![]() He released an EP or something before these but I haven’t looked for it). I had my doubts when I listened to his album Ology (the only body of work of his I have heard. I am glad that, after watching some of those documentaries/interviews, I can say that Gallant is human. I legit spend a significant amount of time watching just about any Gallant interview or documentary I can find, and I memorize his lyrics and decode them at my leisure. But I haven’t fully fallen into obsession this fast since Jon Bellion. “I’m just trusting that if I’m truly myself, everything’s going to be cohesive and sound unique,” he says, “because I’m uniquely me on the planet.Disclaimer: Anything I say as part of my interpretations could possibly be partially to entirely wrong.Īs I write this, I must admit I have known of Gallant, the RnB singer, for just about a month or so (note: I wrote this way earlier than I am posting this). Even if he’ll remain humble in the face of his success, he knows this. Gallant is a smart, self-aware, and, above all, honest musician, and those are the only kind that last. This unfalteringly candid approach to his craft, both on record and stage, is evidence of a great career in the making. Though historically conservative on stage, he says he “felt like I would be doing a disservice and an injustice if I didn’t completely lose myself … in order to give them as honest a representation of what it feels like to write that music and say those lyrics.” Watching him perform “Bourbon” was like witnessing the impact of that choice the bridge became so powerful that the guitar solo literally knocked him onto his back. Though it “made no sense” on paper, Gallant knew he had to do it. Then a chance to join Sufjan Stevens on a seated theater tour arose. “I was looking for tour opportunities, and the cliche ones would come through that would be an incredible honor for me, but would be expected,” he says. In a similar way, he’s also sought disparate touring partners. ![]() Deciding to cover it transformed the song into something that remained true in its own way. “When I read lyrics like Incubus - ‘I dig my toes into the sand/ The sky resembles a backlit canopy with holes punched in it’ - it paints that picture so well, and it makes me feel things that are just completely equal to how I feel when I’m listening to Toni Braxton.” Opening himself to things that aren’t archetypal to his style of music allows him to dig deeper into his own truth. “I didn’t want to just subconsciously draw influence from that because I didn’t think that would be the most honest thing that I could do,” he explains. Though the words meant one thing in their context, they fit what Gallant was feeling in a completely new way. Take his cover of Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly” he’d just laid down some new production when he came across Dave Grohl’s lyrics while seeking inspiration. While tackling themes of talking to yourself and the physicalization of emotions, Gallant draws from an array of influences. “It feels good to have that kind of foundation and the freedom to say, ‘Okay, today I’m gonna talk about this completely fucked-up shit and just having no fear and no self-consciousness involved in just fucking around and seeing what works.” He gets into relationships, too, but in tracks like the emotional “Open Up” and the poetic “Weight in Gold” (which debuted as Beats 1 Radio’s premiere World First).įor Ology ’ s production, Gallant found a partner and friend in Stint, who gave him a stunning platform of astronomical R&B, electronic flourishes, and rich atmosphere - just the sort of thoughtful vibe where Gallant feels most comfortable. ![]() Where other R&B artists sing about sex and drugs, he talks about self-doubt (“Shotgun”) and personal value (“Bone & Tissue”). Unconcerned with presenting any persona besides the one he innately maintains, his forthcoming debut LP, Ology, is 100% Gallant. ![]() He treats his songs like a diary, a place to analyze and meditate on whatever is stirring inside him. With a team that wasn’t pretending, Gallant felt free to create the way he wanted.
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