Student Profile: Gabby Neely
Written & Interviewed by VoyageLA
Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabby Neeley.
Gabby, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Music has always been a part of my life from a young age. I sang before I could complete full sentences and picked up the keys when I was eight. This was around the same time I began to work with my first vocal coach in hopes of honing my craft and being able to use my voice to the best of its ability. I know that must sound odd, a child focusing on something so series, but I’ve always been aware of how competitive following your dreams can be when you’re striving to have a lifelong career in the music industry – and I want it more than anything else in life. There is no Plan B for me. My love for music grew when I began songwriting around the age of ten after being scouted to attend a Songwriting Camp at the now OC Hit Factory ran by Thomas Barsoe. That facility was the foundation on which I connected with other monstrously talented songwriters and learned from those who had more experience around me while growing relationships with my peers at the numerous functions I attended- some of which I am still friends with to this day. I played my first gig with Ava Domini, a connection from the studio when I was twelve and continued gigging solo when I was fourteen.
Now, playing shows has become my main source of revenue aside from writing for other artists to finance the production of my original songs. Some of my co-writing rwepitware can be heard throughout Cloi Crider’s EP, “Who Cares,” and The Voice’s Samantha Howell’s first EP, to name a few. I feel blessed to be able to do what I love as a job, especially when it is with colleagues that have turned into genuine friendships I hold dear to my heart. Right now, I am an eighteen years old who’s been out of high school for a year after taking the CHSPEE in order to graduate early to pursue music full time. Pre-COVID, my time was spent solo gigging (accompanying myself on piano) at venues like the Irvine Spectrum, House of Blues Anaheim, LA Fair, Copper Blues, etc. on weekends and hostessing on top of writing sessions during the weekdays. I also began recording my original material in August of 2019 with artist/producer Robbie Dean, and have since then released three singles that can all be found on my Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon Music. My next release will be in mid-July showing my first EP with the three preexisting singles as well as two new tunes fro my listeners. For now, I continue to eagerly await the day I get to continue performing and do what makes me happiest!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting out as a young writer proved itself to be a difficult road from the social aspect of my career path because, to put it bluntly, no one wants to write with a 13 years old. If I’m being honest, I completely understood why many artists/writers wouldn’t want to work with someone with little life experience. One of the best qualities of a great writer is experience, both in life and with writing, and one would think that is a characteristic most preteens can’t acquire therefore many of my older colleagues would shy away from picking me to work with over somebody older. I grew up with a therapist for mother and a family that never failed to talk out our battles and address tension, which has helped me be very precise when expressing my thoughts/feelings in life and when writing. Given that writing is all about expressing one’s emotions, I have found that this has propelled my writing into a mature nature in my lyrics. Over time I proved my abilities to the artists in my environment, but it was something I struggled to work through in the beginning of my career.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am an eighteen years old singer/songwriter/musician. I gig as a profession singing and accompanying myself on the piano at different venues in Southern California as well as private inquiries for whoever needs some live music for any event! Singing the National Anthem for the Angels last summer (2019) was the most fun I’ve ever had during a show, though performing in general is always my happy place. In addition to gigging, I songwrite for other artists and collaborate with writers and am always available to hire for those services. My latest releases, “Break the Rules,” “IG,” and “Refuge” are the works I am most proud of thus far, though there are many more originals to come in the future so this is just the beginning.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
If I had to answer this question five months ago, my answer would be monumentally different from the answer I would give now that our world has faced a pandemic. The music industry was already on a fast track to flourish into its already streaming-dominant playing field and moving even further from any tangible forms of experience, and that has only been accelerated because of our current circumstances. I’ve also observed that the Pop-genre has seen R&B/Rap on the scene for the past few years but we are noticing that Singer-Songwriter music flooding the Pop landscape in the past year or so, only growing with time featuring artists like Lennon Stella, JP Saxe, Julia Michaels, etc.