Interview: Mychael Gabriel

Composer, lyricist, engineer, producer, instrumentalist: Mychael Gabriel has cosmic versatility and an entire ecosystem of talent. The Big Takeover had the pleasure of interviewing him about his recent music video release, “Sunday Afternoon”. The interview can be read below!

As a composer, lyricist, engineer, producer, and instrumentalist, what is your favorite aspect of the music production process, and why?

I love all of it. My passion for creativity is what motivated me to explore all of this in the first place. So much of it works hand-in-hand. Songwriting was my first love. It helps to be a musician if you want to write songs. Once you learn how to play and write, it really helps to have the knowledge to be able to engineer and produce your ideas to sound the absolute best they can. I stepped into a career in the music industry and have been blessed with a multitude of opportunities – but in one way or another, it was all rooted in my love of songwriting. That was the catalyst.

Can you describe the symbolism behind “Sunday Afternoon’s” visuals? How was the concept of the music video created?

I love allegorical storytelling and symbolism – in lyrics, music, and visual. I’m always looking for ways to inject layers into whatever I’m creating. The fragility and complexity of relationships is what came to mind in “Sunday Afternoon.” Those ideas are then explored in a symbolic way in the music video. The Veiled Woman represents majesty, purity and beauty – in other ways all that is holy. However, the veil between us represents the separation. The red balloons speaks to the happiness and transience of life, while he 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.

Did you draw inspiration from any other songs or artists when creating “Sunday Afternoon”?

Every musician is a product of their experiences and musical inspirations. “Sunday Afternoon” came about in a really organic way. Just me and my piano literally one Sunday afternoon. I was working on my album at the time and 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.

Red reappears in your work, what is the color’s significance to you as an artist?

Red is a significant, multifaceted color. It represents both life and death, sacrifice and courage, hope and love. Red pigment was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art. From the Egyptians to Mayans, Eastern empires to Romans and the Renaissance – the color red is prominent. In the bible, every word spoken by Christ are highlighted in red text. The Genesis album is allegorical in nature and represents the beginning of my more personal musical journey in many ways. The color red resonates with that symbolism.

What has been some your most impactful collaborations within your music career thus far, and what did you learn from them?

My many collaborations on the “Grammy Tribute to Prince” in 2020 comes to mind. While working on developing the arrangements for the show, the process was therapeutic in many ways. To finally see the vision come to life with the help of so many other talented artist was an absolute joy.

How would you describe your new full-length album “Genesis” to someone who has not heard it?

The “Genesis” album is a musical journey exploring the plethora of emotions from the human experience. Jump on the rollercoaster and enjoy the ride.

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