Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: My name is Gaby Duboisjoli and I’m an Electro Cabaret Pop artist, as well as a songwriter. My parents were cancan soloists at the Moulin Rouge and my mum, in fact, was still dancing when she was 5 months pregnant with me, so it’s safe to say that music and performing have always been in my blood and bones! For a while, I called myself an electro-pop artist but recently I realised that I love and feel at home in the cabaret world, so I’m honing in on that universe – very much thanks to my childhood experiences!
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 “Gaby Duboisjoli”?
A: I’m so grateful that Help Musicians has supported the recording and release of my first EP. Thanks to that, the plan for 2024 is to release 4 singles, send them to all the radio stations, playlists and bloggers in the world, be active on social media, perform live, collaborate with other songwriters and producers, and rest easy as the millions amass in my bank account 😉 My message to the world is: we are human: we fail? we pick ourselves up again… we’re hurt? we pick ourselves up again.. and pleasure, joy, connection, humour and levity are important things to be sought, celebrated and not shied away from! So join me and let’s have a lil party.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Right now it’s Jessie Ware and her new album who has conquered my whole heart – I’m so inspired by everything from the music, the production, the visuals, the live elements – and I’m taking notes! I find inspiration sometimes comes as you least expect it, and I try not to berate myself too much if I’ve sat down to write and nothing scintillating has come out. It used to make me panic and feel less talented than other songwriters, but now I know it’s a natural part of my process. The work of other musicians, dancers, artists, painters, fashion designers, photographers etc gets the juices flowing, but also my very tumultuous feelings and sensations throughout the day and night. I’m often inspired by a super specific anecdote that’s just happened to me or a friend, and I enjoy vamping around that theme until something a bit magic is unearthed 🙂
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Say Please.”?
A: It was such a silly prompt in a “write-a-song-a-day” month me and my fellow songwriting MA students took part in. A very clever psychotherapist will be able to explain how we went from “write about your favourite drink” (Champagne) to “dig your fingers in ripe fruit”! Ah, sometimes the workings of my own mind elude me… But I definitely had a vision about luxuriating abundance, a bit dark, a bit edgy and cheeky. I’m a huge fan of trip-hop, and I imagined a dark private cocktail bar and an intimate moment at the height of teasing. Et voila!
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Eclectic! I’d say the beauty of my musical background is that I’m not well-versed in theory, history or usual “laws”. My mum was the artistic director of her dance company and used all sorts of music for her shows, and I mean everything from Classical to Bebop through Iron Maiden and Madonna. I spent my childhood witnessing dancers performing and living their absolute best lives to this varied soundtrack and so that’s what my music is the fruit of.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Say Please”?
A: Yes sadly my partner left, a really close friend got very ill, and my extraordinary mum died. So I’ve just lived a very hardcore chapter in my life. Tony the producer would see me and ask “Hey how’s it going, ready to cook?” and I’d say “Frankly it’s going terribly but I AM ready to cook” Hahaha! If I’m honest the creation of this EP and planning for its release was one of the only things that kept me going on those long tearful nights. I feel so grateful to know I have my mum’s eternal pride and support – launching me forward always.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The “Message”™ is iterative and a work in constant progress. Internally I had my Joni Mitchell/Joan Baez phase, then I had my pure commercial pop phase and now I’ve finally landed where I think I belong which is in the cabaret-adjacent universe. So for now, I’m going to be encouraging my listeners to have fun and enjoy the simple and intricate pleasures of life. All the while the world is burning and many people are Suffering, I’m acutely aware. But we have to celebrate the small things and find joy and connection with each other over shared pleasure or we’ll all be completely burnt out by the harsh reality that surrounds us, and if we’re burnt out we can’t help. So yeah I guess there is somewhere deep down a little bit of politics in there, but mainly for now, it’s just about sex, kissing, dancing in the moonlight and giving your heart to someone to keep and hold forever.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: As a commercial songwriter I’d love to write with a huge variety of artists and genres and have fun with it. But for my own artist project, I’d love to collaborate with Goldfrapp, Scissor Sisters, KIMBRA and an amazing French synth-artist called Emilie Simon who’s been an inspiration since I was young as she self-produced, recorded and released her first electro-synth experimental album in 2004 which was really kickass at the time! Michel Legrand is also someone I would have dreamed of working with, as his songs are just on another level lyrically and melodically.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I definitely don’t feel like I’m in any position to give advice yet as I’m failing left right and centre, but I guess that’s where I’d focus on: fail faster! Put yourself out there, follow your heart, and don’t wait to be given any kind of approval before stepping into who you are. Lots of things end up happening as you’re still working them out and if you’re out there, grabbing opportunities as they come you might end up a lot more successful and content than if you’re sat at home waiting for the perfect moment to strike – spoiler alert: there is no perfect moment but now.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Very much the same! I’d say girl what on earth are you doing wasting 15 years of your life in a career that makes you cry at night? Believe in yourself, focus, and embrace the fact you’re an amazing artist and performer without shame and let’s get this party on the road! It’s taken me a while, but that’s what I tell myself now every day 🙂 Hopefully, it won’t ever be a party of one hahaha!
