Gia Ford watches, narrates, and leaves space.

Gia Ford is soon to release her debut album, “Transparent Things.” An album filled with observations and stories. But her real name is Molly McCormick. How does Gia Ford reflect Molly’s personal life? A nice chat to find out with the 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Sheffield, England.

She looks relaxed, Molly or Gia. This time with a blonde look, but that’s always a surprise. She obviously calls “Transparent Things” her “debut”. She had made two EPs. But I didn’t know what I wanted at the time. With “Transparent Things” it’s really different. I had Sound City Studios in Los Angeles at my disposal. I had a band and session musicians. I also had a great producer in Tony Berg. Actually “not bad”: the studio where one of her great inspirations, Fleetwood Mac, also worked: producer Phoebe Bridgers, among others. And also a new major label: Cocoon. She played the show and they were interested. Through them I was also able to work with Tony Berg. It clicked well. “I deliberately went into the studio without a specific plan. I also wanted to use other people’s ideas. From guitarist Connor Houston and certainly also from Tony. He often has amazing perspectives and discoveries.

A few singles have now dropped from Transparent Things , which immediately highlight Molly’s versatility. “The album now also gives those songs context. And then you also hear the balance in my music, with the light and dark tones. Shades that fit so well with her personal songs. Like ‘Our Mutual Friend,’ the closing track on the record. ‘It’s about my grandmother who just passed away. And the song ends with the lyrics, ‘Until we meet again.’ So those are also the last lyrics on the album. It’s appropriate for the situation, and also that I’ll be back with more music in the future.”

However, this direct, literal approach is quite unique to Molly. “It’s true, I don’t write about myself very often. I prefer to tell stories where I create the characters myself. I can relate to it and I usually empathize with the other person as well. So it’s also a bit about myself… And when the songs get more personal, I like to hide behind metaphors, like in “Paint Me Like A Woman” or “Alligator”:

“I am a crocodile – in the middle of the city, the water is rising – the sailor and I will sail, sail away.”

So it’s not always easy to spot Molly’s personality in Gia Ford’s songs. And she’s okay with that. “If you have a connection or a certain feeling to my songs, it doesn’t matter if it’s me, right? It’s about your experience. I’m not putting a message in it or anything.”

It’s time to delve deeper into Molly McCormick’s life. By listening carefully to the music of her alter ego Gia Ford. And thus trying to expose her influences. Like the title of the record, “Transparent Things.” “That’s also the title of a book by Vladimir Nabokov. My songs are often about outcasts, people who live on the fringes of society. They’re barely visible to the world anymore. For the title, I looked up words like “invisible” or “transparent.” Then I went home and found Nabokov’s book. It’s about the secret life of the main character. That fits my songs perfectly. It’s also about secret feelings and desires. And it’s no coincidence that it ended up in literature or poetry. “I love reading and it inspires me. I love being in another world for a while. And then seeing things from a different perspective… Music is a feeling you can’t describe, right? Poetry has that too, without being able to put your finger on it. When asked next, she laughed almost shyly, but excitedly… “Yes, you’re right: I’d really like to write a book myself, someday.”

The world of music also provides Molly (or Gia?) with a lot of inspiration. Actually, a lot, because her taste is broad. One of them is Fleetwood Mac. “Stevie Nicks in particular is a great inspiration. It’s her voice, but also her songwriting. She writes stories that are often real about real people, but also often mythical. That’s what I like to do myself. Christine McVie writes more about real life and love. That’s a step further. I don’t think I’ve reached that yet.” Other influences? “Nick Cave, another storyteller, wonderfully dark and macabre. I have that with PJ Harvey as well. And then of course there’s Kate Bush, “I really love Kate Bush,” another storyteller. And in recent years I’ve also discovered Joni Mitchell. That fantasy, like in a painting. And maybe you don’t expect it, but I also like Massive Attack and Portishead. That almost typical, mysterious atmosphere.

Storytelling comes up a lot, especially when it comes to other people’s observations. “I always wanted to be a psychologist. I’m interested in people and why they are the way they are. In high school, I had an obsession with serial killers. I’m just fascinated by people who are different from me. I often talk about outcasts. Or people who act cool. For example, the movie “Falling in Love Again” is about a man mourning his dead wife. Then he asks his new partner to dress up as the deceased… or “Draw Me as a Woman”: a woman who feels she’s become a bad man because she’s been abused by the men in her life. “But actually, all people are interesting to me. Everybody has multiple sides. We’re constantly trying to influence each other. We often put on a temporary mask and take it off again later. And she has that with movies, too. “Yes, David Lynch, of course, that vibe. Not just in his movies, but in his music and his TV series. I love him.”

And then, perhaps (unfortunately) a more difficult point, even in 2024… She’s very open about her love for women both privately and in her music. Does that affect her music? Does she perhaps feel pressure from society to “do something about it”? “No, I don’t think about that. It’s just in marketing that it helps to be clear about my sexual preferences. But I don’t feel the need to talk about it. ‘It’s just who I am.’ I don’t feel pressured or anything, but if I can do something for society, then yeah, I will. But I’m not an activist. It’s really powerful to be myself, to be able to be myself. And that says a lot about what’s been achieved. I can be who I am and I can talk about it. That’s beautiful, I think.”

Molly is radiating contentment. Satisfied with her new album, “Transparent Things,” her first real debut. And with the psychoanalysis of her creator, her musical alter ego Gia Ford. She loves telling good stories, sometimes dark ones, but always about people. People she wants to understand, with or without a mask. And at the same time, she somewhat protects herself under a blanket of metaphors. Gia Ford observes, narrates, and leaves space. And she does it well.

Photos (c) Katie Malcolmson (live) and Melanie Lehmann