Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Tola.
Hi Gabrielle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey as an artist began in my early childhood! I would observe my uncle play cassette tapes of old boleros and play guitar when I lived in Colombia. Creative expression has always been my vessel of navigating life. I started out painting as a baby, then dancing and modeling, then writing stories, but music always has been a constant in my life. I’ve sporadically taken voice and guitar lessons throughout my life and music classes in college but beyond learning and listening, I’m a big writer. So I’ve been songwriting since thirteen and decided to finally put my love and work out there in 2020 when it felt most urgent. I didn’t want to keep waiting until the perfect moment and my mindset shifted to recognize the value in just sharing art like we share our love in community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Imposter syndrome has always been my biggest obstacle! Aside from the financial restrictions of not getting access to resources I desired, I felt like I needed to be a good guitarist, learn piano, own all the instruments my inner musical world held in order to release music only once I reached my highest potential as a musician or once I met the right producers and engineers. One day a friend asked me to hop on a song in the summer of 2020 and they adored my verse so much that their affirmation pushed me to work towards releasing more of my work into the world. I still struggle with this a lot as a perfectionist, but I realize the value in art outside of a capitalist lens as a labor of love and immortalization of our joy, especially as a queer woman of color. It’s been smooth ever since.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a singer-songwriter, poet, holistic astrologer, artistic alchemist, and healer.
The intention behind my music and art overall is to create a sonic and visual dreamscape for queer, bipoc hedonists and lovers.
On my college campus, I am known for my music, creative writing, student organizing, and pleasure activism workshops as a student educator at the Center for Inclusion Diversity Equity and Social Change. I have performed at various showcases throughout my undergrad career and been featured on podcasts regarding my first and most recent song release “Jungle Flame” (available on all streaming platforms and YouTube!) which is my proudest work.
Jungle flame came from a series of paintings I created called femmescape during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. This was a pivotal time for me and my mental health at the face of police brutality and social injustices worldwide that pushed me to go inward in what calmed me, to which I returned to my childhood hobby of painting. I started writing the song after thinking about jungle flames, a flower that grew on my elementary school grounds and how much peace their presence gave me. I was able to collaborate with Yaemi Matias, a then south Florida based filmmaker and photographer as well as Najja Safara for choreography to create the music video of my dreams for jungle flame with visuals of sapphic euphoria and the beauty of nature in Miami.
Aside from my music, I also have had my poetry published on the pandemic post and on O’Miami’s latest anthology “Waterproof: Evidence of a Miami Worth Remembering.”
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I am happiest when I am surrounded with the feeling of love and warmth because I can recognize my alignment with the universe in those moments as well as feel my souls radiate. Love and warmth for me look like sunny days in botanical gardens, being revitalized around bodies of water, singing, dancing, new creative endeavors, the magic of community, picnics with my loved ones, listening to my favorite music, finding great new poetry, eating fruit, making things with my hands, and moving slowly.
Contact Info:
- Email: gabrielletola16@gmail.com
- Website: https://gabrielletola.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neptunemuse/?hl=en
- Twitter: Twitter.com/neptunemuse
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/f3IO9IXWNuo
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/neptunemuse
- Other: http://neptunemuse.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Frankie Walls (concert photo) Yaemi Matias (music video clips) Grethel Gonzalez (Flag photo) Christiana Ashley (intimate performance shot)
