Q: Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
GABRIEL: Yes, I was in college and I had just bought a laptop for school. I opened up Garageband and started stacking loops there, and writing songs to that. I eventually fleshed those out in the studio with a producer, and I just loved the magic of that process. That’s when I decided to write and create original songs and pursue my own artistry.
Q: I love the lyrics to “Fake High”! They told a very convincing story and brought out a lot of emotions. What is your typical songwriting process like?
GABRIEL: Thank you! It honestly varies. With “Fake Highs”, I came up with the melody first and brainstormed the verses in the studio with my producer John Caviness. I still have scribbles from that session in my lyric book. Most of my writing process, it’s a marriage between production and writing simultaneously. But most of my songs begin with a raw idea for the chorus first.
Q: What has been one of the most significant moments of your musical journey so far?
GABRIEL: I think releasing “Don’t Want Me”, my first single this year is one of the more significant moments because I watched how the message in that song really connected to listeners and was highlighted in different publications. It was my first, really vulnerable song and had the exact effect I wanted it to have on people. It’s moody yet fun, which is the tone of all the music I’ve been working on.
Q: Who would you most like to collaborate with, if it could be anyone in the world?
GABRIEL: I feel like my answer to this question changes so often, right now I feel like my dream collaboration would be Billie Eilish or Giveon. Neither really matches my sound, but when I think of collabs I think of a challenge, and making two very different sounds make sense and is cohesive in a fun way. I can only dream!
Q: What do you do when you AREN’T working on music?
GABRIEL: I really love getting out in nature just to clear my mind and recenter myself with prayer and reflection. It’s so important these days. I also like to maintain my physical health at the gym and kickboxing!
Q: Any parting words to your fans?
GABRIEL: Thank you all so much for being so supportive of my music and journey this year. When you share my music it puts the biggest smile on my face! Can’t honestly thank ya’ll enough.
Interviewed by Alina Tran
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