Doug was the grounding factor of this whole process. It was great to work with heroes and that felt affirming and amazing. But Doug brought me back to the root of everything and was a key component of mixing the record. I wanted everything to sound balanced and grounded. We mixed the record remotely through a program that allowed me to see/hear what he was doing in real time. We’d take breaks and talk through every little corner of the song. And there was a mutual respect for the other’s ideas that allowed us to explore and really fine tune. I’m really proud of all of the mixes and couldn’t have done it without that kind of willingness and patience. I think we reached new depths to what we’re able to accomplish as a team. I recorded and over dubbed hundreds of tracks on some songs and was met with enthusiasm. Though, I’m sure that was a tall order as an engineer. Doug’s production style also brings so much depth to some of these songs. Sometimes he’ll add a chord that makes my heart sink, or chop my vocals up in a way that brings forth more feeling. He really has a gift of feeling, technicalities aside, he is an amazing musician. Which I think makes him an amazing engineer/producer. He listens closely and lets things breathe, and returns to them when something isn’t feeling quite right. It’s time consuming but he was willing to do it.

Sonic Intentions and the Moment of Breakthrough

Percussion and the Sounds of Daily Life

-Yuuki Takita: As I mentioned, I felt the album is rooted in ambient music and seems to express the sounds found within your own daily life. What moved me especially was the heartbeat-like pulse of the intro to the opening track 「Everyone Around Me Dancing」, and the way the shaker, dreamy electronic textures, and strings harmonize in 「Rotten」. Each sound felt as though it carried the breath of something living. Were there particular sonic intentions or guiding principles you kept in mind while making this album?

Gia Margaret: I always try to reflect my everyday life into music, whether through field recordings or making sure that I use instruments or gear that sounds familiar to me. I used a drum sampler (that I often use for writing) on everyone around me. And a drum machine that I’ve been using for nearly 15 years (on Rotten.) I knew I wanted percussion to play a big role in making things sound a little more lively than my previous release. These songs didn’t feel as solemn as Romantic Piano and I was trying to break out of my shell a bit more. I think the intention was to show different sides of myself, even the sides of myself I don’t feel the most confident about.

The Album’s Greatest Breakthrough

-Yuuki Takita: The album spans a wide range of styles, from slowcore to danceable tracks to chamber arrangements. Which song on this album represents the greatest breakthrough for you personally, or feels like the clearest sign of change and growth?

Gia Margaret: E-motion, definitely. It’s funny because I spent the least time on it compared to any other song on the record. It came together so quickly, just as other major breakthrough songs have in the past. For example, I wrote a song called Birthday in about 30 minutes. And wrote AND recorded Hinoki Wood over the course of 2 hours. I think these things happen when there’s pent up energy that’s ready to leave you. I think I was holding some of those words in for a long time. It felt like an admission of longing/yearning for deeper connection to people in my life and myself. I tend to think the things I struggle with will burden everyone, but I began to realize after the past few years that that fear was holding me back from experiencing LIFE! It felt like a breakthrough because I realized in that moment it doesn’t have to be so terrifying. On a musical level, I think I allowed myself to get louder (or at least as loud as I’ve ever gotten). It felt a little liberating. I have always loved distortion but never knew how to apply it to my own music. In E-motion, I decided to go as far as I could volume wise, and instead of winding a song down as I usually have in the past, I let it arc into something really big.