Behind The Scenes with Gal Musette and her release, ‘Oliver’

We are so inspired to be joined by US based indie/folk singer, Gal Musette.

At the age of just 10 years old, Gal Musette was considered a musical prodigy, writing lyrical piano compositions and performing at open mic nights in her home town.

Inspired by The Magnetic Fields’ triple album 69 Love Songs at 14 years of age, Gal decided to record her own collection titled 70 Love Songs, which caught the attention of the band, and won her an opening slot on a few of their Midwestern U.S. tour dates.

In later years, Gal Musette has opened for artists including Macy Gray, Suzanne Vega, Todd Snyder, and Donavon Frankenreiter.

With backing vocals sung by the one and only Rufus Wainwright, Gal’s latest track, ‘Oliver’ is a track that she has written about her first love.. an unrequited love.

“To me this song is about feeling alone in a crowd, feeling ignored by the one person you want attention from, and having the epiphany of what all these millions of love songs are about on this planet. Realizing that the person you love is not ignoring you accidentally. The desire to feel the reality of being small and unimportant so your pain doesn’t feel as big of a deal.”

The track is a preview of what is to come from her debut album, ‘Backwards Lullaby’.

You can listen to ‘Oliver’ below:

Tell us a little about your background

I grew up in Orange County, California, which is where I still reside near my family.

Dancing was my first passion, but I dropped that hobby without hesitation when I discovered the piano.

My grandpa and father collaboratively taught me to play in their own styles, which heavily influenced my own.

I started recording my first songs on GarageBand when I was in middle school, and began releasing demos on Soundcloud under “Gal Musette” at that point.

My life has pretty much revolved around music since then.

You have opened for some pretty impressive names (Macy Gray, Suzanne Vega, Todd Snyder, and Donavon Frankenreiter).. what have been some of the key things you’ve learnt by playing these shows?

Opening for these well-known artists taught me why it is important to think ahead and be intentional with how you use your time on stage.

I had to learn the hard way because I messed up opening for Macy Gray and it really stung- thankfully she was gracious and kind as you could only expect from such a wonderful lady.

How would you describe the feel of your music?

A lot of my music feels nostalgic and melancholy, because it reminds me of past musical inspirations, people I knew, or phases I was in emotionally, etc.

Musically, I would describe it as gentle and whimsical, grounded by acoustic instruments with electronic flares, and pulling melodic influences from the 40s and 60s.

You have now released your single, ‘Oliver’. Are you able to tell us a little about what inspired this single?

This song is about an ex that broke up with me after a week, who I continued to love for years.

I didn’t get when I wrote this song that it was possible to fall in love again, it felt hopeless and eyeo-pening at the same time.

It was strange reflecting on a past mindset in a recording when I’ve already processed and evolved from the experience.. for me “Oliver” found new existential meanings in it’s last version off Backwards Lullaby.

This is the 5th single from your album ‘Backwards Lullaby’.. what do we have to look forward to with the remainder of the album?

There are six more songs on the record that came on the album release day- 3 instrumental piano pieces and 3 more pop tracks.

“It Could Be Sin” might be my personal favorite on the record, which was not released as a single, but the lyrics of that tune ending up titling the album.

You also have a track within the album which features a duet with one of your biggest music influences, Rufus Wainwright.. how did this come about?

My talented producer Jon O’Brien had a connection with Rufus’ sound engineer Chris Sorem, and one day Jon, aware of my obsession with the legend Rufus Wainwright, texted me that I should ask Rufus to sing on the song, as we were searching for a male lead vocal.

Obviously neither of us expected anything to come of it, but Jon had had an experience at a young age when one of his heroes said “yes” to him so he emboldened me.

We were mind blown and ecstatic beyond words that Rufus agreed to sing on “Oliver,” and even more to hear his overwhelmingly beautiful yet familiar vocals on the track…

Within your music there is a theme of unrequited love and idealized love.. how do you feel that our ideal of love tends to impact the way our society looks at romantic love?

I reflect on this idea in one of the songs off the record “Honeymoon..” which goes through the mixed emotions of moving past the honeymoon phase.

Honestly, I think idealized love is a scam because you could waste years on a version of someone that you created in your mind, but I’m not sure if we can help it, at least in the beginning.

It’s a part of the evolution of love and we all go through it.

What is your creative process like when you are creating your music?

Melody, piano, lyrics.

I normally start a melody in the shower or in the car, sometimes after waking from a dream if I’m lucky enough to catch it.

If all the stars aligned, what would you like your musical journey to look like?

Music is my life and I hope it can always be that way.

I’d love to tour with one of my favorite artists, and record many many more albums.

Composing for a soundtrack would be a dream!

From your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

I guess I’m going to cheesily quote Oscar Wilde… “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Where can listeners find more about you and your music?

My website covers most of that territory 🙂

http://www.galmusettemusic.com/

Thanks so much for having me!