After a sensational stint on ‘The Masked Singer’ as Harlequin, Gabrielle is back with her seventh studio album, ‘Do It Again’ – and she has no plans to slow down just yet…
The collection, released March 5, features 10 cover versions – including five she performed during the ITV show – plus two self-penned tracks, Can’t Hurry Love and new single Stop Right Now.
In an exclusive interview with Retro Pop, the star opens up on her latest project, admitting she was compelled to remake the songs on the new record after she “fell in love” with them on the programme.
However, a covers album wasn’t always on the cards and, according to Gabrielle, she has a second album of original compositions, written during lockdown, ready for release.
“During lockdown, I’d been writing new material, and I was going to come up with a brand new album,” she shares. “My last album, ‘Under My Skin’, came out in 2018, and had such a good response that I thought I was on a roll.”
The Out of Reach singer had been due to tour the UK to celebrate 20 years since the release of her seminal album ‘Rise’ in Fall 2020 but, after lockdown began, Gabrielle was offered a spot on ‘The Masked Singer’ – which inspired her upcoming LP.
“Having recorded the show, I just fell in love with those songs. I fell in love with Falling [Harry Styles song] and Billie Eilish,” she admits. “I’d already fallen in love with the songs anyway enough to pick them to be my songs.
“It just became a no brainer [to record an album of cover versions]. It just made sense – I’ve taken part in the biggest show, it hadn’t been aired yet. So there was enough time for me to actually get an album ready, because I finished recording the show in September.
“So this whole album was inspired by ‘The Masked Singer’. And had I not done it, it would have just been a completely new album.”
However, Gabrielle’s holding onto the material she wrote during lockdown, with the star calling the original tracks on ‘Do It Again’ “a little taster of what’s to come”.
Revealing plans are in the works for a follow-up project, she insists: “Oh, definitely. Most definitely… Let’s just say I don’t think we’re going to be waiting too long…
“The days of waiting for me for like 11 years are over. My kids are grown. I’m more selfish as opposed to selfless. My daughter’s going to be 18, my son’s gonna be 26 this year… I’m happy to walk out the door and say, ‘See you later guys’.
“So I’m excited and I can’t wait. I’m just loving the opportunities that are coming my way to be able to release new music, and just keep doing what I love doing.”
‘Do It Again’ is available to pre-order now, with exclusive signed CDs available from the artist’s store.
