Q&A: GAYLE
SMOOTH AND RADIATING AN ELEMENT OF COMFORT - “orange peel” invites the listener on a sweet and endearing ride. GAYLE’s latest single highlights the artist’s more confident side while sticking to her soulful roots. Despite quarantine and the ongoing changes in the world, GAYLE is able to bring positivity with her music while remaining active in the current social movements. Nourish your heart and soul by listening to “orange peel” and read below to learn more about the track, the direction of new music and more.
LUNA: Congrats on your latest single “orange peel”! With so much going on these days it’s nice to have these positive aspects. What are some of the main ways you’ve seen your music evolve with “orange peel”?
GAYLE: “orange peel” comes from more of a confident perspective than the other songs I’ve released, which I’ve found to be extremely liberating. It’s definitely made me more comfortable writing about love.
After writing orange peel I’ve found I’m more likely to put metaphors in my songs, rethink titles, and lean towards more soulful production and melodies.
LUNA: The track has a super smooth flow and highlights some awesome instrumental elements. Sonically, what are some elements you’d like to continue to explore with your music?
GAYLE: I’m currently leaning towards more acoustic-based sounds but I also have a soft spot for most synth sounds, so it’s been interesting attempting to combine the two. I also love how vocal production can truly add to a track, so I can definitely see myself playing more with that in the future.
LUNA: What’s been inspiring you lately?
GAYLE: In quarantine, I can say it’s been hard to chase inspiration. Lately, it’s been looking at my past and trying to find a new perspective on it. If I could do something differently, would I or should I? What can I say now that I couldn't have a year ago. Netflix helps too, I think.
LUNA: Do you find yourself drawn to a common theme or narrative with upcoming music?
GAYLE: I find myself toying around with the concept of being wrong. I’ve been trying to think of situations where I’ve been happy when I was wrong and what I could make out of that. I must admit I’ve been called stubborn a few times in my life, so I might as well admit it in a song.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite memory from the creative process for “orange peel”?
GAYLE: Honestly, it was coming in with the idea because I thought it wasn't one. I walked into the session having no clue what I was going to do. Then one of the writers in the room asked me what I wanted to write about, so I quickly looked through my notes and saw the phrase “orange peel” and I thought, shit, this is the best I have and luckily for me I was able to bullshit myself through explaining it as a love song.
LUNA: I love the visual aesthetic you have going on outside of your music. What role are you playing in curating that look and how important is tapping into the visual side of the music?
GAYLE: I’m truly obsessed with aesthetics. I’m consistently pairing up colors that I think go together and putting photos together until it finally looks how I want it to. I have always heard colors and I want my aesthetic to let people know how I hear music.
LUNA: You’ve been active on social media about some of the current political issues going on right now - why is it important for you to use your platform for this?
GAYLE: I think it’s important for me to talk about it, because it’s important for everyone to talk about. It’s important to educate people while educating yourself. I have been in rooms where people were in awe to think that racism still exists and they don’t even realize they have white privilege. Truly, there becomes a time where white silence is violence.
LUNA: Now that “orange peel” is out, what’s next for you?
GAYLE: It’s hard to predict what’s really going to happen next because the world is so unpredictable right now. That being said, hopefully I will release more music and collaborate with local artists live streaming more and, of course, new aesthetics.
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