New York-based indie pop artist Imogen Valentine is on a mission to make the world feel loved and create a circle of support through her music.
Imogen Valentine grew up in London, and began taking singing lessons as a child. When she was 15 years old, she attended a Sam Smith concert, which served as the ultimate push to start recording music. Her first EP “Ouch!” was released in June 2024, and she returns today with a mid-tempo gem titled “Golden Girl.”
I had the chance to do a little bit of digging inside Imogen’s brain to learn more about “Golden Girl.” Read her thoughts below!
Tell me about how “Golden Girl” came together.
I had just gotten ghosted by this guy which is never fun, but I think the reason it cut so deep at the time was because I was putting so much of my self-worth into whether or not he chose to be with me. I went home for Thanksgiving shortly after that, and was looking through old photos of myself as a kid which was bittersweet because I realised that in many ways I’d abandoned parts of my inner child for the approval of others. From there, I came up with the title and the concept for the song and took it to my producer, Paul, to work on.
“Golden Girl” touches on the subjects of self-doubt and knowing your worth. How important is it to you to be transparent about such issues in your music?
There were definitely moments during the process of making “Golden Girl” where I was like “ah this to too vulnerable”, but then I would think about the artists I look up to like Mac Miller and how he shared his truths in such a beautiful yet non-sugarcoated way. Mac’s album ‘Swimming’ comforted me during some of my lowest moments and he really inspired me as an artist. I hope that by sharing my more vulnerable stories, especially in an age where everything is a highlight reel on social media, I can make someone feel a little bit less alone like Mac did for me.
What has been your most empowering experience as an artist so far?
Releasing my first EP ‘Ouch!’ this past summer on my birthday. I wrote most of the project when I was 18/19, which was a really heavy and tumultuous time period for me. ‘Ouch!’ was meant to come out a couple times before it did, but kept getting delayed. When it finally came out, it was the first time I got to really pause and have a moment to be like “wow you dug yourself out that hole.” It felt empowering to see this concept that was born out of a lot of self-deprecation and hurt alchemise into this full project that brought a lot of healing into my life and ultimately left me in a completely different place for the better.
What is a career goal you’d love to accomplish in 2025?
I’d really love to go on tour and open for an artist I love! My dream artist to open for is Lana Del Rey. I also really love and look up to women like Suki Waterhouse, Olivia O’Brien and Maria Zardoya of the Marías.
Listen to Golden Girl below, and keep up with Imogen Valentine on Instagram @imogenvalentine5!
