Muses Week
Deep-diving into the inspirations that drive the coolest people we know.
In the final scene of Katarina Zhu’s buzzy Sundance film, Bunnylovr, Harmony Tividad’s song “I am So Lucky and Nothing Can Stop Me” plays as the screen goes black and the credits roll. And for someone like Harmony — who has been releasing music for over ten years, first as the indie-rock duo Girlpool and now as a singular artist — it feels like an artistic match, especially since film plays such a crucial role in her aesthetic as a musician.
Her 2024 debut album, Gossip, featured songs like “Thot Daughter” and “Miss America” that channeled a cheeky hyperpop persona. It’s the same version of Harmony that was behind the DJ booth at Charli XCX’s birthday party with the Dare. Her latest release, “Where Strangers Go,” is a new era for the songwriter, who is taking herself more seriously and offering a pulled-back version of the intimate lyrics that she’s known for. Below, we asked her about her musical inspirations and where she turns to when she is seeking a muse.
When it comes to songwriting, how has your process changed from working as a duo to releasing music independently?
With Girlpool, we started young, and we were initially writing everything together, so there was this constant sounding board. It was like having training wheels for writing because we would turn to each other and say “that’s good.” And that helped build confidence as a writer. Then we started writing more separately, and I realized I was lonesome in my writing practice. I didn’t know I was a writer for so long, and it was something that I just kept ending up doing. I would be hungover, and I would end up writing a very well-liked song and it became a cycle. Recently, I’ve taken my life more seriously, which I never expected to do. In that process, I realized I was good at it and that it was my calling.
Is there someone who has served as a muse for your work? Who are they and how have they inspired you or pushed you to think differently?
My current boyfriend. I’ve had other relationships and written songs about them, but I knew that when I really loved someone, the songs would get good. Twelve days after I met him, I wrote “Good Things Take Time.” I hardly knew him, but it felt so divine because the chorus came to me in a dream. I had a feeling it was a ’90s song and was written on guitar, and when I sat down and started writing it, within 30 minutes it was done. I felt touched by a spiritual force. I had never written a love song that felt so good and positive. And since then, I’ve written so much stuff about him, really emotional stuff. The song that just came out, “Where Strangers Go,” I wrote about him. It’s about how we can all be loners in the world and work through “how do I move through the loneliness that comes with loving someone this much when it’s not working as easily.”
Are romantic relationships often a source of inspiration?
I’m inspired by everyone. This has been the most tactile “you are bringing music out of me” moment, but I have a really deep relationship with my mom and my family, and they’re connected to the music I make.
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What’s the last photo in your camera roll that proved creatively inspirational?
I was at the nail salon on Monday, and there was this gel-nail thing that said “Colors for everyone.” I just thought that was so poetic and beautiful. And simple. I think a lot about themes of isolation because I grew up feeling very isolated. I’m an only child and I was an outcast at different stages of my life, so I love whenever I see something that is inclusive and inviting. And I’m always inspired at the nail salon.
Is there a visual artist whose work you find particularly inspirational?
I love movies: Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and Billy Wilder. Hitchcock’s Rear Window is one of the most visually feeding things I have ever seen. I’m very moved by humans interacting with each other and different people all being in the same space. I always find that so beautiful. And Rear Window is about that. It’s an apartment complex in New York’s Greenwich Village, and this guy witnesses something he shouldn’t out of his back window. You can see the windows of so many different people and that kind of art, where it shows a lot of different people’s experiences and how everyone co-exists, is so moving to me.
When you’re feeling stuck creatively, what do you do?
Being stuck is usually because of too much self-judgment, so I try to get out of whatever emotion is locked in my brain that’s negative. It’s like creative kidney stones and you need to break them up. I’ll go see a movie or go out with my friends or put on a cute outfit. You need to kill the critic and there are different ways. I don’t have one method, but I go do anything to get out of myself. Then I remember who the essence of me is.
What’s the most surprising place recently that has proved inspirational for your work?
I was at Disneyland — just the way people interact with each other when you’re seeing them as someone who knows nothing about them — and there’s so much there. You can sit in front of anything and be incredibly inspired if you just look for the details.
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You’ve started attending more fashion shows, like Sandy Liang and Ashley Williams. What inspires your fashion taste?
My inspiration for fashion has definitely been rooted in the movie Moulin Rouge!, by Baz Luhrmann. I would die for Nicole Kidman. My physique has felt really limiting for me because lots of modern clothes don’t have structure, so when I realized I could wear a corset and I could structure my body, it changed the game for me. And I love the feminine expression.
How much does L.A. inspire your art?
I have a really big chip on my shoulder, and that was a gift that growing up in L.A. gave me. The last art pop project I did was very inspired by being in L.A. and pessimism. I feel strange about it because I love it, but then I can simultaneously feel critical about it. I’m so inspired by old Hollywood; the lore is just so deep and bizarre. It’s been a pain in the ass and a gift growing up here.
