by Oksana Lyon
Born Ema Drei in Bologna, Italy, Giungla is taking the indie pop music scene by storm. Her music combines traditional instruments with electronics and is reminiscent of North American pop punk acts like No Doubt and Paramore. Make no mistake, however: her music is both authentic and original.
She only has four singles available on Spotify, but those four singles were enough to amass over 20,000 monthly listeners. While her listeners are mostly concentrated in London, Milan, Rome, and other European cities, she has made strides worldwide, performing at events such as Eurosonic, Reeperbahn, Liverpool Sound City, the Great Escape, and South by Southwest (SXSW). One would expect her fanbase to expand with time, especially after performing at an event as major as SXSW, in a city like Austin with such a robust music scene.
Her most recent Facebook post explains her latest single, “In My Head,” a song dedicated to
"all those seemingly insignificant moments that ultimately can be more meaningful and powerful than words when it comes to discovering who you are and just accepting yourself."
“all those seemingly insignificant moments that ultimately can be more meaningful and powerful than words when it comes to discovering who you are and just accepting yourself.”
She accomplishes just that. Her lyrics highlight the struggles of finding the right words and how much better it is to be inside your head, not having to worry about anyone’s perception of you but your own.
In introducing the song, she also says: “When someone asks me why I make music basically my answer is: the only thing I know is I need it to discover who I am and to navigate the world.”
“When someone asks me why I make music basically my answer is: the only thing I know is I need it to discover who I am and to navigate the world.”
The world needs more artists like Giungla. Talented. Creative. Introspective. It is very easy to like her, and any open-minded listener can find something to like about her music. Rock fans will find joy in her skills on the electric guitar. Indie fans will love her soothing voice and lyrical talents. Pop fans will take pleasure in the beat behind it all. She is truly an artist to watch, and a talent worth observing.