Harmony Tividad and Gwyneth Giller indulge in unfiltered, full-on Girl Talk under God.
Harmony Tividad speaks in a way that makes you feel like you’ve been let in on a secret. Best known for co-founding the band Girlpool, she’s since carved out a solo practice that is as diaristic as it is expansive—threading together lyrical philosophy and everyday tenderness over a cunty beat. We met over Zoom from LA to NYC, except it was more like two girls sitting cross legged, gossiping on the floor of their bedroom. From faith and friendship, perfume and playlists, Klarna and karma, our conversation unfolds like sweet notes of poetry.
Harmony’s honesty, whether about the anxieties of womanhood or the joys of a chocolate chip cookie, anchors her as a mystic and BFF to all. She’s your local mermaid, pop star angel, karaoke diva—but above all, she’s the kind of girl who makes you want to believe in something.
Gwyneth Giller: First of all, I’m so excited to do this with you. You’re like the vision of Girl Talk embodied.
Harmony Tividad: Oh my god, stop. You’re so sweet. I’m so excited. This is so sick.
GG: What were you doing earlier today?
HT: I had a meeting, then I did an interview before this—it was for an article about my mom. Then my mom and I went to Pilates.
GG: I was actually going to ask you about your mom—and her choice in your esoteric government name. Are you two close?
HT: We’re besties. She’s like a sister-mother. We always joke that we grew up together because we’ve both evolved so much since I was born.
And my name actually came to her in a dream. She didn’t know the sex of the baby because she and my dad wanted it to be a surprise. She was seven months pregnant, and in her dream I told her, “My name is Harmony.” She had been debating names—if I was a girl, they were going to call me Tessa. And I was like, “My name is Harmony.”
GG: So you basically named yourself.
HT: Exactly. It’s so me too—I’m very confrontational about what I like and don’t like.
GG: Do you want to be a mom one day?
HT: I mean, oh my god, it’s been on my mind so much. Sometimes I think, wait—maybe I could have a baby. I think it’s such a sweet expression of love. Raising a person—watching them develop their own interests and desires—that feels so beautiful.
GG: Especially if you have a partner, to see the merge of your characters in one little person—ugh, so fulfilling.
HT: My boyfriend and I are both really intense, someone literally called us “two chatty chipmunks” the other day. Our child would probably be just as intense—talking fast, nerding out, loving books. That would be fun.
GG: Do you already have names in mind? You don’t have to share—you can gatekeep.
HT: They’re definitely esoteric, but not in a spiritual way. One is a mix of our grandmas’ names, which I think is really sweet.
GG: I love that. I was on Instagram the other day and saw this reel—no idea if this guy was even a real doctor—but he said fertility drops 50% for women at 28 and for men at 30. Like what the fuck? Isn’t that insane?
HT: This has been on my mind because I have PCOS. I went to the doctor yesterday and she’s always testing my eggs. She told me, “If your egg count gets any lower, we’re going to have to freeze them.” Technically I’m in the low range for my age group, but it’s not dire. Still, it felt so alarmist. And I’m just like—God, I don’t want to constantly think about my fertility. It’s stressful.
GG: Being a woman at this age feels like the hardest thing ever. I log onto Facebook once a year and everyone is getting married, having babies—or even their second babies. And I’m like… what is happening? I just want to drink matcha and have fun.
HT: I know. Even if I do those things, I’ll do them in my own way, which probably means alienating everyone a little. It’s stressful because ideals are painful not to meet, but there’s also something beautiful in missing them.
GG: Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up the most stressful topic of our lives.
HT: No, I love it. It’s been on my mind, so it makes sense that it would come up.
GG: What was your earliest memory?
HT: One of my first clear memories is from my fifth Christmas. My parents got me a keyboard and I sang happy birthday to my cousins. They told me I sounded British, and I cried. I started sobbing and saying, “I just want to sound like myself.”
GG: [laughs] That’s so pure. These questions are all over the place, but: mermaid, angel, or diva?
HT: Right now, definitely mermaid. I’ve had a very aquatic year.
GG: I saw that you walked the aquatic Tyler McGillivary SS26 show which the OG mermaid Sara Paxton also walked in.
HT: That felt like the culmination of my mermaid year. Last year was angel. Maybe next year will be diva.
GG: You have to watch MerPeople on Netflix—it’s a docuseries about the community that cosplays as mermaids.
HT: Oh wait, I have! I’m obsessed. I think they’re so cool. How do they hold their breath that long?
GG: It’s Olympic-level. I’ve always wanted to go to one of those bars with the tanks.
HT: You need to. Probably Vegas.
GG: What’s your go-to emoji right now?
HT: Can I look? Okay…the bikini. The little pink polka dot bikini.
GG: What does your Photo Booth on your iMac look like?
HT: Honestly, it’s just guitar videos. Me writing songs, looking the worst I’ve ever looked. Or me in a corset, full beat, laying down. That’s the binary.
GG: Chic. What’s your guilty pleasure?
HT: A midday cookie. But I don’t even feel guilty.
GG: What kind?
HT: Chocolate chip, obviously. Gooey, not powdery. A powdery cookie is a crime.
GG: So you’re a sweets girl?
HT: Actually, I’m more salty. But when I want sugar, I need it. In New York I was randomly obsessed with gelato. I’ve never been a gelato girl, but I was eating Venchi Gelato in the West Village constantly.
GG: What are you reading right now?
HT: The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector. She’s one of my favorite writers. I didn’t know what the plot was going into it, and then my boyfriend spoiled it. I was so mad—I wanted to go in blind. I love to experience things fresh—movies too.
GG: Same. I went into Sinners blind—it was a wild experience.
HT: That’s how the world should be experienced. We know too much.
GG: Agreed. What’s your signature scent?
HT: My boyfriend is a fragrance head, we’re both really into scents. My summer scent was Narcotic V by Nasomatto—it’s in a cute pink bottle and smells like Maui. But in general, I love vanilla, wood, and sweet notes. Byredo’s Vanille Antique is my classic. And Ylang 49 by Le Labo, which has a vintage vibe.
GG: I love perfume descriptions, they’re low-key poetic. What’s your signature scent that’s not a fragrance?
HT: Vintage fur coats and eBay clothes that I haven’t washed yet. The smell of someone’s wet-garage.
GG: [laughs] How do you make a playlist?
HT: I think for me, I love different vibes. So for a lot of my playlists, I’m just like, “Oh, I like this song right now,” and then it’s going in the playlist.
GG: So they’re like time-stamps of your life?
HT: Exactly, it’s kind of like a vibe check. But then sometimes I’ll make playlists that are more niche. For me, I’m always trying to follow my brain, pay attention to my thoughts, and be like, “I’m thinking of that song because there’s a lyric that reminds me of this other song.” And then I’ll put those together, and suddenly there’s this energy that feels connected.
GG: Totally. The brain makes associations that a lot of people usually don’t even process in real time, so when you catch it, that’s magic.
HT: Absolutely. So I try to ride that.
GG: Do you use Spotify or Apple Music?
HT: Spotify. You?
GG: Me too. Did you see the new update? The mix update? You can match song’s BPM and blend their transitions in a playlist.
HT: Wait, no. Where? What do I do to get this?
GG: I don’t know if you have to update the app, but if you go to a playlist, there’s this button that says “Mix”.
HT: Okay, I’m looking into this. That’s so cool.
GG: What’s your go-to karaoke song?
HT: I’ve always done “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” but now I’m tired of it. Recently, I’ve been doing Hole songs. Courtney Love always gets people going.
GG: Did you know about her beef with Nicole Kidman?
HT: Don’t tell me that. I love Nicole Kidman.
GG: I love her too! But apparently, they really don’t like each other, there’s a clip of her talking about it on David Letterman.
HT: No way. I’m on looking Reddit right now.
GG: Switching gears—what’s it like aging with your music, especially the songs you wrote for Girlpool?
HT: I’m so happy I’ve made work and shared it my whole life. Being an artist is about publicizing growth and normalizing that we’re not stagnant beings. I fuck with everything I’ve made, always. I’m proud of myself for sharing, even if I don’t think it’s great. Just putting work out is a brave thing.
GG: Do you feel like any songs you’ve written have manifested things in your life?
HT: Totally. So much of music is psychic conversation with yourself. I’ve definitely written songs that later took form in real life. I don’t see it as woo-woo. Thoughts are already part of your universe—writing about them just brings them closer, because your brain is already looking for them.
GG: The cells in your body literally respond once your brain tells them what to look for. Like confirmation bias.
HT: Exactly. It’s more about being interested in something, writing about it, and then naturally finding it.
GG: Lately I’ve been obsessed with the idea of ego, soul, and body—and the relationship between them. If you had to choose three of your own songs—one for ego, one for soul, and one for body—what would they be?
HT: Okay… let me think. Soul is “Faultline”. Ego is either “Coke and Mentos” or “Technologique” from my Gossip album. And then for body, I would say “Dystopia Girl” because it’s about bodies—but also maybe “I’m So Lucky and Nothing Can Stop Me” feels more body.
GG: Love that song.
HT: Which one?
GG: “I’m So Lucky and Nothing Can Stop Me”. That’s truly one of my fav hype-up songs.
HT: That makes me so happy, thank you.
GG: Okay, vibe shift—do you have a hack for beating loneliness?
HT: I think not being afraid to reach out to people. So much of loneliness comes from our own self-consciousness and shame around needing someone, and that just makes it worse. But I’m so willing to be needy, I’m like, “Hi hi hi”—just texting my friends.
GG: I love hitting people with a “Hi”. I actually have it tattooed on my lip because I do it so much. And they’re like,“When you text me hi, I get so stressed.”
HT: That’s how my mom is! When I text her “hi,” she immediately goes,“What’s going on?”
GG: [laughs] Same.
HT: But I also think loneliness can be really powerful and transformative. It makes you go inward and realize what’s not resonating anymore.
GG: When was the last time you had that feeling or check-in with yourself?
HT: This summer. I felt imbalanced and had to ruminate on it. I feel better now, but this past summer felt heavy for a lot of people I know.
GG: I would agree on a personal level. Do you embrace change in your life?
HT: When I was a kid, I used to hate when my mom got a hair cut. Hated it. Even just trims would upset me, because I wanted things to stay the same. But I think being so strong-minded as a kid made me more flexible as I got older. I had to work through that early—realizing I couldn’t keep things the same all the time.
So now, when things change, I’m excited. Because I know they’ll change again. If I don’t like how things are at the moment, there’s always the guarantee they’ll shift. So you don’t have to fixate on it, you can just be present and know another vibe is on the way.
GG: Trust that there’s always another vibe coming. What was the last thing that made you cry?
HT: Oh my god. I was driving—okay, so I’ve been listening to Roxy Music, Kate Bush, and The Kinks a lot randomly. And yesterday I was listening to The Kinks in the car on the way to the gynecologist. “Waterloo Sunset” came on and I just started crying.
Later in the day, I had to show my boyfriend. He was like, “I’ve heard this before,” and I was like, “You definitely have, but the lyrics are so beautiful.” The poetry of the contrast between all the busy people and then just watching the sunset with someone you love—it’s the most perfect place to be. I was sobbing in the car, even after the song ended. Todd Rundgren came on and I was still crying.
GG: Do you believe in God?
HT: Yeah, but I’m not God-fearing, I’m God-appreciating.
GG: Totally, I rock with God. And not just like by wearing a little pink bedazzled cross necklace—but in a way that’s like, why not? God is everything and I love everything.
HT: We need to believe in magic to create magic. Why wouldn’t I accept as much magic as I can? I need any good vibes I can get, because there aren’t enough on this planet I can touch with my hands.
GG: What’s in your purse right now?
HT: I’m such a “stuff in bag” person. I’m obsessed with this sanitizer–hand lotion combo. Then I’ll have like six lip liners, a book, my phone, my wallet, keys, lotion, sanitizer. I’m really into hydrated hands.
GG: That’s basically what’s in my bag too—plus a bunch of loose tobacco. I always have to shake them out.
HT: [laughs] Yes.
GG: How do you balance being a spiritually divine angel girl with being a material girl in a material world?
HT: I think it’s easy. Objects are spiritual. We act like it’s a binary, like you can’t love beauty and also be non-material. But beautiful things hold a lot of God. There’s a reason Catholic churches look the way they do. They cared that things were refined. Life doesn’t have to be beautiful to be godly—but appreciating beauty can also be connected to God.
GG: I’ve been struggling with this—finding myself prioritizing material things. Whenever I do that, I feel pulled away from natural beauty. Humans are supposed to be surrounded by nature, and in urban spaces there’s awe deprivation. Without natural beauty, we start to seek fulfillment in material things or online.
HT: I think about this all the time. I have a porch with trees, and a few weeks ago I was sitting out there, I wasn’t looking at my phone, just vibing. I saw a hummingbird and then a butterfly—and something unique happened between that. I thought, “This is what happens when I don’t look at my phone.”
GG: What advice do you have for others to harvest that divine vibe?
HT: For me, it’s casual. It doesn’t need to be sought—it’s not difficult to access. Presence is so important. You literally get what you give. The energy, love, and compassion you put into life—you’ll get it back. That’s our responsibility as spiritual beings: to be present and grateful for each moment.
GG: On a less serious note, if you were a shoe, what shoe would you be?
HT: An impractical one.
GG: Finish my sentence: The feminine urge to…
HT: For me, it’s: the feminine urge to see the best in people.
GG: What was the last message you received?
HT: In my phone?
GG: From the universe.
HT: Oh! The last message I got was a few days ago, two actually, one long and one short. The longer one was about being a creative—basically, that there’s no point in trying to be enigmatic anymore, like the previous rock stars were. With so much access now, it’s better to be an oversharer. That’s just how the culture works. If you try to withhold who you are, the internet kind of bites you in the ass. It’s better to show your full spectrum of personhood—be seen as a human, not a figurehead. It’s just healthier.
GG: Totally.
HT: And the shorter message was about the simple joy of someone you love showing you a really beautiful song. That’s such a tender experience.
GG: The utmost act of being seen. What’s something you want to buy with Klarna?
HT: I don’t agree with Klarna.
GG: Love this take.
HT: I’m anti-Klarna. I only want to buy something if I can charge it safely to my credit card. I don’t want to be on some payment plan I’ll forget about. That’s not healthy for me. I’ve never bought anything with Klarna.
GG: Okay, follow-up: what’s something Karma can buy but Klarna cannot?
HT: Klarna can only get you stuff. Karma can get you everything else.
GG: Facts. Make three trend predictions for 2026. They don’t have to be fashion related.
HT: Feathers, period. Drop waist. And also, I think a more transparent approach to the internet. Things are feeling increasingly artificial, so I think people will gravitate toward humanity, vulnerability, people showing their full selves online.
GG: So true. I’ve been ruminating on the same thing—about my own internet identity, withholding out of fear of vulnerability and perception. But I want to overshare more.
HT: You should. Honestly, earlier this year I realized: I am a writer. I’ve always been a writer. I’d been hiding from it, even though I write songs. I’d been afraid to share it freely. But since I started embracing it, everything in my life has opened up.
GG: Speaking of being a writer…I’ve been appreciating people’s email sign-offs lately—like the more poetic ones. Do you want to think of one for the end of this piece?
HT: Sure, wait, what are those lavender things you put in underwear drawers?
GG: Sachets.
HT: I hope your day is filled with lavender sachets and good tidings.
