We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Giselle Lily. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Giselle below.
Alright, Giselle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am definitely the happiest I’ve ever been as an artist and creative! Although the question of “what would it be like if I worked a regular job” has crossed my mind in the past, that thought never seems to last too long or lead me to question the decisions I’ve made about my career. If anything, it only makes me that much more certain about what I’m doing with my career. Since I was a kid I’ve always been the adventurous type, always wanting to move, explore, create, seek out new experiences, and just see what more life has to offer. As cheesy as it sounds, thats exactly what jumping head first into the music industry has provided for me. Everyday theres something new, wether its traveling to play at a new venue, working with different producers, meeting other creatives daily, etc. Although I do feel like I live in a movie half the time with all these new experiences, thats not to say everything I do in my career feels like that. As an independent artist, working musician/vocalist, and a recording artist, there are MANY things that do feel very routine, almost like a 9-5. At the end of the day theres absolutely nothing wrong with that, but any time I start feeling like things are too routine, I try to remind myself that I am quite literally living 7 year old Giselle’s biggest dreams. I am getting paid to sing, create, perform… If I told my younger self that I would absolutely lose my mind out of excitement. Everyone in life hopes to find a career that not only can support them, but also lets them do what they love the most, and I feel forever blessed that I can say I have that.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Sure! My name is Giselle Lily, I’m a 21 year old Brooklyn based independent artist/working musician and have been pursuing this career for about two and a half years! When people ask what I do, to make my life easier I usually just say I’m a singer, but there are many more layers to it then just that. I’m a trained singer with years of experience in the studio and on stage, and I offer a variety of services including top-lining, songwriting, and specialize in genres such as R&B, Soul, and Jazz. I’ve been perfecting my craft by performing live at venues all over NYC including the Flat Iron room, Groove, and a variety of others, while also consistently working in the studio on various different projects of my own and for others. I think one of the things that sets me apart from others is that I am absolutely in love with what I do. The immense love and passion I have for music pushes me to hold my craft to a certain standard, which results in a product that not only sounds great, but has a sincere feeling behind it. My immense love for music was always apparent from a very young age, but I’d say the real journey started after I returned home from studying abroad for a year back in 2020. My time spent abroad was unfortunately an all time low for me mentally, and writing music was one of the only things that kept me happy, let alone afloat. I decided when I returned home I was going to go all in and throw myself into the music industry, and the past two and a half years in it have been nothing but growth and success.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being able to provide to others the joy that music brings me. Music has always been my best friend, its been a shoulder for me to cry on, my safe space, an outlet creatively and emotionally, and its always welcomed me with open arms, free of judgment. Having the capability to create something that can be that for others feels like such a blessing. One of my favorite things about writing music is the fact that I can relate to people so easily through it. The second they hear a lyric in my song that they connect with, they may feel a little less alone. Music is one of the few things in this life that literally feeds my soul. It makes me feel whole in a way that nothing else can and I’ve always held such a special place in my heart for it. Being able to provide that to not only my listeners, but also to some of the closest people in my life, my band, family, friends is one of the most rewarding feelings.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Something that I feel non-creatives may struggle to understand is the never ending stream of work that comes with a creative career. When you mix work with passion, work never ends. Theres no clocking out and then going home and relaxing after a long day. There is ALWAYS something to do. There have been many people in my life that really struggle to understand the constant stream of work and its actually jeopardized a few relationships of mine. If I’m not playing a show, I’m rehearsing for it, recording a song for a client, making a setlist for an upcoming show, answering emails, researching more places to play, or more places to send my music, doing lovely interviews like this one I’m doing right now ;) Even after all of that, when I finally check off everything on my to-do list, there is still the lingering question of what’s next and how can I keep moving and growing. With so many people doing the same thing as you, and so many people being really good at it, you really do need to always be moving and thinking about what the next step is. Outside of everything I’ve stated so far, another huge time consuming part of my career, or any creative career is networking. Even when I’m at a concert I’m usually using it as a business opportunity in terms of seeing who I can connect with or trying to find the manager of the venue and introducing myself. All of this is to say, I think every creative truly does try their best to balance work and life, but considering for many, their work is their life, sometimes it’s hard to turn the “work” switch off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/gisellelilymusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gisellelilymusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gisellelilymusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMp3cpBzuynZ7bwV5gD5TQ
- Other: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/giselle-lily/1568579682 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3MjsYDxiYQf77u7zWaVZ9l?si=lfYDIlrDQTOYcZzEOr3SaQ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-281804434?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Tik tok: www.tiktok.com/@gisellelilymusic
Image Credits
Cody Williams I met this second girl briefly at a show but im not sure what her last name is, this is her instagram though! instagram: @kristi_take2