Opening our ears to something a little different today. Imagine the likes of Nightwish or Within Temptation stripped back to more classical music backing and you could well end up something like Gabriella Metz…
Simple things first – Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Cyprus, a small island in the Mediterranean. To be completely honest with you, I have a huge origin mix. Here it is: Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, and . Where do I say I’m from? It really depends on my mood!
How long have you been playing?
I’ve been playing professionally for 7 years now but I went to my first music lesson at the age of four. It feels like an eternity ago because music never stops in my day to day life. I guess that’s how things work when you love music so much, when it’s your ion; something you can’t live without.
What are your influences?
As a pianist my influences are Beethoven and Yanni. Piano is the only part of me as an artist where I’m clearly “Classical”. Now, as a singer, I have a billion influences which I believe is only normal. Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Lara Fabian, were the first singers I looked up to. Then came Amy Lee, Demi Lovato, Jessie J, and so many more!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Describing my music is definitely difficult for me. I constantly change my tone, the techniques that I use, the genres I sing or write. To answer your question, I’ll describe my debut album Breaking Infinity. It’s a pop/rock/alternative/ballad crossover, it has a lot of different influences as I don’t tend to stick to one style of music when writing or singing. Its main inspiration though are the endless cycles of the same feelings over and over again. I personally call it “the depression era”. After that project ended, I’ve been spending a great amount of time song-writing for my next album which will be filled with pop/rock upbeat songs.
What makes me unique is, in my opinion, the way I use my voice. It may go from pop vocal techniques, to classical techniques in no time. Bear in mind though, that every artist is unique in their own way as we are different people with our own story to share.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Yes. As I mentioned above, Breaking Infinity was about that endless cycle of depressive feelings. Each song represents a situation that caused me a certain amount of psychological pain in the past. Therefore, as a whole, there is a lyrical theme.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Honestly, I can’t even count the amount of shows I’ve played. My live shows are about connecting with my audience. I always appreciate every single person who attends my concerts and always try to include them in my performance. I love listening to them sing along, or even giving me song requests. Other than that, as performing is my favorite thing in the world, my true ion, I always enjoy my time on stage to the fullest with my fellow musicians.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I don’t believe there is something “wild” I’ve done or seen at a live show. One thing that gets me emotional though, is seeing people cry. You know how it is, someone might get so touched when listening to a song and tears start falling. As far as I recall, I’ve always comforted them at the end of the song.
What microphone do you use?
For the last four years I’ve been using Senheiser e935. I’m very happy with my microphone but I’m looking forward to an upgrade for the sake of change!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Since May 2019, in other words since the release of my debut album, I’ve been focused on promoting Breaking Infinity and everything that has to do with it. In the next couple of weeks, the last official video of the album, Awake, will be coming out and it really has a huge story behind it.
What are your plans for 2020?
Apart from writing the lyrics and music for my next album, I’ll hopefully be doing shows in Europe. As things have turned out unfortunately, we can only pray that this horrible virus disappears for the time being. At the end of the day, health is above all.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
This is such a hard question! This is a long shot but I’d obviously love Evanescence to be a part of it. I think I won’t answer this question fully. Instead, I’ll give it some thought and get back to you!
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