If you’ve ever wondered what the perfect song for cloud-watching would be, this is it: “Fleece” by GABI is one of the track’s on the singer’s upcoming album, Sympathy. Gabrielle Herbst’s voice floats gentle by, sometimes as a whisper, other times soaring. A distant roll of percussion, droning strings, and the rustling of keys join her in a crescendo, before a chorus of horns swirl around the settling sounds. It’s quietly breathtaking, but only she knows: does “Fleece” represent a beautiful moment, or just the calm before the storm?

We got the opportunity to have a quick chat with GABI last week, about her music, her life and her dream collaborator. Here's what went down: Audiofemme: So tell us a little bit about your background? How did you get started in music? Gabi: I’ve played music since I can remember. When I was six years old I began studying classical piano and clarinet, which I continued for over 10 years. At Bard College I studied composition and voice and really fell in love with the process. I started writing short form songs there, as well as larger orchestral compositions. AF: What’s your favorite aspect of working in music - performing, recording, touring, etc? GABI: I love performing and recording equally for different reasons. Performing has this beautiful unknown spontaneity and it leaves me feeling high and alive. When you're performing a song and you know it will be born and also die in that one night, it makes the experience really special. With recording, you are making an archive, something that will persist in time. There is a certain heaviness and responsibility with that. AF: Who’s your dream collaborator? GABI: My dream collaborator is Bjork. AF: How do you feel about the music industry in the digital era? GABI: I think that it’s exciting how wildly accessible music has become in the digital era, but it introduces other difficulties. Being technically savvy and involved in social media becomes a must and it seems that streaming services could make it even more difficult than it already is to survive off of being an artist. AF: If you could have anyone, living or dead, listen to “Fleece”, who would it be and what do you surmise they would think about it? GABI: I would have to choose the French composer Olivier Messiaen. I hope that he would find Fleece transcendent and successful in taking the listener into the stratosphere the way his music does. AF: How did you connect with Autre Ne Veut? GABI: Autre Ne Veut is an old friend and inspiring colleague. He was friends with my brother in college and has known me since I was quite young. AF: Are there any other artists you would love to work with in the next year? GABI: Antony AF: What can we look out for from you in the coming months? GABI: I’m heading out to the Marfa Myths Festival in TX this week and then SXSW. I have some exciting NYC shows at Rough Trade on April 7^th and my record release show at Le Poisson Rouge on April 22^nd. Sympathy comes out on April 7^th via Software and a Europe Tour is currently underway. I’m also writing my opera singer friend Ariadne Greif a short piece based on a nightmare for solo voice this month for her Dreams and Nightmares project. AF: Oooh we'll see you in sunny Austin!! Keep on makin' those beautiful tunes. Much love, The Femmes

INTERVIEW + TRACK REVIEWGABI