Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Hey! I grew up in Houston, Texas. My father comes from a family of composers and musicians, he works as a music director himself. I have always been surrounded by music, taught piano and voice at a very young age. Music has always been my deepest passion and I knew that someday I had to compose and release music. It has always felt like my purpose and I know now even more that it was what I was made to do.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: Lately I’ve really been into dance music. Fred again.., Sam Gallaitry, SG Lewis, PNAU and always, Tame Impala.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘GALASO’?
A: My strongest musical influences were definitely Frank Ocean, Tame Impala, Daft Punk and The Weeknd – though I grew up listening to mostly classical, EDM and R&B. I chose GALASO because my last name is Galasso and I wanted to create a new alias but have always loved my last name and wanted to use it somehow.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Around The Sun’. Is there a story behind it?
A: I actually just released my first EP, titled ‘Around The Sun’. A story about someone I fell in love with and the challenges that came along. Things within me that made it difficult for me to let someone in and still does. “Around The Sun” points to the cyclical nature of the sun and our emotions within relationships. The continual rise and fall, the hills and valleys within our lives that are mostly inevitable. The project is just a projection of how I’ve managed mine personally.
Q: What is the message of your music?
A: With my music, at the end of the day I hope to inspire people and help people reveal parts of themselves that are untouched, often forgotten. I want to make music that fills your heart with hope and joy, but also music that hits the deeper parts of us that we may not like as much or choose to ignore. I just want to connect with my listener as deep as possible, something I am trying to improve upon with every release.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: The most important element of my music is the dreaminess, something that is present in everything that I release under GALASO. I like to build worlds with each song, sounds that trigger nostalgia or let the listener drift away with each listen, connecting to deeper parts of themselves subconsciously. I love making music that feels fantastical in a way, like a dream that you can choose to step into. I think these worlds are where I am able to connect with the listener in a more powerful way, or allow them to connect with themselves.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: Releasing music is the most fulfilling thing I have ever experienced in my life professionally and emotionally. There’s something special putting so much work into something so small, yet so large. Bigger than yourself. That being said, I’m definitely not satisfied. I have big aspirations and firmly believe my best work and greatest accomplishments are yet to come. I have a lot more left in me.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: With any song I release, it has to be powerful enough to just fall out of me with little effort. I know a song is powerful and strongly inspired when the chords, lyrics and overall structure quite literally just falls out of me all at once. The best music should come in under 10 minutes in my opinion. My best songs statistically all were made in one take on the piano. I take those initial ideas and shape them until I have a completed song, which can take much longer than 10 minutes, sometimes months.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: The most difficult thing I’ve had to endure honestly is continuing the creative process with little to no recognition for my work. I am extremely appreciative of those that listen to my music, but I don’t have enough fans to fully support myself with music. I know that I will get there eventually, but it has been difficult to not feel that sense of assurance for my work to carve out time to make money elsewhere, taking away from my music goals and creative time and energy. That being said, I am passionate about music and nothing will stop me from continuing to create and nothing will take away the joy I feel to have completed a body of work, a piece of art.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I’d say I am proudest to have just released my first EP, a project that has taken a year of my life and is growing daily, reaching new listeners and making what I do even more special. I am proud to have created art that has connected with people in magical ways and inspired many to chase goals of their own and uncover lost parts themselves. That’s what it’s all about, no matter what.
