We recently connected with Gabriella Antoinette and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriella, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

That’s such a difficult question…In Musical Theatre, every project is meaningful and special in its own way because playing a role is so personal. However, I think the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is actually a personal project of mine. A few years ago I went through a pretty tough breakup and wrote a song called “Addict.” I remember sitting on my kitchen floor hysterically crying, a year after the breakup, feeling like I had relapsed. That was the night “Addict” was born. There’s something so incredible about turning something painful into something beautiful. “Addict” compares the addiction to substance to being addicted to a person. There’s so much bravery in being able to say “I never would have left.” When I wrote this song, I deeply needed some sort of light or hope in my life, and this song became that light. I co-wrote this song with my incredible mentor and friend, Sam Harris. I remember going over to his house, playing the first draft of “Addict” on the piano for him, then saying “can you help me make this better?” And he truly did. We then brought it to Todd Schroeder who gave breath to our song with an airy piano and majestic strings. The three of us sat in Todd’s studio and brought my story to life. What they didn’t realize, was that simultaneously they were bringing me back to life.

Gabriella, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My love for music began very early in my life. Ever since I can remember, my mom has always had music playing in the car, in the kitchen, and in the living room…From show tunes to standards to French love songs…you name it, she played it! Once I learned how to talk, my grandma would play songs on the piano and teach me how to sing along. Music has always been my lifeline. I knew very early on that I needed to make this my career. Musical Theatre is an incredibly competitive field full of what feels like endless “no’s” but it just makes the “yes’s” even more rewarding. My professional Musical Theatre journey has only recently begun this past year after graduating from AMDA (American Musical Dramatic Academy) in Los Angeles. Shortly after graduation, I moved to New York for audition season! I performed in a cabaret at Don’t Tell Mama and booked my first professional job in a new musical reading. It was the most incredible process to bring a musical to life for the first time. I was sitting in a room with a cast of 7, the stage manager, the director, the composer, and the book writer. Every day we would make changes to the script or the score or the choreography. It was marvelous to be present for conversations that would result in a new piece of art. My favorite part of the process was having the privilege to take a character off paper for the first time. I worked with the creative team to build her from the ground up. The first time I sang my characters song (written by the incredible David Tolley) I felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude. It’s a beautiful thing to bring a song to life for the first time. I’m so excited to keep working in Musical Theatre and hopefully bring many more characters to life.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having the ability to touch someone’s heart through performance. I perform in hopes that someone will see themselves in the characters that I play. Whether they laugh or cry, I strive to make the audience feel something. The same goes for songwriting; I write songs about my own life, in hopes that other people can relate and see themselves in my songs. When I released my song “Addict” I received a message on instagram from a random woman saying she was touched by my song because she related so deeply. That message alone was so rewarding because if my song could effect even one person, then I’ve done my job.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The Musical Theatre world is based so much around your reputation and how you present yourself. At AMDA, we had a class that taught us how to create a website, choose headshots, and market ourselves. That was such a helpful class because it taught us that we are in control of how we present ourselves to the world. Our teacher, Donna Drake, got to know each and every one of us and throughout the class, she would look through our website and headshots and point out things like, “that photo doesn’t give me the energy that you bring into a room.” She taught me how to translate my personality into my website and headshots. I believe that building your reputation is an on-going processes because it can change at any given time. I strive to maintain a good reputation of someone who is hardworking, driven, great to work with, and more than anything, kind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gabriellaantoinette.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellaantoinettee/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabriellaantoinettee
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zT9OMjKdVpsSXwtp5iSox?si=BA1GvAqwSOqvN0wey7nSUA

Image Credits

Headshots: Caroline Rose