Having taken the step to pursue her love of creativity and music, this summer saw Northampton based Gigi Gold release her debut EP, Souvenirs. Released via Marshall Records, this is much more than an EP but also symbolic of Gigi spreading her wings as a solo-artist after many years of playing in other bands.
We caught up with the lady herself to find out more.
Welcome Gigi, how are you?
I'm good!
Your DEBUT EP, Souvenirs, comes out on 17th July 2024. How are you feeling?
Yeah, I'm excited. It's been a long time coming, so it's exciting to just kind of get it out into the world.
You've already played like a couple of shows, like one in Northampton, one in London. So what was it like getting back in front of the audience?
Yeah, it's been really good playing shows out again and just kind of being how the songs come together in a live format. You know, when you're recording songs and writing songs before you play them out, they usually have kind of a different variteration.
You know, obviously in the studio, you can add more layers and have as many layers of vocals and instrumentation as you want. And I have a tendency to get carried away. So it's always a really interesting experiment to see how you can still have the heart and soul of the song come across with a limited number of players.
So it's been really fun. And the feedback has been great so far. And I'm just excited to see what else we can do from here.
You've already shared a couple of teasers in terms of like singles. So when you are like testing the waters, so to speak, what is it like seeing a fan reaction to the new music?
Yeah, so it's, it's so difficult, because as a songwriter, you know, you have a certain attachment to that song. And especially when you've been sitting on some of this music for a while, you, I personally, because I can't speak for anyone else, I go through these phases of, you know, this, this kind of artist ego, we're like, Oh, my God, this is the greatest song that's ever been written.
And you're so excited, and so proud of yourself and all of the people who came together to make it happen. And then sometimes even the next day, you're listening back to the songs, and you're like, this is shit. Like, what am I doing? This is awful.
You just go through all of these ups and downs of, you know, questioning yourself being excited, being full of confidence. So I think the real test is seeing how other people respond to it. You know, I write music, for me, right, I write music, because I have something to say, not because I'm looking for a certain response. There's something really satisfying when it comes full circle. And you watch people dancing or moving or bobbing along.
All of a sudden, you're just like, someone else gets it, someone else feels something. And that's where that connection point is.
Just to pick up on what you said, when you are going through that, like up and down feeling, how do you, what's your way of trying not to become overwhelmed with too much self doubt?
That's a great question.
Honestly, for me, it's setting it aside for a little while, you know, I am also a photographer. So I've got sort of more than one creative outlet. So sometimes it's just a matter of setting it down for a little while, focusing on another project, another creative thing, or just like, watching Netflix, you know, kind of getting yourself out of that headspace to let it rest for a little while.
I think it's when you come back, you pick it back up again. And you're like, Oh, yeah, there's something here that that self doubt, I think, instead of trying to push through it, it's actually kind of setting it down, walking away, coming back to it later. And you can kind of fall back in love with it again.
So tell us about what your journey as an artist has been like, up to now. And those, I guess, like some of those milestones, which made you realize, okay, something good is here, I've caught on to the fire?
So I guess my journey as an artist kind of started way back in university. The hometown that I grew up in, we didn't have a lot of diversity in musical genre. When I was a teenager, there wasn't a whole lot of music. The music that was being made by young people, teenagers, and kids in their very early 20s, was sort of just like punk, and hardcore music. And that was basically it.
There were no women on stage. There were no other genres. And while of course, as an angsty teen, I enjoyed the music, I enjoyed the shows, it was very appropriate.
It was just seeing a lot of guys running around, and it just was a very male, particularly white male dominated culture. So I felt very on the outside of that. So when I moved about four hours away to go to university, within the first week of being there, there were open mic nights, there were little shows in restaurants and bars after hours, and there was all sorts of different kinds of music, like folk, ambience, kind of more classic rock and roll, there was just so much happening there.
It felt very inclusive and very welcoming. I saw lots of women on stages, there was just so much more diversity. All of a sudden, I went, Oh, I could, I could do that, like, I can make that happen.
So as many college kids do, I started a couple of bands when I was there making pretty terrible music, you know, as you do, just starting to experiment and figure things out. And when I was in university, I actually met my now husband, who used to be in a band called Gallows. Through that connection, he wanted to start a completely different kind of band. Gallows, for those of you who don't know, it's sort of a hardcore punk rock band.
He wanted to do something quite different, outside of his scope. So he invited me to be a part of that project. And then I ended up moving over to the UK.
We started our first band here, called the Ghost Riders In The Sky. It was an interesting experiment, let's just say, had a lot of fun, had a lot of tough times and learned a lot. And we quit doing that after a while.
A couple of years later, we decided to start a different band called Lyoness. And that was a little bit more of a riff rock band, whereas Ghost Riders was a bit more of a sort of Americana style meets like Brit rock, Lyoness was a bit more of a riff rock type of band. And I was the lead singer of that, we gained a little bit of traction.
But then COVID happened and we had some lineup changes, like our bass player moved to Seattle. And that was just a little bit too far to kind of make that work.
So we did that for a while, we actually got to go on tour with Rise Against which was so fun. It was so fun to be on these big stages with these guys, it was an acoustic tour. So it was very bizarre playing huge stages, opening for Rise Against but playing acoustic songs, but it was just an absolute blast.
It was so much fun. Then we just kind of came to a natural end. That's when I was approached by Marshall Records, with an interest for me to go solo.
Of course, I had a bit of a panic attack going, What the hell am I doing? I'm not good enough to do this, right? Like, who am I? I sent over some demos. And here we are.
So just to pick up on like a couple of things you've said with your hometown being very male dominated, have you ever gone back since to kind challenge the narrative and be like, hey, diversity in music exists.
No, I actually don't go back to my hometown very often. As you can imagine, it's quite expensive. And honestly, I feel like my college town has become my hometown. If that makes sense. I actually just went back a couple months ago to visit and chose to go to my college town instead of my hometown. I think things are changing.
I still have a handful of friends there. I think there's a bigger push for a more inclusive art scene across all mediums, which is fantastic. I think it was also part of the times, you know, I think part of it was just the time and the place.
That was kind of the popular music amongst younger people. It just felt like that was, that was kind of of the times, and of that era. But I hope that it's changed. I hope that it continues to change that there's a lot more representation, not only for different minorities, but for different genres as well. I didn't see myself being able to take up space on a stage because I didn't make that kind of music.
How did you find the transition from being in bands to being coming out as your own person?
Yeah, so going from being in a band to going solo, was also a bit of a mindfuck. You know, I've always been in bands, mostly with boys, as is pretty normal, unfortunately.
It was, the first few months were quite difficult. There was a lot of self-doubt, a lot of, I don't know which direction to go in, the pressure of having to make every decision. But pretty quickly, I came to just sort of trust my judgment.
My philosophy on this has kind of always been, I can't control the outcome, right? In the grand scheme of things, whether this really takes off or not, that's not up to me. I can put effort out. I can do all the things I can do to garner attention and put effort into it, but it's not up to me whether it goes somewhere or not.
So I just want to be happy with the music I'm making. I want to be able to look back in 10 years and 50 years, whatever, and think, yeah, I'm, I'm really happy with what I did. I'm really happy with the decisions that I made.
And, so once I kind of got over that initial shell shock of having to make every decision by myself, it became really empowering.
What makes you smile about your style as a songwriter?
That's a great question. What makes me smile? I think the way that I tend to write, you know, lyrically in particular, it's, it's about, you know, lived experiences.
It's about my thoughts, my feelings. It helps me understand kind of who I am, what I think about, what I'm feeling, things maybe I didn't process at the time that I went through it. And, you know, mostly I don't, it sounds so corny, but it's like when I write, it's not as much of a conscious thing.
I don't often sit down and say, okay, I'm going to write a song. I will find myself, you know, falling asleep and hear a melody or some lyrics and have to get out of bed and quietly sing into a voice note, you know, in the hallway where my husband's sleeping in the bedroom. So I don't wake him up.
I'm not really a spiritual person, but I kind of feel like a lot of the songs just happen, right? It's not something that I consciously sit down to do. It's something that comes out of me, if that makes sense. And I think that from being a person who is often an over thinker, that feels like freedom. When it just kind of comes to you in that kind of lightning strike, it feels like it just feels so easy.
I think that's one of the most satisfying parts of writing music is because it's coming from something that just happens so naturally, not something I'm trying to do.
Obviously it's exciting when a label such as Marshall approaches you and expresses their interest and support, so given that this is music personal to you, what makes you decide that the union between Marshall and yourself was the right fit?
How did I know that Marshall is the right fit for me? That's a great question. So for me, it felt like such a natural step.
What I love about Marshall Records in particular is it's a small record label. So you don't sort of have this risk of being lost at the bottom of a Sony or a Warner, you know, you're, especially if you're very small, you're just starting out, you're much more likely to sort of get lost, a tiny fish in a gigantic pond.
So I loved that Marshall Records was small, you know, and I knew that I would get support, attention, but also because Marshall has a global presence. So for me, it just felt like the best of both worlds, you know, you get that nurturing, you get that attention, but you also get a company that has a global name, and that is really powerful.
Also, with Marshall it feels like being a part of a family. Again, I know that sounds really corny, but it's because it's a small team, it feels like they're always looking out for you. And the way that they set up their record deals is so much in favor of the artist in a way that we don't see in the industry. And that, again, just felt like a no-brainer to me.
I don't want to sign my rights away for 80 years. I don't want to be in a recoupment of getting 20% back, you know, like it's, they just, they seem to actually care about their artists, not only in the day-to-day, but in the logistical capacities as well.
So getting back to the present day and Souvenirs then, with it being your debut EP, what is it about this EP that you wanted to do in terms of how you wanted it to test you, and also wanted to set you free?
Souvenirs came together because,I I had a variety of songwriters I've been working with.
I think it's been really freeing to be able to write with a variety of different people. It's like you get different jumping off points, you get different points of inspiration, bringing up different thoughts, memories, evoking different feelings. And when I was kind of picking and choosing the songs that I wanted to be on the EP, I knew that I wanted to lead it off with Why Should I? Because anybody who has known me from Lyoness previously, Why Should I kind of have the most riff vibe to it.
It's got a little bit more of that kind of rock and roll edge to it. And it felt like sort of a natural progression. And I kind of just wanted to put what I thought were the best songs on the EP. I didn't worry too much about whether each song had an exact same sound to it or an exact same feel to it. I really wanted to kind of just explore and experiment with how far I could push myself and test the boundaries.
So for me, it was really about what, less about sort of exactly what, what am I trying to say? And more, how can I say it in a way that feels authentic.
As creative people, we can have the vision inside our head, and then to create it in the tangible sense, so how did you find bringing the vision to life? And also, was it better than you expected?
That's a great question. You know, I worked with some really amazing songwriters, of course, and I worked with some really amazing studio session players. So it was a really kind of collaborative effort.
And it felt the whole time from the first moment that these songs were written all the way through until the sort of mixing and mastering process, that I was able to really guide it every step of the way. But it was also being able to trust the people that I was working with, because even when you're in a solo project, unless you're, you know, Dave Grohl playing every instrument, you know, which is super, super rare.
You are asking other people to put their input in each and every song, you know, whether that is the way they choose to master or the mix ideas that they have, how can they bring the best out in the song. And there were plenty of moments where I was questioning, is this the right direction? How much do I trust this person versus how much do I steer it in a different direction? I'm super pleased with how it's all turned out.
I will occasionally listen to the songs if I'm practicing for a live show or just throw it on repeat here or there. One time in particular, it was on in the car and it was quite low. And I was like, wow, that's such a pretty song.
I realized it was my own. This is that moment where you go, if I want to listen to it, then that's a really good indicator that it came out better than I thought it would.
You mentioned outside of music, you're also into your photography and also you love your vintage fashion and thrifting. So tell us, because obviously like having other avenues of creativity and just interest in general are also good. So what is it you will live about, I guess, like seeing life through a lens?
That's a great question.
I think for me, you know, when it comes to aesthetics, which is so important to me, you know, like photography and getting dressed in the morning, you know, fashion choices, it's something that I get to be playful with. You know, there's so much of life that is so stressful, so serious, so difficult, so challenging. And I think humans inherently love beauty, you know, and beauty is so subjective.
What is beautiful is completely subjective. The way I would dress myself or decorate my home or take photographs is completely subjective. But I think we as humans, you know, why do we travel all over the world to see beautiful vistas or go to turquoise beaches? Like why do we do that? Because it feeds something in us.
So seeing life through a lens, I think helps me feel not only like, I don't want to say I'm in control because that makes it sound like I'm a control freak, which I probably am, to be honest. I feel like I get to put a little bit of a stamp on something, right? The way I view something, I get to kind of have a little scrapbook of my own life. I get to kind of be a part of a bigger picture of this world.
Actually, when I was at university, I studied history. And one of the things that really drew me to that subject matter was not necessarily just the sort of geopolitical wars and major decisions that were made, but actually just the average day-to-day person. Why do we dress like this? Why do we eat like this? Why do we have relationships like this? You know, how do we relate to each other? How are we different? How are we the same? And some of the most fascinating documents are actually diaries, you know, journals of people who lived in a certain time period, because it tells us something about what we value.
I think that's partly why I love putting time and effort into aesthetics, whether it's photos or what I wear or how I, you know, decorate and furnish my home, because not only does it make me feel good, it's like a little serotonin boost. You know, I get that happy feeling, but it tells me something about myself. You know, what do I love? What do I value? What's important to me? And it's less about the vanity metrics.
I think more about the ability to just enjoy your life, be who you are and feel confident within that.
How does that then translate into the aesthetic glue of Souvenirs?
The EP cover is actually a self-portrait.
I often do self-portraiture because, I don't know, it's like a self-flagellating thing. It's like, I love it and I hate it and it's difficult and so rewarding, but the EP cover was a self-portrait. I actually just took it in my backyard on a freezing day in February and I was just questioning all of my life choices.
It was so windy and I was just miserable coming inside every five minutes. But, you know, for me, I love to experiment, you know, with different kinds of design components. I am obsessed with mid-century modern design.
So that will come out a lot in what I've done and what I will probably continue to do with album covers, single covers, you know, Instagram graphics and things like that, because it just gets to be a fun way to connect with people. It gets to be another fun visual representation of things that I love and you'll see that in the music videos as well.
A bit of a fun question here, but what is one of the Souvenirs you've collected in life that you always remember or cherish?
I'm looking around at my walls right now. I've got so many pieces of art.
I think I love collecting little bits and pieces of artwork from all of my travel. So if I can, if I can manage to piece of art, I will. If not, I've got a box full of stickers.
I'm actually wearing a t-shirt right now that says Blackwater Falls from a recent trip. I think my absolute favorite Souvenirs though, would have to be the film photos I take.
When I travel, particularly, I take at least one, if not two film cameras. And there is something so, so satisfying about having this physical, tangible image that was taken on film. So that's probably my number one Souvenir of any travel or any situation I've ever been in is my film photos.
It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you. As the world prepares itself for Souvenirs, which comes out on the 17th July 2024, for a new listener especially, getting behind an up-and-coming artist who's releasing a debut album, what's the best way to embrace the experience?
I would say if you are listening to Souvenirs, I think it's being open to the journey.
Gigi Gold’s Debut EP, Souvenirs is available now via all major platforms.
To stay connected visit @gigistaysgold across all social media
Article By Thushara Chandrasiri
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