Anyways, Whatever: Gal Shines Through Collaboration on Her Latest EP
Photography and styling courtesy of Ladonna Whittingham and GAL.
No artist is made on their own. Every image, every sound, every execution of an idea happens because of collaboration. No human is an island, and nothing truly great ever gets accomplished alone. More now than ever before, the people who help to bring an artist’s vision and sound to life are getting their visibility, their flowers, and thanks to the internet, new revenue streams. And now, more than ever, people have found ways to shine by illuminating others. Few people embody that on the level GAL does.
Standing for Give Art Life, GAL showcases her own brilliance not only as an artist, but as a sonic and visual curator. With a sound equally based in Hip Hop and alternative Pop, she showcases effortless penmanship across a variety of sounds. While living in New York City, she secured her first major sync placement opportunities, through Issa Rae’s music label. Raedio. This eventually led to more placements on major projects, including the iconic series Rap Shit. Shortly after, GAL rebranded through her single and visual “Roxx Off” (produced by Trippy Leeb), showing a brash, melodic, refreshing and vibrant sound that knocked new and familiar fans off their feet, and was even remixed with upcoming rap phenom Akeem Ali.
Outside of the fact that she’s gorgeous, GAL’s visual curation shines through in every iota of her work. In collaboration with creative director & celebrity stylist LaDonna Whittingham, her videos and looks give new dimension to the music, vibrant with color and expression, and playing with all manner of silhouettes. There’s clear intention in every element, from the outfit to the angle, and every reference. One notable thing about her is how excited she is to give praise to the people who help her bring her vision to life. Collaborating with friends is at the root of much of what she does. “There’s something special about that process. It’s free flowing, organic, and always a time. It also makes me feel a lil proud that I have a genuine relationship with these talented people who want to work with me. I don’t know, I think that’s cool. Makes me feel like I’m doing something right.” After releasing her last smash hit single “Think Big”, on September 4th at 11:11 PST, GAL dropped her latest EP, “anyways, whatever” , Volume 1 of her GALPAL Pack series.
A smooth compilation of four songs that flow into one another, GAL starts the project off with a dancehall groove “easy”(produced by PurpleKBeats) reminiscent of summer sunset parties in Brooklyn backyards. The project immediately switches the vibe with a wonderful hard pivot to this slowed down, syrupy production of deep bass and full pads on “cautious”(produced by Os Young) Adding flavor to the pot is singer, lyricist and Roc Nation songwriter Willie. Having collaborated on multiple songs together, the two artists trade sharp verses and smoothly meld their vocals, while highlighting the fine line between being properly guarded and rightfully vulnerable.
The second half of the project continues this versatility as her next song “reckless” with Lovemoor (produced by keyDeaux & Detective 47) , starts with melodic singing over ambient production with a dirty south influence, conveying the pain of being lost in the chaos of finding grounding in new love. In the last third of the track, the pulse changes to a more uptempo, smooth pop vibe, and Lovemoor graces the track with a wonderful light tone that helps to capture that feeling of being thrown back into the cycle of emotions, euphoria, and experience. Closing the project is the banger “prolly”(produced by Micky Munday & P!) made for slow cruising with the windows down on a nice drive. As GAL deliver’s a playful verse that wonderfully bounces over the beat, the vibe switches phenomenally as friend and Raedio signee TeaMarr slows her flow down to just above speaking rhythm, with a delivery that borders between melodic and menacing. The two lyricists encapsulate a full range of vibes between their verses, and paint a wonderful picture of navigating life and success while powering through uncertainty.
Across different sounds and themes, “anyways, whatever” plays smoothly over less than 15 minutes, packing in the right amount of versatility, and highlighting her growth as an artist. “It’s another creative milestone. Making the music & visuals is always easier than releasing for me. That's when it gets real and you start to consider how it will be received. After I overcome that, I see the growth of not getting in my own way. These songs are also ‘loosies’ (recorded at different times, places, with different artists), so it’s one of my more experimental projects. Definitely in a season of trying new things.” With a body of work defined by witty and vulnerable writing, strong sonic range, and tailored collaboration, GAL continues to show across multiple fields just how powerful and impactful a creative force she is.
Writing by Nik VRSI.
Photography and styling courtesy of Ladonna Whittingham and GAL.
