Conversations with Gabbi Rielle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabbi Rielle.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Family has always been the root of my love for music. My appreciation for music began in my Grandfathers church, down in country St. Stephen, South Carolina, where I’d spend my summers. His congregation was the choir. The foot stomps and claps acted as the drums. The harmonies and adlibs of the call and response singing created the unity. The only instrument outside of our voices and limbs was the tambourine. It was beautiful and powerful to witness. I remember recording a snippet of the service on my MP3 player to show my mom. Although it barely works, I still have the MP3 player for the sole purpose of that recording. Growing up, I also remember spending time with my uncle who had every tape/CD/ vinyl you could think of. I’d watch him burn CD’s that were specially crafted for each family member. He would DJ while the rest of the family danced in the living room. Whether it was dancing to my uncle’s playlist, listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show in the car with my mom, or singing gospel with my aunt, I realized early that no matter what my family was going through, music brought us back together every time.

Being an only child, I had a lot of time to myself. My main obsession was Beyonce and I spent my time listening to her songs on repeat. I remember asking my mom to go to her concert for my 7th Birthday. She said “Ok” and instead got me the Dangerously In Love Tour DVD, along with the Lip Smackers Fanta flavored ChapStick. I was just as excited! I watched Beyonce’s tour day in and day out. I would attempt the choreography and study the stage. I was captivated by her outfit changes, facial expressions, and the swag she put into her arrangements. I’d close my eyes, and just for a second, it was as if I was the one on stage at my sold out show with people screaming MY name. At the time, I didn’t believe the vision could be more than a dream. Plus, I’d already decided (at the bright age of 7) that I was going to be the next pediatrician or Condoleezza Rice. The older I got, the more my artistic side suffered. I was focused on good grades and tennis, which I prayed would get me to college. Tennis afforded me a full ride to school, where I was submerged into DC culture, specifically Go Go music. No matter how far I strayed from music, God always pulled me back. I started playing around on garage band, writing songs to beats I found on Youtube, taking music classes, doing freestyles with friends, etc. After I graduated, I remember feeling so lost. It was the first time I felt like my life was completely mine: there were no professors, coaches, parents, or advisors telling me what to do anymore. No 6am practices and no 6pm classes. No rules, no consequences- just life to live and a life to create. One day, out of the blue, I decided that music meant too much to me not to pursue it. Plus, I heard that if God gives you a gift and you don’t use it, he’ll take it away. My voice was here to stay. This restarted my creative journey as a singer.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing about this road has been easy- but the road has been rewarding and it only gets better.
My first obstacle was identity. I was working so hard to become somebody and I didn’t even know who I was as a person. I didn’t know who I was outside who I was told to be. I didn’t know the impact I wanted to leave. I didn’t know my “why”. Hell, I didn’t even know my favorite color! I had to take intentional time to myself, which is ironic given I spent so much time to myself growing up. I had to be still and listen to my thoughts. I continue to learn something new about myself every day.

Another obstacle was overworking my voice. I would push myself vocally so much with improper technique, warm up, and rest. This led to nodules on my vocal chords during one of my peak performance seasons. I had to go to therapy for 6 months, change my dietary habits, and change the pitch of my talking voice. It was disheartening because I never knew when my voice would give out and it affected my confidence on show days. I still get nervous when I lose my voice.

One last obstacle I had and still face is waiting for the perfect moment. A lot of time can be spent in preparation for the future with hopes that you’ll be perfect. The problem is, you’ll never be perfect and odds are you’ll never feel totally prepared- especially at the beginning. You can read all the books and watch all of the tutorials in the world but growth happens through the process.” Failing” is part of the process. If you don’t “fail”, you don’t learn. If you never “fail”, you’re not taking big enough risks. I’ve “failed” harder in the past 2 years than I have in my entire life but the growth that has come with the lessons have been well worth it. I put the word fail in quotation marks because I believe you only fail when you quit. Everything else is just growing pains (Easier said than felt in the moment). My most rewarding experiences have come from putting myself out there when I didn’t feel 100% prepared.

I live by a quote from Arthur Ashe that says, ” Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can”. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be eager to get it right. This mindset has taken me from singing for free at open Mic’s to performing on major stages. While I still don’t know my favorite color, I do know that if you keep working on your craft, the hard work will pay off. I would choose this path again in this lifetime and the next.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer. I am a creative. I am an artist. I am a songwriter. I am a performer. What started as a little girl performing alongside Beyonce on her DVD player has turned into a manifestation of singing and performing on local, national, and global stages. I love performing. All of the hard work, sleepless nights, tears, sacrifices, anxiety that comes with performing is worth every second on stage. I started off singing in school talent shows and school convocations. I sang for National Special Olympics during my senior year of high school. Fast forward some years, I began funding my craft through singing competitions and festival performances. I would sing at lounges, open mics, with bands for parties- anything that would build my confidence on stage. My favorite performance of the time was the Jumpman Invitational. I am now a part of Sainted Trap Choir, a cultural movement that fuses powerful choral performance, choreography, live music, and cultural storytelling into a dynamic celebration of creativity, community, and artistic excellence. With the choir, I’ve performed alongside artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Pharrell and I’ve performed notably at the World Series, the Vatican Jubilee, and America’s Got Talent with locations ranging from local all the way to international! Sainted Trap Choir gives the future and current generations the permission to chase their wildest dreams and continues to inspire me with my personal craft.

Right now, I am most proud of my tenacity and work ethic. I am proud of how many times I bet on myself even when the confidence wasn’t there 100%. I’m proud that I’m creating an exciting life worth living. I’ve never given up on my dreams and now I’m starting to realize that even my wildest dreams are obtainable. I’m now excited to refocus on my personal creative endeavors. I’ve been working on my first singles and I’m excited to share my work with the world! I hope that I inspire people of all ages to pursue their dreams like I am. It is never too late to start over.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
A few books that I constantly have in rotation are the Four Agreements, the Alchemist, the Artist Way, and the Bible. My favorite app is TikTok because I learn something new or gain a new perspective everyday. My second favorite app is ScreenZen because it blocks my screentime from my favorite apps when I get too distracted! My favorite podcast right now is Leo Skepi but I also like to watch interviews from Diary of a CEO. I’m big on self accountability and taking ownership of the choices I make, which ultimately creates the life I live. I understand the power of the mind and tongue, so I constantly feed myself new knowledge and perspectives to better understand myself and the world around me.

Pricing:

• Send me an email for pricing!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thegabbi.rielle