I still love records, and I’ve been fortunate that my parents bought me a record player so I didn’t just have my vinyls to stare at! – Gabrielle Aplin
When I was releasing EPs by myself, I was generating royalties. And when I signed, I thought I’d put those royalties into other artists. And interestingly, streaming is most of the income for those artists. – Gabrielle Aplin
YouTube was really good for building a kind of core, loyal fanbase. I didn’t want to be a YouTube artist as such. I mean, there are people who are able to release albums and live off YouTube, but I felt – and not in an arrogant way – that I could be commercial and credible if I really put my mind to it. – Gabrielle Aplin
Labels fund things and have resources for you to use. But just because you sign doesn’t mean you sign yourself away so they can then tell you what to do. You need to have a plan yourself before they do. – Gabrielle Aplin
I’ve grown up with a piano in the house, and that’s where I started to be able to learn things by ear. Guitar kind of happened, and I was using it just for writing at first. Then, I was writing so much that I began to realise that I knew how to play, and that’s when I started getting nerdy about it. – Gabrielle Aplin
When I first got signed, I bought a vintage guitar from the 1930s for ô?1000. I’ve bought a ô?400 SLR camera, too, which was quite extravagant. – Gabrielle Aplin
I love pop music. I love drum and bass, Calvin Harris, all these electronic things, but it’s nice to have something organic as well. – Gabrielle Aplin
I feel more comfortable in a place like Brighton – a town, with one centre, one bus station, one train station. And there are so many arty, creative people, and things are less rushed, less stressed. – Gabrielle Aplin
I’m really into fashion, but I don’t really spend that much on clothes. I manage to find everything I want at a good price. – Gabrielle Aplin
I have hundreds and hundreds of people from Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Argentina, every day, buying my music and telling me about it online. – Gabrielle Aplin
I just write songs and hope that they do well. I’m sure there is some pressure from someone at the label, but I’d rather keep away from it. – Gabrielle Aplin
I think it’s all about the people who listen to your music, and loving playing and writing. Once you’ve got those two, and they’re your main two priorities, then radio and TV and all the other stuff that comes with it will come. But that’s not the be-all end-all. – Gabrielle Aplin
I am never without my lyric book. If anything inspirational happens, I have it there so nothing’s forgotten. – Gabrielle Aplin
I feel very English. I’m proud of it. I wanted there to be a thread connecting everything, the songs, clothes, artwork, even the string arrangements. It all creates a certain atmosphere. – Gabrielle Aplin
I don’t feel like a pop star. I like being able to live my life the same as my mates. I don’t get recognised much. – Gabrielle Aplin
Before I’d even started doing music or having opportunities with my own music, I was studying production and business and stuff anyway. I knew there were so many jobs within the music industry – songwriting or session playing or working at a label – and I was really interested in how it all works. – Gabrielle Aplin
I write songs, and I sing them. I never formulated a plan; I can’t tell anyone else how to do this. But it feels right, so I just kind of enjoy it and get on with it. – Gabrielle Aplin
For a lot of pop performers, fame and celebrity is part of the job. But for singer-songwriters, no one really cares. – Gabrielle Aplin
I grew up listening to Nick Drake. Without him, I would not write music – and ‘Pink Moon’ is my favourite LP. – Gabrielle Aplin
I got my first guitar when I was 11. It was an electric, and I can remember just wanting to be Avril Lavigne! But I got annoyed with having to plug it in and play with amps and pedals and stuff. Then I got given a cheap acoustic, a Tanglewood, and I thought it was awesome because I could play it anywhere! – Gabrielle Aplin
I wrote poetry before I wrote songs, and T.S. Eliot was my inspiration. I love his honesty and try to bring that to my own songwriting. – Gabrielle Aplin
I still listen to a lot of the classics from Bob Dylan and John Martin, but I love electronic music as well. I’m a big fan of an Australian DJ and producer called Flume, who I think is incredible. He should be more successful in the U.K.! – Gabrielle Aplin
