Welcome back to On Beat: a look into Belmont artists, their styles and what’s going down in music town.
With Multiple releases on Spotify and many more on the way, Gabby Mark looks to become one of the next big artists in the Nashville indie-pop scene.
Hailing from Bel Air Maryland, she has been performing since the fourth grade through her church and was involved in theater throughout middle and high school.
In middle school, she began to use writing music as an outlet when she started to struggle with self-image and confidence.
Today, Gabby writes as a solo act and with her trio The 223.
As a music therapy Major, she’s harnessing the ability to heal through the power of song.
How would you sum up your time at Belmont and your time in Nashville?
Gabby: "Belmont has been amazing. I've had my heart set on Belmont since probably eighth grade. It's been fun to be a Belmont student and represent the school. I've met some of my best friends here, and being in the music world with some of my favorite people has been awesome. There are so many different kinds of music here, so I can write with pretty much anyone and create hybrid pieces. That exposure and opportunity to work with other people is awesome. And Nashville itself is great. I just love that there are resources and opportunities right around the corner. It's been awesome to have such people and opportunities right in our own backyard."
What genre of music do you typically write?
Gabby: "I write a lot of singer-songwriter indie-pop. My trio is made up of me and my two best friends. We all have different styles of writing. It’s been really cool to work with them on writing because all three of our styles shine through. Emma is very pop blues/rock, Brielle is very pop ballad/ jazz and funk influence and I am indie pop/ folk."
What's your creative process like?
Gabby: “Most of the time, I just kind of get lucky and a little melody pops into my head. And it's typically like the chorus of a song. I'll just repeat that over and over again until words come to my mind. And then once I have an idea of where I want the song to go, I lock in the chorus and make sure I get a recording of that. And then I'll go into the first verse and see if I can't create a storyline. So typically, when I'm writing songs its chorus first, and then verses, and then bridge. And sometimes I'll sit down with a topic in mind too, and I'll start from the beginning, but when I'm starting from the beginning, creating that storyline is where I go.”
What do you think makes you stand out as an artist?
Gabby: "One of my favorite things about my writing style is that I tend to write songs that I feel are very relatable. I write from my own personal experience, but also experiences that I know people in my life have dealt with. Also, when I write music, I don't write for fame. I don't write because I want to be famous. I write because I love music and because I want that to be an outlet for me. And like hey, if you listen to my songs, you listen to my songs. And if you don't, you don't. I just like being able to create that for the people that need it and want it. I think that makes my songs very authentic because I'm just here to have fun."
What are you up to right now?
Gabby: “Well, I am in the process of trying to get some things recorded. I have enough songs written for like two EPs and two albums, so there is a lot of new music on the way. Just looking for the right people, you know. But also, my trio and I are writing some of our own stuff too. And we're trying to do some more gigs and stuff as the three of us. So, check us out because we're cool and awesome. If you hear people singing in stairwells on campus it's probably me, come say hi. Just a lot of writing, a lot of trying to branch out, and figuring out where I stand in all of this. I have I think seven songs on Spotify, I have a single and an EP. The EP is called ‘We Are the Authors’, and my single is called ‘Words’. They were released a while ago, but they're there, and I love them so much. So, look at those.”
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This article was written by J O'Boyle