Golden Girl Goldie Vargas Talks Dreamy EP and Finding Empowerment Through Healing

The story of a starry-eyed golden girl. Goldie Vargas’ journey has been nothing short of a cathartic, emotional release which is mirrored in her own songwriting. In Vargas’ upcoming debut EP release titled Golden, the songstress defines her artistic journey and the depths of growing pains to become the woman she is today; candid, playful and full of heart.

The result is elegant and organic emotional balladry that has empowered the songstress to transform and heal through her artistry and womanhood. Vargas has a natural ability for seeking relatability with her listeners, as her raw, poignant songwriting and intimate lyricism is a flawless exploration of being in alignment with yourself and healing the past to find inner-peace through coming of age moments of heartbreak, navigating mental health and romantic odes.

The first taste of Golden comes from her latest single “Moving in Reverse.” Over dreamy, atmospheric production, Vargas’ honeyed melodies describe the fear, isolation and uncertainty she was feeling during the songwriting process in her lyrics,

“Days go by and I’m still trying find the way to get out alive / Days go by and I’m still trying to get towards the other side.” 

Confessional, yet a breath of fresh air, “Moving in Reverse” came from a place of isolation for Vargas when faced with internal and external blockages. The songstress “let go of the reins” and explored her freedom in the creative process.

Born and raised in LA, Vargas is the definition of California cool with her beachy, chill soundscapes, natural aesthetic and intimate lyricism. Influenced by the artists she listened to growing up – Stevie Nicks, David Bowie and Joni Mitchell, to name a few – Vargas started writing, playing and performing music at a young age. Over the past two years, she has been hard at work creating her debut EP with her producer Adam Gurr. “I want listeners to be transported to a different world where they can be their truest selves and feel whatever emotion they want to feel to the truest extent when listening to my music,” she says of her upcoming EP. “I want listeners to feel less alone, as if I took the words out of their own mind."

[KIMBERLY]: Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. Can you tell us about what type of music you create and how you first got started in the industry?

[GOLDIE]: I create pop music that's influenced by rock, and I started recording music when I was 18. I just graduated high school and I really had been trying to pursue music throughout my entire high school experience. My dad is super big on classic rock music, so that's where my influence came in growing up. When I was 19, I met my current producer, Adam Gurr, and he's absolutely amazing and we’ve been collaborating since.

[KIMBERLY]: What artists inspire you either lyrically or instrumentally?

[GOLDIE]: I grew up around a lot of Stevie Nicks. Stevie is just my number one inspiration and she's just the coolest witch in the entire world. I love David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell and the Beatles.

[KIMBERLY]: Is Goldie your real name or your stage name?

[GOLDIE]: It’s my nickname I've had since childhood.

[KIMBERLY]: What does the songwriting process usually look like for you? Does it change depending on the song or emotions you evoke? Or does it usually stay the same?

[GOLDIE]: It usually stays the same of just tinkering on a piano for a little bit being alone. I wrote “Strawberry Kisses” all in my notes before even playing it. Sometimes it starts with lyrics and then goes on from there.

[KIMBERLY]: If you could either describe your sound or your aesthetic in three words, which three would you choose?

[GOLDIE]: That's a fun question. Golden – because that's just a theme in my life – ethereal and playful.

[KIMBERLY]: You're originally from LA. Does your environment impact your songwriting or your creative processes at all?

[GOLDIE]: I think it definitely impacts my creative process. It definitely feels like a little push underneath whatever I do, because you're just constantly surrounded by so many amazing artists and everyone knows everyone at the end of the day. So you either have to be really good at what you do, or you're done.

[KIMBERLY]: Your latest single release “Moving In Reverse” just released. It's described as an emotional, cathartic release. Can you elaborate more on this and what emotions you were feeling when producing this song?

[GOLDIE]: I wrote that one during the first week of the pandemic and recorded it during the summer of the pandemic with my producer Adam Gurr. It stemmed from a place of me just needing an outlet to process all the emotions that everyone was going through during that time, and recording it was so much fun. I'd have to say it was way more fun than writing it. It's always fun to record. I didn't come back to it until a year later when I went through a really hard time mentally where I was trying to figure everything out, and it just felt so powerful and everything I was trying to say during that time. So, to have it on two ends of the spectrum of starting it during the pandemic, and mentally going through it and needing to hear some reassurance that I'm not alone, it was crazy to listen to.

[KIMBERLY]: You didn't touch the single for a year after you started writing it. What called you back to complete the song?

[GOLDIE]: Just feeling less alone with everything. It felt like I prepared my future self and I left a little note for my future self.

[KIMBERLY]: What was the overall inspiration behind “Moving In Reverse?”

[GOLDIE]: The overall inspiration was just coming from a place of feeling alone and not being able to move forward in your life, whether that's a world thing that's blocking you from moving forward or your own self.

[KIMBERLY]: Your debut EP Golden is set to release soon. What inspired this work and how long have you been creating it?

[GOLDIE]: I feel like Golden is a chapter or a small, short story on my life during the summer of 2020. I wrote and recorded it all in summer 2020 and then started going back into it and looking at it last year. I wrote it during the middle of the pandemic, and it's about growing up and womanhood and finding yourself through breakups and heartbreak and all that type of stuff.

[KIMBERLY]: What do you hope your listeners can take away from Golden?

[GOLDIE]: I hope that they feel less alone about things that they're going through and feel empowered. I find that so much music nowadays is not empowering, and it's more sad and angry and I want listeners to feel empowered.

[KIMBERLY]: How do you think you've grown as an artist throughout the creation of Golden?

[GOLDIE]: I definitely feel like I stepped into like the older version of myself a little bit, which is so bizarre to go through. Oddly enough, Golden feels like baby me in a sense and looking back at it and being able to release it is so cool, because I get to appreciate where I was then.

[KIMBERLY]: You're talking to your younger self throughout the EP. What was one of the biggest lessons or breakthroughs you've had while creating Golden?

[GOLDIE]: I think just being able to feel free with what I'm creating, because I know a lot of people are like this too. I'm so hard on myself, and everything has to sound a certain way and to let go of the reins and put my full trust in my producer was huge. I already had trusted Adam so much, so I definitely think being able to let myself feel free while recording and not feel so intense and get it done.

[KIMBERLY]: Have you produced any music videos for Golden yet?

[GOLDIE]: Yes, I have one coming out for “Moving in Reverse.” That was so empowering to do, especially a song about mental health to be able to direct it and set everything up and tell my friends and my mom how to shoot, it was so fun.

[KIMBERLY]: What are some artists or songs that you're currently listening to that you're obsessed with right now?

[GOLDIE]: I'm currently listening to “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy recently because that's just all over TikTok, “Bound” by Ponderosa Twins has been playing a lot and I love Gracie Abrams. She's so talented, and just like the cutest little cupcake.

[KIMBERLY]: Who are your top three feminist rock icons?

[GOLDIE]: Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush and Cher – specifically from the 80s.

[KIMBERLY]: What is your wildest dream as an artist, if you can have one thing happen to you like a milestone or dream collaboration you want to accomplish in your career? What would that look like for you?

[GOLDIE]: Getting a necklace from Stevie Nicks that she gives to artists is up there with getting a Grammy.

For upcoming music releases and updates, follow Goldie Vargas on her Instagram. Stream “Moving in Reverse” on Spotify and keep an eye out for Golden set to release this summer.

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Kimberly Kapela is a Chicago-based magazine journalist that has covered freelance topics in music, beauty, fashion, spirituality, activism and personal essays. She is currently living in her home city, working towards a bachelors of arts degree in magazine concentrated journalism and social media strategies at Columbia College Chicago. She is a libra sun and pisces moon and loves learning about crystals for self-love and mindful meditations. She over romanticizes everything in her life to see the beauty in everything. Find her on Instagram @uhm.kimberly or writing on her blog: https://kimberlykapela.wordpress.com/