Ollie Gabriel is spearheading a fantastic new soul movement. Having found all the ingredients needed to make authentic, catchy soul filled tracks with meaningful and relatable lyrics, making for many comparisons to the likes of James Brown, and Otis Redding.
The rising star manages to create music that is both fun and of absolute substance, which is very much a rarity in the music world today. Speaking about his style, Ollie Gabriel says: “I think that today there isn’t enough music that makes people happy. I’m not a preacher nor a saint but my songs come from a place of joy, deep love and a lot of happiness”.
Gabriel hails from a small town in Louisiana and grew up surrounded by a family of musicians. As a young child he listened to soul singers such as Bobby Womack, and Tyrone Davis. He would often hear is mother and father playing those records in the front room, which in turn entranced him and made him want to try every musical instrument; drums, church organ, guitar, tombone, and singing. He learned to play it all in school band and at church.
Speaking about his inspirations and influences, Gabriel says: “Like most I wanted to be Michael Jackson as a young kid, I wanted that power to move people emotionally. The biggest thing that I learned from my idols is that it is not about trying to copy something, but about creating something unique. I’m a lover of all things music and my knowledge of music usually surprises people, who don’t expect me to know certain songs or groups. I fell in love with Motown. I liked the gritty street soul music of Curtis Mayfield and those types. I’m also a big fan of bands like Metallica, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. I appreciate music of various different genres. From artists like Garth Brooks to Tupac and Biggie – it is the diversity that has made me into the artist that I am today.”
Ollie Gabriel has since moved to Los Angeles and has worked tirelessly to his goals. And his music has been placed in many adverts on TV networks such as NBC, MTV, and TNT. He has also had hundreds of synch placements. Speaking about his career so far, Ollie states: “My story is one of perseverance, determination and patience. I had a lot of obstacles and made many mistakes along the way, but I’ve been lucky enough to grow stronger through everything.
Back in 2016 the soul singer was selected out of thousands by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for its Grammy Next Program, which supports aspiring artists. Following in the footsteps of many international stars, he decided to go to Europe and debut his freshmen EP there.
Speaking about his experience, Gabriel says: “Europe has always embraced soulful music and many US artists have started there before they became famous in the states. So, I feel very excited that I got to debut my music in Europe first”.
And in February of last year, he released his single ‘Running Man’ to major success. Distributed by Sony Music via Jive Germany, the single was an instant radio hit. The track charted at number 5 in Austria, top 20 in Switzerland, and in the top 30 in Germany. Despite Ollie Gabriel not even being in the region very long, he entered the top 40 on the iTunes charts, and generated over 2 million YouTube views. Throughout the year, Ollie was performing all over GSA on several of the most popular TV shows and events, as well as live performances at massive radio festivals playing in front of over 40,000 fans. ‘Running Man’ also hit the top 10 on the German Spotify’s top hit’s playlist, and so far has garnered over 10 million streams. He returned to America in November of 2016 with his goals set on dominating his home country, the USA.
Ollie Gabriel is now ready to release his debut single ‘Running Man’ in the USA. The single is a highly infectious anthem about following your dreams and overcoming obstacles.
You can listen to ‘Running Man’ here:
https://soundcloud.com/ollie-gabriel/running-man
Make sure you follow Ollie Gabriel on Twitter @OllieGabriel on Twitter to keep up to date with all his latest music and tour news.
What do you think of Ollie Gabriel’s latest single ‘Running Man’? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo7nIsWWcp51kvK24yJ5koJmSp7amuIyrnKWdkaiytHnNnq5mq5mjtK2xjKusp6aZo7RuucCnZK6rkWQ%3D