Puerto Rican musician GALE has gone from writing for some of the biggest names in the industry, to playing for some of the biggest festivals on her own. Her journey has been years in the making, and as she gears up to release her second studio album, we sat down with GALE to talk all about her journey, her music, and the people in her life who inspired it. Enjoy this SXSW exclusive conversation!
Okay, so we are here at South by Southwest! Is this your first time at the festival?
Oh my God, it’s so inspiring and exciting and such an honor, honestly. It is my first time!
Oh my gosh, are you enjoying it?
Oh, so much. So much! I mean, I just got here today.
Wow! I hope you have the best time! What does it mean to you to represent Latinas on a global scale at a festival like this?
I love that I’m here representing Latina women–let’s go! I’m here to perform my music and my songs, and I just feel that is an incredible honor for real. And I feel this festival is art, like film, music, and it’s just so inspiring. Those are two of my passions, movies and music. So it’s very exciting to be here!
It’s like the best of both worlds for you! So here at Latinitas, we’re all about highlighting the Latino community. As a Puerto Rican artist, how does your heritage influence your music and your artistic vision?
Oh, well, so much. I mean, we have that sabor en la sangre, it runs in our blood, right? I mean, it’s who I am. I grew up there. I’m from Arecibo. I grew up in San Juan and I moved to Miami. I’ve been living there for eight years now, but my whole family is there. So [when] I grew up, even though I was listening to a lot of pop Anglo music, I grew up with Britney, Christina, Selena Quintanilla, and Avril Lavigne. A lot of powerhouse women. But I also grew up listening to Daddy Yankee, to Salsa, to all these things that definitely have influenced me and my music and the flow and the vibe of how I perform on stage and how I sing second verses of my songs, etc.
Okay–Well, speaking of Christina Aguilera, you’ve actually written for her. What was that experience like, and what was it like writing for artists before starting writing for yourself?
Oh, it was incredible. I can’t–I’m so happy and grateful about my path. I’ve always wanted to be a singer and I wrote my first song when I was seven, so I said, oh my God, I can write what I sing. This is incredible. But when I moved to Miami, it was like, how can I make this happen? I’m very driven, very focused. So I said, okay, let me see what I can do. So I started knocking on doors for publishing companies. I got an opportunity to be in the room with an artist and I was so afraid because I only wrote songs by myself in my bedroom.
And it went great! That song got cut and she wanted to release the song. So from there it was a lot of word of mouth. I created a reputation as a songwriter. And then I said, okay, now my project. I got signed to Sony Music Latin, and then I’m able to do my project as an artist. But writing with other artists has been such a beautiful way of learning and a great school for me as an artist and as a songwriter as well.
That’s huge! That’s kind of a blessing that you get to see the industry before you’re a part of it.
For sure.
So, touching on your recent singles like “Ysilandia” and “Skittles”, can you tell us about a song or lyric from these that holds a really special place in your heart?
Oh my God, yes. I mean, “Ysilandia” is so special because that is a term that actually my therapist told me, and it comes from ‘what if’. So we were in a session and I am constantly living in What If Land, which is Ysilandia and I’m always stressed out about everything. So I was like, “y si no llego, y si cancelan mi vuelo, y si…” and my therapist said, you need to stop. You need to get away from Ysilandia, from What If Land basically. And I thought, this is great for a song! When I met Robi, we thought, let’s write a song about the anxiety that you feel right before falling in love…And that’s what it is about.
But also “Skittles” is one of the most special songs that I’ve written in my life because I wrote it for my first love. Which was very pure, very beautiful, and it is a very honest autobiographical song, you know? I had to meet with his mom and his family ’cause he passed away. We were together for five years.
Oh my.
Yeah, from high school, like 16 to college, and he passed away in a car accident.
I’m so sorry.
He wasn’t wearing his seat belt. So yeah, it was like an awful moment. We weren’t together at the time. We were friends, but I wanted to honor him, and I liked a song because he was like my biggest fan. And that’s what “Skittles” is about.
That’s really beautiful.
Thank you.
I feel like it’s very hard to encapsulate grief and an entire dynamic. And your song captures that so beautifully. Can you share a moment in your career where you’ve had to push past obstacles to get to where you are today?
Oh my God. It’s just like every day I feel. But it’s very interesting because I feel like in my case, I’m my biggest enemy. My thoughts, my fears, but somehow I also do it, which I am very proud of… I’ve worked so hard and it’s so nice to look back and acknowledge everything that I’ve been through, everything that I’ve worked on. So I feel like it’s an everyday thing, but in my case, I just take deep breaths, surround myself with the people I love, focus on what really matters to me, which is being kind. And also the music. Going back to the basics. What do you want to say? How do you want to say it? And everything’s gonna fall into place.
Do you think having your family here, your mom being with you for example, do you think that grounds you
A hundred percent. I don’t know how people do it without their parents. And I’ve done it without her being here too. I can’t bring her all the time, right? Or she can’t be with me. I’ve proven to myself that I can do it, But if I had to choose, I’d rather have her. It definitely grounds me. If not, I’m obviously calling her right before going on stage. Like my mom, or even my abuelas, my grandmothers, or my dad.
I’m not sure if it’s cultural, but I’m the same way. This is a little silly one, but what is your go-to karaoke song?
Oh my God. I love this question!
I’m glad. ’cause some people are like, ‘I have no idea’.
Oh I know. So my go-to karaoke song is “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. There you go.
Are you living for her new album?
I need to [listen]. I like taking my time. I like sitting down, reading the lyrics. I’m like that. I haven’t heard it, but I want to.
When you said you’re a songwriter, you wrote all these songs to these people. That is something I very much admire. I’m more of a lyric person before anything else.
Yes. It’s like an all around experience.
Exactly! So last question, what’s next for you musically? Are there any upcoming projects? Collaborations? Albums?
I love this question too! So I’m working on my second album actually. We are planning to release it this year. And I am actually almost done. It’s been such a beautiful experience writing all these songs and I’m definitely exploring. it’s still pop, but it’s much more upbeat and energetic and raw and fun and then also cathartic sometimes.
It’s very strong all around. I feel like the first album, Lo Que No Te Dije, was very nostalgic breakup album, straight forward personal boom. And then this one is like–
You’re letting loose?
Yes! I just want to dance and cry at the same time and have fun.
Are you dealing with not being able to play all the songs right now?
Yeah, that is a struggle. I prepared a really good fun set list for tomorrow. I’m excited. But yes, of course, I wanna sing the new songs and I’m like, the album is not released yet, but there are a couple of songs here and there that I’ve been releasing “Ysilandia”, “Skittles”, “Por Si las Dudas”. So I’m able to put those in there.
Well, I cannot wait. And thank you so much for talking to me!
You can find out more about GALE here, and be sure to follow her to be the first to know when her new album releases!
