Small Girl, Big Feelings: The World of Gina Royale

New Jersey’s Gina Royale has a gift for turning ordinary emotions into melodic confessions. A singer-songwriter who bridges alt-pop polish with raw piano-born storytelling, she’s equally at home crafting glossy hooks or stripped-down heartbreak. Her music has already found its way into film (After Everything) and earned accolades like SongwriterUniverse’s “Best Song of the Month” for her single Low, but it’s the honesty running through every lyric that defines her. Whether she’s teaching, performing, or catching song ideas in her car between jobs, Gina channels life as it happens — proof that vulnerability can be both catchy and courageous.

SNQLX: You started writing songs when you were just a kid — do you remember what that first one was about, and what made you realize, “yeah, I want to keep doing this”?

GINA: The first song I ever wrote was technically named “Family Rainbow” when I was 4 years old, listing my family’s favorite colors. But after that, it was a song called “Tightrope” that I wrote about my high school choir teacher who didn’t like me.. It has since been removed from streaming services; not my best lyrical work. The moment I decided I wanted to keep doing this was exactly then, even in my amateur songwriting days, I wanted to continue over sharing my thoughts to music.

SNQLX: Growing up in Blairstown, New Jersey, what did your musical world look like? Was there a local scene, or were you mostly finding inspiration online and on your own?

GINA: My hometown and I have a complicated relationship. Blairstown, NJ is gorgeous and I’ve met some of the most cherished people in my life there! I was also a pretty anxious, socially awkward kid. With that, I spent a lot of my time there riddled with anxiety, playing piano in my room, so I can’t say I spent much time immersing myself in the local music scene. However, it sparked the start of a lot of cool songs!

SNQLX: You’ve played piano, saxophone, and flute — that’s a serious range. How do those instruments sneak their way into your songwriting today?

GINA: Piano is still a huge part of my songwriting process; it’s how majority of my songs are written to this day. I still teach piano and flute lessons privately, but you probably won’t hear me ripping a sax solo any time soon.

SNQLX: Your sound walks a fine line between pop polish and raw emotion. How do you protect that honesty while still making something catchy and radio-ready?

GINA: I put so much thought into lyrics when I write, so I really appreciate this perspective! So often in pop music, the focus can shift away from the lyrics, which is a totally valid way of writing pop songs! For me, I want to make sure I maintain lyrical integrity within the genre. To (hopefully) achieve that, I take a ton of inspiration from lyrical geniuses like Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Maddie Zahm, and John Mayer.

SNQLX: “Small girl sings sad songs” — What does that line mean to you now, as your music grows beyond those early heartbreak tracks?

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