Gabriella Metz- Classical Crossover | Pop | Rock | Jazz | Opera | Musical
Interview conducted on May 29, 2020
By Dan Locke
Gabriella began her musical journey at the age of 4, when she had her first piano
lesson. By the age of 16, she had completed all academic levels of her music studies at the
time and had also earned her Vocal Performance Diploma from the renowned London
College of Music.
In 2015, Gabriella had auditioned and had been accepted at the prestigious Berklee College of Music where she is currently studying to earn her Professional Music Bachelor’s Degree.
She is considered a vocalist of many genres including Jazz, Blues, Pop, Fusion, and Opera. Gabriella is also a composer and arranger of both Classical and Jazz music.
Gabriella released her debut single “GREY” in November 2019.
Her debut EP “Breaking Infinity” was released on May 3rd 2019 on all social platforms.
What is your upbringing and how did you discover music?
I grew up in a musical family that always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. It really wasn’t a surprise to me or anyone who knew my family that I would be involved in music; this art flows in my veins. I was lucky enough to never be denied any music lessons and had a great amount of support.
How did you start to write music?
I always loved composition but I never participated in songwriting until recently. For the most part of my life, I composed classical music for full orchestras, string quartets and piano sonatas. I began songwriting three years ago, literally out of the blue, and it was something I didn’t expect. I guess it was the right time, and there were a lot of bottled up emotions that had to leave my system through music.
First and last concert you went to?
The first concert I attended was one of my favorite Greek singer’s shows in Cyprus. I believe I was 5 years old and looking back at it now, that concert in particular made me more in love with music and performances in general. The last concert I went to was Celine Dion’s World Courage Tour in Boston, MA in December 2019. An incredibly beautiful and soul touching concert.
Is it hard to believe you did a School of Music showcase?
Honestly not really. It was a yearly music school showcase and is something most music schools in Cyprus do every year. The fact that music schools commit to doing showcases for their students, not only encourages them to work on their music skills, but gives them the experience of being in front of an audience when performing.
How was Berklee College of Music?
Berklee was a lifetime dream and target let’s say. I worked very hard to get accepted and it really changed me as a musician. It’s a college completely focused on music and all of its aspects. Berklee broadens one’s knowledge as it introduces courses and classes that someone may have never heard before. I attended classes such as vocal performance, classical & jazz composition, arranging, music theory, music technology, music education, film scoring, music therapy, music business, songwriting, jingle writing, the list goes on and on. I feel very lucky to have attended a school like Berklee because it truly transforms its students to better musicians who are ready to go out into the “real world” of music. Other than the music education development, Berklee opens your horizons as there are so many different people from different cultures and ethnicities that makes it only normal to want to learn more about each person’s story. It is very important because it will ultimately rule out racism and sexism from your mind. Especially coming from a small country like Cyprus on the other side world, Berklee changed my life in all aspects.
You are a classical crossover performer. With a range of pop/rock/ jazz/opera/ and musical. What is your favorite type of music to perform?
I don’t consider myself a classical crossover performer. I have studied many music genres, vocally and theoretically and I believe that I am a musician who is able to sing in any genre I wish and even combine a few together. I don’t have a favorite type of music to perform; what I do is choose the songs that inspire me the most without focusing on music styles.
Tell me about your debut EP “Breaking Infinity”?
Breaking Infinity is considered a pop/rock/ballad genre EP with alternative influences. Recording and releasing an EP wasn’t in my plans for 2019 but it came naturally during a period of heavy creativity. The songs in Breaking Infinity are mainly influenced by all the feelings that were troubling me up till that point and going through the process of songwriting, recording, and releasing the EP, truly helped me “release” the sad feelings I had. The music was written by myself and Chris Cara who was also the producer of Breaking Infinity, and the lyrics were written by myself and Andreas Economides. The EP is released on all social platforms including Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play.
What is the story behind “Awake”?
Awake is the only official video of Breaking Infinity with an actual story line. It is about a child entering a surreal world after losing his mother. The young boy thinks that he can actually find his mother again physically and is constantly searching for her. At some point during the song, more specifically during the bridge, he believes that he found his mother, they hug, and the next second, he realized that she was never there. The boy grows up, becomes a man, and that constant need of finding his mother who has passed away, still continues. At the end of the song, he comes to the realization that he will never be able to find his mother in a physical form but she will always be there as a guardian angel. In other words, the song talks about the struggle that people have when losing a person. The pain that we go through and the need to have them in our lives, physically.
What is your favorite track on the album?
This is one of the hardest questions to answer. For me to choose one of the songs of my album is like forcing a mother to choose her favorite child. All of the songs represent a personal struggle or feeling that I had in my life and I truly love them all equally as they helped me feel free.
Which video shows the real you?
All videos show the real me. As I’ve said before, each song was written through personal experiences and feelings, so in every official video, it’s me expressing my emotions through a visual art.
What are your feelings about streaming music?
Streaming music makes it easier for artists to be reached by people all around the world. We as artists are also able to keep track of how “well” a song or an album does according to the number of streams, listens, views etc. In other words, it’s a simpler way of being completely aware of your music’s progress.
Digital vs. vinyl?
There are positives and negatives for both. I personally love vinyl and physical copies more than digital. I love the feeling of buying a CD or vinyl, and “physically” touching it, reading the booklet, and be able to admire the graphic design that is put into the packaging. On the other hand, for not as known artists, going into CD or vinyl productions is a lot more expensive than just releasing your songs on digital music platforms. Digital copies are more accessible than physical copies but they still don’t have the same feel in my opinion. Therefore, I decided to do both when I released Breaking Infinity.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what does that song mean to you?
Creep by Radiohead. It has been stuck in my mind on replay for the last couple of days. It is one of my favorite songs because in my opinion the lead singer of Radiohead, Thom Yorke, conveyed his true feelings in a magical way.
Did you do the “Breaking Infinity” EP Presentations in Cyprus on May 8th and 10th this month?
No, the EP presentations were on May 8th and 10th of 2019, a couple days after the release of Breaking Infinity.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?
Covid-19 is a huge matter and it affected everyone’s life not only the ones in the music business. For the time being, concerts are cancelled, and there is a general chaos occurring in the music industry. The positivity in it is that we all got a “time off” that was much needed by most of us and by using social media, we stayed connected with our fans. In what concerns the future, I don’t believe Covid-19 will stay with us for a very long time. That surely depends on all countries realizing the seriousness of this pandemic and start protecting their citizens.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine? Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
To be honest, at the very beginning of self-quarantine, I was procrastinating quite a lot. I really didn’t have the energy to do anything because it felt hard to be stuck at home 24/7; just by that you know I’m outgoing. A couple days after, I started reorganizing my home and workspace, I came up with a new website design and decided to open up a merch store – they will be published soon! Other than that, I rediscovered my passion for cooking and baking, I read many books, focused on myself, and practiced various techniques on the piano.
You recently recommended the book “The Life Changing Magic of not giving a F**k. Why that book?
It is one of my favorite books that truly helped me “declutter” my brain. I sometimes seem like I may be egoistic or that I don’t really care, but it’s really not the case. I am extremely sensitive and I do tend to bottle up some negative feelings. I also have the tendency to forget about taking care of myself instead of just everyone else, something that most of the times leaves a drained Gabriella behind. This book is for people like me; the ones that have to get rid of negative emotions and start to take care of themselves as well as others.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
I have done a nightly concert on Instagram and I might do another one by streaming a live show from an actual stage. If I do so, it will certainly be announced soon.
Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
It may be; a lot of bands and artists started selling tickets for live streams of their concerts but personally, it’s not something that I look forward to doing for the rest of my life. Live streaming concerts is what needs to be done at the time being where no one can physically attend a concert due to the chaotic pandemic. In the future, I’d like to see artists go back to traditional concerts with a live audience there. The energy is different; artists need an audience for a successful and enjoyable concert.
First it was an article in the New York Times, then Rolling Stones talked about it and finally Live Nation CEO said that concerts may not start again until fall of 2021. Do you think this could happen?
I certainly hope that concerts won’t be postponed until then. In my opinion, Europe is doing much better in terms of controlling the outbreak of pandemic in contrast with the U.S.A. If the U.S. doesn’t take the appropriate measures then yes, concerts may easily be postponed until Fall of 2021. In Europe though, I don’t believe that we’ll have to wait that long.
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it may be the end of music fest for the next couple of years?
No, I don’t think so. People all around the world are frightened due to the pandemic but all this will dial down. Even if social distancing is the norm right now, humans aren’t “built” that way. We need to be able to leave our house, attend concerts, be around friends. This won’t last long. We will go back to our normal lives one way or another.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
It’s an interesting idea but I don’t think the technology is there yet. Also, as I mentioned before, I truly believe that “traditional” concerts are definitely better. Where artists are on stage with a live audience underneath, both sharing a journey through music.
Any plans to tour?
The plans are on hold unfortunately due to Covid-19 but as soon as the pandemic is over, tour dates will be announced!
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
I don’t have anything specific in mind but the only sure thing is that I’ll be writing, releasing music, and performing. I live and breathe through music and really hope I’ll always be involved in it for the rest of my life.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Thank you for a wonderful interview! Stay safe!
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