Interview: Gemma Dunleavy
Gemma Dunleavy is the voice that so beautifully accompanies Murlo’s deep creations in a recent EP, named Jasmine. The 23 year old from Dublin isn’t just a pretty face and a unique voice, but is also into dance and apart from the music she is set to release, is really excited about the arrival of the summer weather.
When did your journey with music first start? Was there anything growing up that informed your interest in music?
I was singing and dancing from as young as I can remember so it was definitely my love for performing that informed my interest in music. I did everything I could to sing; I entered competitions, auditioned for the school plays, then TV shows. I would sing to anyone who would listen and I didn't know exactly where I wanted to get to, I just knew I wanted to sing. I lived around the corner from Stephen Gately from Boyzone growing up so I'd always try to sing like him, forcing the vibrato in my voice. I remember one time when I was around 6 years old I was singing Boyzone songs, shaking my voice so hard to try to sound like them and my granny suggested singing lessons to me, I was crushed! After years of pushing myself into different areas with singing and performing I found a love for writing music and sound which I didn't know I had and that has kind of led me to where I am now, combining that with my love for singing.
Who inspires you musically?
My cousin Stephen inspires me, he always has something interesting to say on the creative process which makes me want to go right away and create stuff. Musician wise, I don't really have one person that inspires me, I think it's good for those figures to change a lot so you don't become that person who inspires you. Usually seeing anyone being successful inspires me, even if I'm not totally in line with what that person is creating, seeing passion turn into a positive result makes me really hungry to improve and make my ideas a reality.
What was it like collaborating with Murlo? How did this come about?
Ah Murlo is great to work with; we were introduced by a mutual friend online and started working on a track which became the Jasmine EP. We didn't actually meet until a few weeks ago, over a year after we started working together. I love his sense of melody and style of production, my ideas flow so easily when I work with him and the tracks have so much personality so it’s almost like adopting a character or role for each one. I love tapping into my R’n’B influences and I feel like his tracks really lend themselves to that style. It gives me this nostalgic feeling.
If you could work with anyone in music, who would it be and why?
This is a difficult one because I have so many people I would love to work with for different reasons! I would love to work with Beyoncé, she's had a huge influence on my vocal style and I've been a huge fan since her Destiny's Child days so seeing what her creative process is like and bouncing ideas off her would be incredible! Oneohtrix Point Never because his work fascinates me so much, I love the structure in his music and I really admire a lot of the artists on his own record label. And Julianna Barwick, because her compositions inspire me so much in music and dance and creating a live show from that would be a dream!
Do you have any other new releases coming out soon? Any other collaborations?
I'm working on some more tracks with Murlo and have a couple of other features with some very exciting artists on the way. It's amazing getting to collaborate and work with people who I respect and admire. I've spent a lot of time working on collaboration projects, most of which started out as side projects and ended up becoming a main focus. I don't like things to get watered down so whatever is demanding the most in terms of deadlines gets 100% of my time.I've wanted to take time to work on my own stuff for a long time now but it's hard to turn down opportunities to work with artists who excite you or who you've admired for a long time, so the last 2 years have been mainly focused on collaboration projects and it's been great. I've slowed that down now and having spent the last few months working by myself I feel like I've figured out so much, my ideas are much more formed and my head is so clear about what I want in music and that's really rewarding. I'm looking forward to finishing some of that work and sharing it soon!
Are you inspired by the past? Do you look back at any old music for reference?
I'm very inspired by the past; you could say I live in my memories. I love looking back at music through the ages and seeing how it's evolved and what's been lost along the way, or finding the elements that were treasured then that may not be so important now.I love listening to choral music for reference from Gregorian chant to traditional tribal choirs, hearing so many sounds and textures come from the human voice is incredible. The voice is capable of so much more than we hear in current pop music and I'm so excited to explore that.Right now I'm listening to a lot of classical music and I'm learning so much just from that. We've so much music from the past to appreciate and learn from. There's nothing like listening to some Nina Simone to bring you back down to earth and remind you what's important in music. It's so special and warm; it reminds you to feel again.
What’s your opinion on the music industry at the moment?
You know what, I feel like whenever I see a question like this the answer is negative but I feel good about the music industry right now. It's really amazing to see artists tap into other fields to express themselves, I feel that’s being done now more than ever and it just makes bigger projects and ideas seem possible. I feel like the arts are coming together to join forces a lot more now and everything seems so much more easily accessible than a few years ago. It fills my heart with joy to see contemporary dance be appreciated like it is by people who never knew it before. So of course I'm delighted to see all of these things I love come together. Yes it's tough, yes I'm broke but I feel good about it because I know my ideas aren't impossible and I will make them happen. I like to have full creative control in anything I do, I know what I'm willing to compromise and what I'm not and as long as I stick to that I know I'm happy because I'm being true to myself. It's all about surrounding yourself with the right people and submerging yourself in what you love.
