Interview: Gabby Rivers tips on the local scene & why we see gender inequality on line-ups
- hotpinkmusicuk
- Jul 5, 2020
- 5 min read
Gabby Rivers, a local singer-songwriter, has broken out in the local scene with a bang, making a huge impact. Her upbeat songs and confident stage presence have proved to be massively popular, her debut singles and EP reaching high streaming numbers on platforms such as Spotify. Myself and Kayleigh got the chance to speak to her recently about how she's created success for herself as well as her thoughts and opinions on the local industry.
Gabby started singing at the age of four, joining a musical theatre group at the age of eight. During her time at the group, Gabby was singing solos age ten but eventually decided she loved the singing aspect much more than the dancing and acting. At just age twelve, Gabby began gigging at open mic nights. She describes her local scene as 'really, really good for music' and this is where the Gabby Rivers we know today originates. In terms of her family, Gabby told us that they are very music orientated and that she was brought up around music as well as the gigging scene, often joining them to see live music from as young as four. Gabby explained that her main inspirations in music are bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Florence and the Machine as they were the artists she was introduced to as a child. We also spoke about Gabby's songwriting and when that started. She told us that she started writing songs when she learnt to play the guitar, which was around the age of fourteen. Gabby expanded that she'd written songs before this, but only began to focus on songwriting when she decided to learn an instrument.
Earlier in the year, Gabby released her debut EP called 'Headache', songs from which we added to our new all-female playlist. The three of us went on to discuss what inspired Gabby to write some of her favourite songs from her new release, as she told us that all of the songs are very personal to her. We first spoke about the title track 'Headache', which Gabby tells us has received a very positive response, which means a lot to her. She told us from a music point of view the song is really interesting and that she loves all of the different elements going on within it. Another one of her favourites is 'Stop Trying'. Gabby revealed that the song is written about people that try to fit in but end up being horrible to people around them as a consequence. She expanded that this is something that not only she has experienced, but knows other people have too, making it very relatable. Gabby described the first time she played the song live at the Cambridge Junction, saying that the response was overwhelmingly positive and that everyone sang and danced along.
We moved onto the topic of gender inequality within the industry, something Gabby was really eager to discuss. Gabby is a very experienced performer, having played at plenty of festivals as well as gigs. She described how at most of the gigs she's been booked for, she's often the only girl or only other girl on the line-up, which she says is awful as she wishes there were more females on the scene. Gabby told us that there are so many talented women out there and that it's a shame they're missing opportunities. She also highlighted the inequality she's seen in other areas of the live music industry, revealing she's never had a female sound engineer, which she says is really sad. We were able to have a really good discussion with Gabby about why there is a lack of women in the industry and were able to find out what her individual opinion is. Gabby explained that she thinks one of the main issues stopping women from entering the industry is a fear of judgement, as she says lot's of people especially younger people, can have very judgemental attitudes towards individuals pursuing music. Speaking from experience, she revealed that at school she was picked on for making and pursuing music and that she's spoken with other women before who want to sing but are worried about the bullying they may receive. Gabby also explained that in contrast to high school, college is filled with people who want to pursue music and that the teasing stops. We also discussed the fact that the industry has always been very male-orientated and that woman may feel discouraged by this, worrying that hey won't make it or get booked. The three of us agreed we could talk about the topic for days as there is so much to unravel. Gabby's insight, however, is a very important one and helps to explain and understand the inequality we see within the industry.
Kayleigh and me wanted to learn more about how Gabby has reached such success in the local scene, so that those reading can use some of what she has learnt to further their own careers. We discussed what Gabby found the hardest when breaking out into the local scene and how she overcame this. She explained how she really wanted to get into the indie scene but found it difficult as people at gigs couldn't dance to just a girl and her guitar. She also added that she was very inexperienced at the beginning and had just started playing the guitar, so she found it scary. Gabby expanded that once she got a band, she found a huge difference in the type of venues she was playing. Gabby also said another one of her biggest struggles was her age. She explained that because she was young, people didn't really take her seriously and that now she is older, that has become a lot easier. We asked Gabby what her number one piece of advice would be to women looking to start a gigging career would be. She told us that her advice is to just keep gigging. She explained that it doesn't matter whether it's a gig to one person in a pub at an open mic, you need to keep gigging, practising and writing because all of it will help. Gabby revealed that for three years she performed at two to three open mics a week and that she'll never regret it. She described how she was always out in the scene, learning and that it was the best thing she's ever done. Gabby says she'd encourage anyone who isn't gigging to get out there, even if it's open mics as it doesn't matter, it's all experience.
Next up in Gabby's career is a lot of exciting things. Unfortunately, because of the virus, lots of her new projects have been put on hold, however, she's still working on some new stuff. Her plan is to use this time to carry on writing, hopefully releasing another EP or singles within the next year. She's also working on a few collabs, lot's of them secret, but she assures us they're going to be amazing and that she's really excited for them. Gabby also told us she can't wait for next year, as she's going to spend most of it gigging to make up for the time lost this year. We can't wait for all of her new projects! We loved speaking to Gabby and finding out more about her music. Linked below are all of the places you can find her, so get listening! Until next time,
Ruby x
Links to Gabby Rivers:
Comments