April Jai, alongside her long-term collaborator and producer AMCL, have been releasing music since 2017. However, it was not until 2023 that they found a sound that reverberated with audiences to a new degree. The single Morally Grey achieved viral success, accumulating more than 24 million streams across platforms at the time of writing. It has also amassed various edits and remixes and became widely circulated on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Building on this momentum and their new modern synth pop vein, April Jai released GIRL’S GIRL in 2024. It was written and composed by April Jai, India Parkman and Sophie Ackroyd, produced by April Jai and AMCL. Mixing was handled by Ivo Sotirov, while mastering was completed by Pete Maher. The track also features performers Richard Llew Evans on guitar, and Nuno Oliveira on drums.
Topically, the single sits within the current wave of socially aware pop. The track pairs a polished, upbeat production with lyrics centred on solidarity among women. Rather than framing relationships through rivalry, the song underpins the idea of mutual support, in line with a wider cultural conversation increasingly present in mainstream music.
Much of the track's positive reception has been shaped by its online circulation. Gathering over 214,000 streams on Spotify alone, its central phrase functions as both a lyric and a tagline for a more widely recognised social attitude. In that sense, the single demonstrates how modern pop songs can often operate simultaneously as music releases and as cultural movements within digital communities. Through GIRL’S GIRL, April Jai demonstrates how contemporary pop songwriting can incorporate themes of community, empathy, and support while maintaining mainstream appeal.
The Composition of GIRL’S GIRL
Musically, GIRL’S GIRL employs familiar contemporary pop elements: bright high-register synth textures, and a clean, steady rhythmic backbone, providing a light atmosphere, and a hook designed for repeated listening. Jai’s vocal delivery is direct and conversational, allowing the lyrical message to remain front and centre.
The production maintains noticeable space between elements, ensuring the vocal line remains in focus. The result is a track that feels accessible, while still clearly positioned around a specific social theme.
Its harmonic structure is straightforward and follows a conventional pop progression. A major-key tonality and warm chord voicings help contribute to the track’s upbeat character, while subtle production details - such as soft backing harmonies and lightly processed percussion - add polish without substantially altering the overall sonic balance.
The piece also employs a balance of modern and digital tonal aspects, such as synths and contemporary production techniques, as well as more analogue elements, such as electric guitars and acoustic drums.
Evans’s guitar solo adds a heavier rock element to GIRL’S GIRL, lifting its energy while supplying an edge to the single.
Meanwhile, Oliveira’s acoustic drum performance becomes particularly prominentduring the choruses of the song, creating a natural lift in those sections, while tom fills in the background of the single's last chorus climax help raise the intensity before the track fades out.
The decision to incorporate acoustic drums was central to producer AMCL’s vision for the track.
Recording the Drums for GIRL’S GIRL
To enhance the track’s rhythmic depth and texture, AMCL enlisted the expertise of drummer Nuno Oliveira.
As a trusted drummer within the inner circles of the music industry, Oliveira often works within a production model that has become increasingly common in contemporary recording. Operating outside the traditional studio environment, he records drum parts from a remote setup, and delivers multitrack recordings directly to artists, producers, and songwriters, such as AMCL and April Jai. This approach easily allows projects to incorporate live drumming without the logistical constraints of coordinating face-to-face sessions, particularly in collaborations which span different locations.
And while both Oliveira, April Jai and AMCL are based in London, UK, Oliveira often works with artists from all over the world. Some of his most recent notable projects and collaborations include cold coffee by NEPTUNE, Can You Imagine? by perc, She Knows by Charlie Evans, Hold on Me by Luciano, the album Blue Tide by Rey Larsen, and various singles and EPs by Cargo Grey (also London-based).
Within this context, Oliveira’s work prioritizes adaptability, versatility, and technical precision. Session drummers are often required to interpret reference tracks quickly, record multiple takes or stylistic variations, and deliver clean, well-organised audio files that integrate easily into digital production workflows. In this capacity, the role goes beyond performance alone, requiring careful attention to recording quality, detail, timing consistency, and communication with clients in order to ensure the drum parts match the broader artistic direction of a project.
Oliveira’s central contributions to GIRL’S GIRL focus on clarity, consistency, and a simple rhythmic framework. His performance anchors the track with a steady pop groove, supporting the song’s upbeat tone, while leaving ample space for the vocal and synth-driven arrangement.
The drum parts are deliberately controlled, built around a consistent hi-hat pattern and a clearly defined snare backbeat. This controlled style compliments the piece's streamlined production, helping maintain a sense of rhythmic uniformity throughout the single. In the context of the arrangement, his performance functions as a structural element, reinforcing the track’s pacing and overall cohesion.
In addition to this drumming foundation to GIRL’S GIRL, Oliveira also provides various overdubbed drum fills which appear during the song’s climactic moments. These fills contribute additional energy and serve as dynamic production elements, helping elevate the track’s final section.
GIRL’S GIRL is available to stream on all digital streaming platforms.
