We were lucky to catch up with Gabriel Jackson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriel, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started my music career off as a self-taught musician at the age of nine playing guitar. Beginning at age eleven I taught myself how to play piano, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica so by the time I graduated high school I had been playing for half of my life. I noticed early on that I had a natural ability to play music; I was completely ignorant to music theory or chord structure but the music just came out of my fingers. I didn’t become a good musician because I studied hours and hours of theory nor was I interested in becoming the next Eddie Van Halen. I was a good musician because I had an unquenchable need to write songs and create music no one had ever heard before.

My musical ability was seasoned by the time I entered college, but my technical knowledge (audio engineering, producing, etc) of recording music was non-existent. The extent of recording knowledge I had was putting my phone down and using a voice memo to record myself. Fast forward a few years and the drummer of my then band Thames convinces me to buy a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) so I could learn how to record my own music myself. He said to me “You need to get a DAW because once you do an entire world of possibilities will open for you that you never knew existed.” He was right.

That conversation changed the course of my life. I began writing, recording, and producing music on Ableton in the fall of 2018 and haven’t looked back. My love for house, trance, and EDM music has blossomed. I went to school and got an Audio Engineering degree, later becoming a Production Manager of a music venue. I’ve transitioned from a folk/indie rock singer songwriter to an electro pop/house artist with the intention of pushing musical boundaries.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, with booking/promotion experience as well as a job in production management and artist liaison work. By the time I was 21 I had already booked my own 10-city midwestern tour in cities such as Nashville, Milwaukee, Tulsa, and Chicago, entirely self-produced a 7-track album with my bandmates, and was named one of the top artists in all of St. Louis by the Riverfront Times in 2019.

Once the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, like many people, a lot of my music career was put on hold. I shifted my focus from writing and performing to finishing school at Webster University. In May of 2022 I graduated with a degree in Audio Engineering and immediately became the Production Manager at the Dark Room, a venue a part of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. If I had to choose any part of my career that I’m most proud of it would be the hard work and dedication I put in to actually finish school (I took 18 credit hours for 4 semesters in a row, AH!)

I am eager to begin writing, recording, and producing with other artists. I have a lot to offer creatively as well as technically in terms of vision and aesthetic. I want to capture the best version of an artist.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My biggest goal in terms of music is to be the soundtrack to a person’s life. All of my favorite artists, whether it’s Frank Ocean, The 1975, or Radiohead, all have songs I have a deep emotional connection to. The most beautiful thing about music is that it hits you randomly and deeply. You can hear a song and not care for it at all but then hear it again 3 months later and all of a sudden it’s your new favorite track. My aim is to make music that people carry with them for the rest of their life. I just want my music to mean something to people. That’s success in my book.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My biggest piece of advice to anyone hoping to build a social media presence is to not take it so seriously. It’s easy for it to consume your entire life and identity, impacting the ways you view yourself and your relationships with other people. It’s important to maintain a healthy distance between you and your social media presence/usage. The moment you find your self-worth being affected means it’s no longer a healthy investment.

The best way to build an online audience is in real life. Go out and meet people. Support local shows and local musicians. Befriend them and build connections. Building a long-lasting online presence isn’t going to happen overnight, and it’s certainly not going to happen if no one is willing to support you in real life. Because at the end of the day you have to remember that social media is not reality, it’s only the version in which we hope to show people.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gjj.brielle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambriellemusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-jackson-b9222613a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brielle1298

Image Credits
Mallory Ingles