Gabriel Guy Talks New Music, Songwriting And More

 22-year old artist Gabriel Guy has recently signed to Island Records and has released his EP ‘Bullies At Recess’. He spoke to us at JLTT about his new music and more: 

When did you begin songwriting?

As a kid I always used my moms phone to record little melodies, but I actually started writing for real at 17, last year of high school. It was the year that I thought I could take music in a more serious route.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Pokemon’s intro was looping around the house!!!

You have your single ‘Black Eye’ which is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Black Eye talks about my story of dealing with loneliness and isolation. I was living in Nigeria most of my childhood. After convincing my family to move back home I realized that it’s been so long, that I am now a stranger everywhere I go, I don’t belong anywhere actually. The people in my school ignored me and I felt transparent. I went on lonely adventures to understand myself better, trying to “rebel” … I would crash into parties that I wasn’t invited to, steal their alcohol and drink myself to sleep in the back seat of my family’s car. Eventually I understood that I do need someone to love me and be my friend. It’s hard to admit that you’re losing but I learned through writing this song that none of this matters as long as I am true to myself.

Where did you record the song and who produced it?

The song was produced by Omri Behr who is a frequent collaborator for me, who gets me. I never recorded a song at an actual recording studio, it’s always some apartment set-up. Still prefer that to massive studios.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the song’s recording sessions?

My producer’s dog gave birth during one of our sessions on the song which was very stressful 🙂

Who were the musicians who performed on the song with you?

Just me & Omri.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

I’m not really the one dealing with all of this, I just write and record the song. But we needed vocals from multiple people – and used AI to turn my voice into a girl’s voice as well. Quite fitting for the song’s story, only relying on me, I guess.

Who designed the single artwork?

We did a photo shoot with many outfits and one scene was me sad with a birthday cake. We took that photo and painted a black eye in photoshop. Then we brought this girl who is a graphic designer and she coloured the background and wrote the name of the song.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

I was looking for someone to help me with my social media. I met this girl who can make body parts bigger or smaller via an editing program. Then I thought, hang on, this is kind of a cool idea to do a little visual for my next song where I have a big head the whole video. It takes the edge off of the blunt emotional aspect of it. I messed around with makeup and made it look like I had a black eye and we started shooting around town.

Do you have any future music releases planned for 2025?

Yes! I released my EP in mid-May called “Bullies At Recess”

Was it a difficult song to write?

Technically, no. Emotionally, a little.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Not really. Let me perform anywhere and I’ll be happy. I don’t care about extra things.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

By now with my parents travelling I’ve had too many of them, and none feel like home. So my head is my hometown.

How do you look after your voice?

I usually drink a lot of water. And do some warm ups before I record to not traumatize my vocal chords.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Here are some recent recommendations: Sarah Kinsley, Banks, Debbii Dawson, Sam Fender, Rachel Chinouriri, and Lizzy McAlpine.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

Some UK dates to come – Stay tuned!

What makes Gabriel Guy happy and what makes you unhappy?

Working out and making music makes me happy. Failing or not being able to finish an important task makes me unhappy.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Edge Publicity

Gabriel Guy has released his new EP “Bullies At Recess”, via Island Records.

Listen Here: https://gabrielguy.lnk.to/BulliesAtRecess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriel__guy/?hl=en