Heart-warming vocals in this super cute and playful song, brought to you by GAL. Read our interview so you can see for yourselves how her charming personality translates into the tunes she makes.
Describe your sound in three words please!
Original, warm, fun.
How did you start making music?
As a kid I would sing with my mom all the time (she sings at churches and is a music teacher) and I picked up guitar in middle school. Up until college, I was kind of more of a musical sidekick and didn’t see it yet as “my” thing. I started writing songs my freshman year. Soon I was writing all the time and I began performing at open mic nights, then bar gigs, etc. etc., and music quickly became who I am.
Tell us a few things about the concept behind your new single ‘Together We Will Be’.
In high school, my dad used to always tell me, “If you don’t date stupid, you won’t marry stupid.” And I thought that was the funniest advice. Why would you date someone you actively thought was stupid? So that’s where the concept of “Together We Will Be” came from. It’s about staying in a relationship out of sheer stubbornness, even if you know it’s a terrible idea. It’s pretty sassy and quirky and quite the opposite to my personal approach to dating.
You have been moving between India and France for your music endeavors. These two places seem very different but we are wondering if they really are. How would you describe your experience and the differences/similarities of the two countries from the perspective of a young, female musician?
To answer simply: yes, my two experiences were incredibly different! So when I graduated college, I moved to a tiny town called Santiniketan in West Bengal, India on a Fulbright Scholarship. I lived there for nine months teaching English and learning Bengali music. I moved back to California before buying a one-way ticket to Paris. For two months, I lived inside a bookshop (Shakespeare & Co.), then got a place to live/visa/job and taught music at a Montessori school. I was in France for a year before Covid hit and I moved back home. I left my apartment as it was, thinking I would be back in Paris soon (spoil alert: I’m still in California!). Eventually, I realized I needed a job and got licensed to be a financial advisor! All three experiences: India, France, finance (lol) have been vastly different, challenging and wonderful. To be honest the only consistency I’ve had since graduating college has been music.
You work as a financial advisor as a ‘main’ job. Do you think you will move to being a full time musician at some point or do you enjoy what you are doing now?
I do enjoy what I’m doing — it’s still very new for me and I like learning new stuff! After teaching children for a few years, it’s quite relaxing to just sit behind a computer and not have to do the hokey pokey on repeat. I also am working with my dad, so that’s a plus. But if money wasn’t a factor and I could choose how I spend each day, it would be doing music. If I could do that all day every day, I would. My dad jokes that I need to hurry up and get famous so he can retire.
What do you like to do in your free time (do you have any?)
In my free time I run, read lots, write music. My apartment has some orange trees, so I like to sit in the sun and eat oranges. My boyfriend recently introduced me to rock climbing, and we also just got an angelic rescue dog named Ralph Nader.
Should we expect an album in the near future?
I sure hope so! I have a few recordings lined up and am hopefully releasing a three-song EP later this year.
Tell us something about you that not many people know about.
I have my scuba diving license! I am also licensed to sell life insurance, which makes me laugh.
Thanks GAL – and we hope your dad is able to retire soon 😉
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