DHP PRESENTS

GRLwood

Live at Oslo, Hackney

As they head out on the road once again, a couple of other notable opening slots have prepped Forester for bigger and bigger stages. GRLWood warmed up the crowd for Ohio hardcore band Devil Wears Prada’s side project God Alone—and Rej even has a scar from when the lead singer accidentally kicked a microphone into her face—and she still counts opening for Against Me! as one of her biggest accomplishments to date, citing Laura Jane Grace as another important inspiration, and part of the inspiration for her core rock sound. “I’m never going to fully stray away from rock music as GRLwood, it’s always mainly going to be rock music,” she says. “But it’s been awesome to really stretch my wings. I hope it opens the door to other things.”

In this new era, nothing is off limits for Rej, who knows her neurodivergence has always been part of the way she processes the world, as she deals with the impact of both Tourette’s syndrome and OCD. That, plus the sort of bad faith and duplicity always comes along with life as a public figure deeply influenced her new body of work. Facing not just the sexism of a male-dominated music industry but the blatant stereotypes and microaggressions that come along with being openly queer, Rej channeled her own pain, anger, and disappointment into a body of work that she hopes will serve as a portfolio. A showcase not just of her musicianship and work as a lyricist, but also the breadth of styles she plans to present in GRLwood.