Ghost In Real Life has always been a space for raw self-expression, but this latest era pushes the project to its most honest form yet. Ghost In Real Life channels years of cultural noise and the quiet weight of being misunderstood into a rebrand that prioritizes documenting lived moments over chasing a sound.
Loud, messy, handwritten, and deeply human, the project embraces chaos as truth. Where softness and volume coexist, imperfection is intentional, and visibility means allowing every past version to speak out loud.
In this exclusive interview with Electric Hawk, Ghost In Real Life opens up about reclaiming space, rejecting polish for presence, and building a world rooted in tangible creation for those who have ever felt like ghosts in their own lives!
Tracing the Evolution of Ghost In Real Life
We’ve been watching Ghost In Real Life evolve in real time. From her first appearance on Electric Hawk with “Drowning in Waves” to earning a spot on our Artists to Watch list in 2023, her trajectory has been defined by constant motion rather than comfort. What’s unfolded over the years has been a metamorphosis from the artist we met four years ago. Electric Hawk has been watching her carve out a distinctly personal lane within drum and bass, threaded with pop-punk tension and early-2000s emotional grit, introducing a new voice in an already overcrowded landscape. Now, in this next chapter it doesn’t arrive polished, it arrives honest. In the conversation ahead, Ghost In Real Life speaks openly about the chaos, clarity, and conviction shaping what comes next.
IN CONVERSATION WITH GHOST IN REAL LIFE
seradopa: The past couple of years carried a lot of emotional weight, both culturally and personally. How did those feelings shape the direction in this iteration of Ghost In Real Life?
Ghost in Real Life: Ghost in Real Life began as a place for me to be unapologetically myself. Each era, from trap to dubstep to DnB, carried nostalgia that people resonated with. When the project felt stagnant in 2025, I thought, what is the next part of me I can tap into and go even further with what I have so far? This next wave of Ghost in Real Life, you’re about to experience raw honesty and some deep-rooted symbolism from being a teen in the early 2000s.
seradopa: There’s a strong sense of visibility running through the project from being seen to being heard. What does visibility mean to you as an artist, especially after feeling invisible for so long?
Ghost in Real Life: For a long time, I felt invisible, not because people weren’t watching, but because I didn’t feel understood. Being misjudged stands as one of the hardest mountains to climb, forcing you to fight misconception after misconception. Being heard allows my emotions, contradictions, and past selves to exist out loud. This project is me stepping into that space fully, letting the noise, the silence, and the chaos speak for themselves.
seradopa: You describe this world you’re building as loud, messy, and honest because real life is all of those things. How did embracing that chaos change the way you approach writing and production?
Ghost in Real Life: I’ve accepted that I’m not trying to be the next Sub Focus or Koven. My sound is chaotic, angsty, and unpredictable, and that’s who I am. Once I stopped fighting how my brain works, I stopped controlling everything. My process shifted from building songs to documenting moments, and that’s when it all started to feel alive again.
seradopa: Your manifesto speaks directly to people who were “talked over, underestimated, or told to tone it down.” Was there a specific moment or accumulation of moments that pushed you to stop waiting for permission?
Ghost in Real Life: When I first moved to LA and worked in recording studios, I wasn’t given the same opportunities as my male peers. I was asked to get food while they were asked to run sessions. It left me with little to show on paper, even though I was capable. This pushed me to create my own opportunities and start my own project.
seradopa: There’s an undeniable tension between softness and volume in your work. How do you sit with vulnerability in an industry that often asks artists to either package it neatly or perform it endlessly?
Ghost in Real Life: There is no doubt that I am an outspoken person with strong opinions. I’m also very sensitive and can be reactive, which is a dangerous combination. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to understand that softness and volume can coexist in real life, so I let them coexist in my work. It’s something I let show up when it’s real, then I protect it when it’s not. I’ve learned that I don’t owe anyone constant access to my emotions, just honesty when I choose to speak.
seradopa: This rebrand positions the project as a space rather than just a sound. What world are you inviting people into? And what do you hope they take with them when they leave?
Ghost in Real Life: I’m definitely inviting people into my mind and a chance to truly see what made me. My world is handwritten, handmade, and rooted in lived experiences. Every visual, message, and sound reflects a commitment to creating something real, tangible. Even though most of my music is made in the computer, I always need something physical in the process, an instrument, a texture, something I can touch.
It’s the same reason I hand-made the backdrop for my photoshoot. My art needs a tangible element to feel fully like me. In a world filled with tech and AI that puts us in a fake reality and brings us down, I hope that everyone leaves with a refreshed passion to live life creatively, and pick up that guitar they don’t touch, or paint that painting, or go do that pottery class with their friends, and just live.
seradopa: In a time when so much visual culture feels curated to perfection. Why was it important for Ghost In Real Life to look imperfect, lived-in, and human?
Ghost in Real Life: I literally have ADHD. I genuinely don’t know how to be any other way. If I try to force myself to be curated or consistent, my brain will find a way out. So I’ve just decided to let my brain do its thing, and it’s the healthiest decision I have ever made for myself. Also, Perfection can be duplicated; imperfection is really hard to do twice.
seradopa: Looking toward the future, Ghost In Real Life feels like an ongoing conversation rather than a fixed statement. What do you hope this project continues to become, and what do you hope it never loses?
Ghost in Real Life: My project has gone through many phases. And my fans have stayed with me through all of them. That tells me they’re connected to me as an artist, not just a sound or just one thing I did, and that kind of support is priceless. I hope I never disappoint my fans because I never want to lose that.
seradopa: As this new era of Ghost In Real Life unfolds, what would you like to say directly to the people who have felt seen, held, or understood by this project, especially those who are still learning how to make space for themselves?
Ghost in Real Life: If this project has ever made you feel seen or held, I want you to know that you don’t have to earn space by becoming quieter or easier to understand. You’re allowed to take up room exactly as you are, even while you’re still figuring it out. This era is for the undefined moments, the messy growth, and the people learning to trust their own voice. You’re not behind. You’re becoming.
seradopa: If you could offer one truth to the people who have ever felt like ghosts in their own lives, what would you want them to carry with them from this project?
Ghost in Real Life: When I was in high school, I was friends with a lot of the weird kids, and I loved it. I had artsy friends, smart friends, and I was even friends with the kids who were good at woodshop or left high school to go to trade school and didn’t go to college. As a society, we forget about how important the weird kids are.
We get swept up in wanting to be accepted. We sacrifice who we really are instead of building our own community. I hope that people listen to my music or just watch my silly videos and leave with a sense that there was never anything wrong with them in the first place, they just needed to embrace who they really are.
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