We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabrielle Gutierrez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gabrielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In the spring of 2021 I was contacted by SSM Nashville Label through an email and they were interested in perusing me as artist. At this time I did not know if it was a scam or if it was a record label reaching out that was real and interested in what I was doing as an independent artist. At this point in 2021, I was working back home with a local musical engineer making music that I would write by myself. I Pushed myself and released an album back in 2020 and was currently in the works of organizing my next project and where my music was going to go from there. I knew that regardless of being a world known musician, I wanted to make music until I physically could not produce anymore since it’s such a creative outlet for my brain and emotions. As I reached back out to SSM, they sent me questionnaires and scheduled a phone call interview with myself. They never asked any ‘red flag’ questions like personal information, so at this point I kept thinking, ‘Whats the harm?’
That phone call rolled over into more meetings and finally a proposition was given to me an opportunity laid on my career path now at 21. SSM Nashville offered me a one year development deal, consisting of 4 radio singles and working alongside other Nashville songwriters and working with incredible musicians. The only thing that stopped this opportunity was the risk of, how was I going to pay for this? If you know anything about development deals, they’re ALL risk. A company is taking a chance on you and if people like you or not, that is a real gamble. Finically, its a risk too.
I stressed for two weeks at most, telling SSM that I was thrilled and interested but I did not have this lump of cash that they were looking for. Luckily, I reached out to the right people who stood behind me to make this happen. I was lucky enough to set myself up with an LLC of my brand as an artist and have multiple investors. And as a small town artist, who only wrote songs in my bedroom alone and posted them with this dream to physically having a team behind me who supported what i stood for as an artist. Crazy.
Once I was cleared and able to sign the agreement with SSM Nashville, many doors opened up for me and the year of 2022 consisted of having songwriting sessions with incredible individuals, working with a whole Nashville band to make my songs come to life and then a team to mix them and get ready to push them to radio. Along with getting an invite to be at CMA Fest as an artist and meet so many amazing people. Reflecting back, I am thrilled I took this risk and I feel like i’m just getting started. I hope the rest of the world lets me continue this journey and share my stories.
Gabrielle, 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?
Music has always been around in my life. For myself, my father had a tribute band growing up and I believe that is what sparked my love. Seeing how passionate he was about the craft and industry made me grow into wanting to find that same fire. The only thing that stopped me was, at a young age, I could not pick up an instrument like my dad and just play it. It was incredibly frustrating then and incredibly funny to me now. Fast forward to high-school , the first instrument I learned to play was a ukulele which over time turned into me picking up a guitar and translating the chords well since my hands had adjusted to such awkward shapes. From that point on I used my favorite artist’s songs to buckle down on my skills. And the best part, my first real break up sparked a song idea and the song idea grew into a whole album. What can I say, I was also raised by Taylor Swift.
I would say to new listeners, if your’e captured and enchanted by real life love turned into songs, having an artist to cry, smile and laugh with, I might be your girl. At first I wrote music as therapy and that turned into many of my friends and peers coming to me with their own stories of how they relate to the words I had written. I don’t know if knowing my listeners have gone through what I have too is comforting or depressing. But somehow I know my listeners are loyal and some of the sweetest people I have met. The other thing I take pride in, is trying actively always changing. My sound is something I don’t ever want to sound repetitive, currently i’m dipping my toes into the indie alternative sound. Which is turning out to be really cool.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
One resource I recommend to starting artists who want to take their career as serious as possible is the book ‘How to Make it in the New Music Business’ By Ari Herstand. It was recommended to me by a well known artist and once I brought it up with my music engineer back home, Daniel Blake, Blake was actually the one who bought me the book. If you end up reading that book, take it with a grain of salt. The author is very ‘cut throat’ and after 18 pages I questioned my entire life. But, it is an easy read, the tools and information Herstand gives is very eye opening and helped me take my brand up a step doing it by myself as a small independent artist.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Connection. Making music is such a powerful outlet to have. Even if you aren’t strong lyrically, your sound can impact the audience. It feels most rewarding to me when listeners can tell me their favorite parts or lines of my songs just because it made them feel a certain way. And iv’e learned if your’e writing that music with feeling behind it, people will believe you. It can be easy to hear when an artist is behind what they’re singing or if they’re simply singing the words to sound pretty with very little delivery. I can confidently state as an artist, every word i’ve ever written for a song, i’ve personally felt that human emotion portrayed and its something that cant be taken away from my sound.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gabriellegutierrez.bandzoogle.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielle_gutierrez_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabsmgutierrez
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegr8gabbie
- Other: Tiktok: @gabriellegutierrezmusic