Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Heya!! So, from such a young age, my parents were so encouraging of me being creative and artistic. I was completely different from my siblings, who were very academic, but my parents loved and embraced that I was different in the family. I was actually deaf until I was 3, because I had glue ear, but as soon as I started hearing music, I would always clap and sing along. I was obsessed with watching Mary Poppins on video tape when I was about 3/4 years old. When I was 8, I started putting on musical shows and plays for my family all the time – I was such a show off, and just always wanted to sing and perform my little heart out. I would also write poetry and stories all the time. I always had a really imaginative and creative side from such a young age. My parents and teachers really encouraged me to do singing lessons and join all the choirs at school, because they could see I had a talent. I went to a school that wasn’t so academic, which I think was really good for me, because they always encouraged us to focus on the things we were good at whether we were creative or sporty.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Gemma Felicity”?
A: I have to keep reminding myself – it is such a gradual step-by-step process, but I am planning to grow my fanbase and get my name out there, mostly through social media and gigging. I think the message I have for people about to discover me, is that Gemma Felicity is about authenticity, and talking about how you really feel. I went through a really hard time with my mental health for many years throughout my 20’s, and I want to act as an example, to show people that it is okay to talk about things and to be vulnerable and open about our feelings and issues, because we all have them. I just really want to share the love, and be a support to anyone who needs it, and to let people know that they are never alone.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Julia Michaels is such an amazing icon and inspiration to me – she is probably my biggest music inspiration of all time. The way she writes with such an open heart about her personal feelings and experiences is so real and authentic and I love that, and I definitely use her music as inspiration for my own writing. Other inspirations of mine are Gracie Abrams, Holly Humberstone, Olivia Rodrigo and Lexi Jayde. I love dark pop music in general. A lot of the music that inspires me I tend to find either on Tik Tok or on Spotify. The algorithm really understands us and what we like most – it is pretty amazing for finding new music!!
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Come Back To Me.”?
A: So, I wrote CBTM on a day when I was feeling really heartbroken over someone I missed being with, but who had really hurt me. I had really trusted them, and so when I found out they weren’t who I thought they were, I felt so broken, yet I also missed them, and I wanted them to come back so badly. I felt so overwhelmed with confusion by these mixed emotions. I decided to just deal with it the best way I knew how, by writing about it, and putting it into a song. So, I wrote a big chunk of the song when I was alone and all deep in my emotions and feelings that day, and then I didn’t look at it again for a while. A couple of months later, I met my amazing guitarist and friend Alex Rossiter, and he asked me if I wanted to work on developing any of my own original songs together, and so we worked on developing Come Back To Me together to make it into a full song. It was September and we got some tinnies, and we went to Hyde park, and had the best day laughing and drinking and writing together, and this song and a few others is what came out of it. Writing it really helped me to process the breakdown of that previous relationship, and to let go of it and move forward. I no longer want that person to come back, but I do wish him all the best. I think he is better off with someone else, and I will be too, and I believe sometimes people are meant to come into your life just for a season, to teach you something. The message of the song is – it is okay to care deeply and to be a deep feeler – it is truly a beautiful thing and a gift, and it definitely doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong!! But also – you are better than waiting around for someone who doesn’t see your worth and doesn’t value you. That is something I have learnt since writing this song I think.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Sorry, one word is too hard! But I would describe my sound as dark heartbreak pop, with a vintage feel. Taylor Swift mixed with Cyndi Lauper on a sad day.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Come Back To Me”?
A: Actually, the day I recorded Come Back To Me, I was having a really bad day emotionally because of the ending of another romantic situation (hahaha they are never ending, but great for my songwriting at least), so getting to the studio was definitely a mental challenge for me that day. When I feel an emotion, I feel it so deeply, so I am terrible at dealing with these sorts of things, and I found it really hard to get out of bed that day. Eventually I got myself up and I forced myself to go to record, because I knew it would make me feel better (and I had paid for the studio that day). I remember I didn’t feel able to talk to anyone about how I was really feeling that day, as it felt too painful. I said to myself “okay, just focus on the moment and focus on singing this really well”, so I just put my everything into recording those vocals, and it was such good therapy for me in the end. I put all of my true emotion into recording that, and I think you can really hear that emotion shine through when you listen.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The message of my music is definitely that it is okay to not be okay, and it is truly okay to show how you are really feeling. I used to be so bad at talking about and showing my true emotions to people, as I thought it made me weak. But I think writing my music gave me a really safe space to feel and show and talk about all of my emotions, and it made me much better at being open and vulnerable with others too. I want to show other people that it is okay to talk about the things that go on inside of our heads, because it is so much worse and more damaging for us to keep it locked inside. My main goal as an artist right now, is to build a following and a community of people who all believe in the values behind my music, and who are interested in looking at themselves and exploring who they are, their thoughts, patterns and feelings.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Probably Julia Michaels, as I think who she is and what she has achieved is amazing. I would love more than anything to write and perform with her, she is unbelievably talented.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I would just say – go for it. Don’t let fear stop you. You have to figure out what makes YOU and YOUR music unique. Don’t try to follow what other people are doing – be who you are authentically, and then make that your USP. Everyone has their unique thing about them – it is about finding what is special about you, and then concentrating your music and your brand around that.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I would just say firstly – enjoy your youth, enjoy every single day of being young and free, because you will never get that time back. You will look back at these years and wish you hadn’t wished your time away. I would also tell my younger self to love herself so much more, to not be so hard on herself, to stand up to people more and never settle for bad treatment from people. I would tell her to follow her heart, to pursue music much earlier, to believe in herself, to not be scared of being herself fully, and to not care what other people think. I would tell her she’s going to go through a lot of shit, but she’ll get through it, and she’ll be stronger in the end.
