What was the experience of creating “Sunday Afternoon”, and can you walk us through your songwriting process?
I was working on my album, sitting at my piano and the extremely rough idea for the song started to come through. I began mouth syllables for the lyrics. Soon after I had this idea to write a love song and love tragedy in one. Relationships can be beautiful, painful, complex, and fragile, “Sunday Afternoon” is an exploration of these dynamics. Fun fact – the final vocal is actually the original rough vocal I recorded the same day I wrote the song at my piano… on a low quality headphone mic. I went to re-record the final vocal with a nicer mic, but it didn’t resonate the same way. So I kept the rough as the final.
What musicians do you most resonate most with as an artist yourself, and why?
Genuine artist doing what they do simply because of the passion and love they have for their craft. Not for the sake popularity, not because they are trying to get noticed, but because they are honest to a fault with their creativity.
The “Sunday Afternoon” music video is visually stunning! Why is this video the best approach to represent the song’s meaning?
Thank you! I love visual story telling. Relationships are a fragile and complex part of the human experience. Those ideas were explored in a symbolic way in the music video. The Veiled Woman represents majesty, purity and beauty, but the veil between us represents the separation. The red balloons speaks to the happiness and transience of life, while the desolate forest helps tell the story that a lot of us can relate to: A once blossoming relationship is on the verge of falling apart… what happens next is up to you.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced thus far in your career, and how did you overcome it?
Complacency. It’s important for us to be content, recognize and be grateful for every opportunity and blessing we are given; however, in order to continue to evolve into who we will eventually become, we must make strides to continue to push further, do better, and move forward. That’s why I finally made this decision to start releasing albums. Evolution of self.
How do you hope to impact listeners with your creations? What would you like “Sunday Afternoon” to make your audience feel?
I just want them TO feel. For me, I am touched by a sense of beauty and melancholy when I hear it. Maybe that rings true for someone else too, or maybe they have a different interpretation. The “Genesis” album as a whole was born out of a plethora of emotions from the human experience. Jump on the rollercoaster and enjoy the ride.
You’ve already accomplished so much, what do you hope to achieve next in your music career?
Putting even more music out into the ether. More visual story telling through music videos, I’m working on an extended, deluxe version of the Genesis album, and live touring is in the works as well. Staying in motion is key!
Mychael Gabriel:
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