1.) We’re super-excited to be speaking today with acclaimed singer and songwriter and producer extraordinaire Gabriella Raelyn; greetings and salutations, Gabriella! Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A mosh-pit, how has the freshly-minted autumn of 2023 been treating you?

Thank you for having me! Autumn has been so hot here in California that it barely feels like autumn yet. I’m still waiting for the gray skies and chilly mornings, but I’m super excited for Halloween. It’s always my favorite time of year.

2.) Starting from the top, a lot of industry pundits have ascribed the moniker of “electro pop” to your indelible styling of music. Could you explain to anyone that may not be familiar with it what the genre of music known as electro pop is and how you’ve become a leading creative figure in that genre of music?

I’ve never been privy to genre labels since I can’t really make sense of them myself, but to me, Electro Pop is a cross between electronic and pop Music, which are both very broad genres in themselves. Electronic can mean anything that has to do with more synth, technology-based sounds, and pop is just an umbrella term to mean what’s popular at the moment.

3.) Major congratulations on your brand-new EP Nephele: Act I which is set to premiere worldwide this October 13! What served as the inspiration for this brilliant new EP?

Thank you so much! I knew I wanted to do something different this time around as compared to my past projects. Rather simply than compile songs, I thought it would be cool to tell a story and convey more serious messages than I have in the past. The name ‘Nephele’ came from a lesser-known Greek goddess of duality. She was created by Zeus to deceive another man who was trying to take his wife away, so her entire identity is based off of a facade, and because of it she’s not really sure where she fits into the world. The protagonist I created for my album by the same name fits that description perfectly, and each song represents different facets of her mindset while trying to grapple with struggles such as feminine identity, power dynamics in relationships with men, and how a capitalistic, patriarchal society shapes the ways in which a woman perceives herself.

4.) You worked diligently in bringing Nephele: Act I to full bloom, taking an exclusive and active hand in writing, recording and producing the new EP! What are the pros as a music artist to wearing all of these varied musical hats?

 The main pro definitely is that I get to share my uninhibited vision to the world. I have complete creative control which allows for a lot of freedom in expression.

5.) In your humble opinion, what differentiates Nephele: Act I from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music landscape?

It’s hard to view my music as compared to other artists’ music objectively, but I do think it’s quite different. I’ve heard it described as a lot of interesting genres as well as being compared to vastly different artists such as The Cure and then Madonna. It’s a little strange and hard to place, and I think that’s what makes it stand out. 

6.) Who inspires you musically?

Sonically I’m very inspired by The Cure, Depeche Mode, a-ha, and Modern Talking since the 80s is the era of music I take from most. Lyrically, I’m inspired by Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, MARINA, and Lady Gaga.

7.) We’re big admirers of the tune Dance of the Damnedwhich is featured prominently on Nephele: Act I. What’s the story behind this mesmerizing ditty?

I’m so glad you enjoy it! This song has one of the strongest messages for sure. It’s told from the perspective of my protagonist, Nephele, and she’s an exotic dancer who gets lost in her thoughts while she works. Exotic dancing as a profession comes with a lot of stigma, and many who do it are seen as people who don’t respect themselves. A line in the movie ‘Hustlers’ really stood out to me at the very end when Jennifer Lopez’s character says “The whole world is a strip club. You have people throwing the money, and people doing the dance.” So, in reality, every single person, even white-collar jobbed men exploit themselves for money. Whether it’s their time, their energy, their effort, they still give big parts of themselves for money just like exotic dancers do. It’s just that one profession gets more respect than the other does. I wanted to draw attention to that dichotomy.

8.) The title for your new EP – Nephele: Act I – seems to suggest that fans can look forward to a connecting act or two to follow this EP. Is this a safe assumption?

 Yes! I wanted to open it up with a starting point, introduce who Nephele is as a character, how she thinks, where she’s at, and then continue the storyline in the future with new developments as she grows and experiences new things within the story.

9.) On the heels of the October 13 release of Nephele: Act I, what does your touring/performing dance card look like?

I have a live TikTok show on October 13th to celebrate the album! I don’t have anything else set in stone on the performance front as of yet, but I hope to do more in the near future.

10.) You were born in the beautiful state of Colorado and currently hang your hat in LA. How do those seemingly disparate roots inform you as an artist and as a person?

 Being born in Colorado gave me my roots. It allowed for a familiar environment where I grew up as part of my school choirs, and where I learned all of my music theory and got my first few tastes of performing. It was a smaller pond, and that helped me hone my skills before I moved on to LA, which is a much bigger and more vast playing field.

11.) At the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to your new EP Nephele: Act I?

 I hope that, if they ever get caught in a mental spiral about any of the topics I sing about, they feel less alone. I also hope to inspire, and to leave people a bit confused and intrigued. It would be cool to have people say “I’ve never heard anything like this before, I’m not sure what to do with it, but I really like it” and come back for more!