- Gabriele Filippi
- Mar 2021
- 3 min
- 620 views
A Swiss-based artist with a background that ranges from jazz to classical music, from pop to rock to soul
Imelda Gabs blurs the iconoclastic boundaries of genre to create her own coinage and to blossom a flourishing electroacoustic journey.
Imelda Gabs started her path in the world of music by playing the piano at the age of only 3, immediately followed by the violin, and singing a few years later at the Lausanne Conservatory and HEMU (CH).
While studying these various instruments, she became passionate about writing and composition so in 2012, at the age of only 14, she performed some of her original songs for the first time at the prestigious Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (BE), a stage that hosted her last performance with her father, the world-renowned jazz pianist who passed away a year later, Doctor Gabs.
At first, she followed in her father’s footsteps, performing with German bassist Peter Bockius and American drummer Vic Jewel Pitts. Then as time went on, her writing and performing skills further refined and evolved, taking her music and her ambitions to the next level.
A further turning point for her career comes in 2017, when Imelda has the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Montreux Jazz Academy, with world-renowned mentors including Marcus Miller, Yaron Herman, and Elina Duni.
Showcasing her composing skills and her skills as a performer, after a few months she was invited to tread stages such as the one and only Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Stravinski Auditorium, opening for Lianne La Havas and The Roots.
Her first self-released single, “Fallen Angel,” marks a new chapter in her journey, and represents a significant anticipation of her next EP, set to be released in 2021.
Fruitful and precious gem, given birth by Imelda during the dyscrasia of the global pandemic, the lockdown spurred the artist to retire to her nest and ask herself what she wanted to do artistically with her future.
It is from here that the idea for her solo project sprouted in a very spontaneous way. Imelda started composing, and with shining inspiration here comes today a touching and exciting single concept, which is completed with affable sinuosity with a visual identity full of charisma and charm.
So says Gabs introducing the theme of the single: “the song is about someone who got pushed down by his / her emotions and struggles with closing a chapter of his / her life, but ends up turning his / her weaknesses into strengths and gets back up.”
In this the song and the video work like a unicum, a perfect manifestation of how Gabs is a genuinely inspired artist and capable of extending her musical creativity into a palpable vision, even for the eyes.
Struggling, as uplifting, as lacerating as soothing, “Fallen Angel” is a work that holds and releases, up and down questioning ridges and reflective valleys, spurring us on from the very first opening with the lyrics “Many conversations, many days later, where are we now. Now so many questions, why is it always so hard.”
As she sings “I lost my wings, but my heart is still there for you to take,” feathered wings of dark pop unfold, releasing a cinematic beauty that flows in a tremendously enveloping auditory and visual delivery.
Imelda Gabs is already working on the next single and music video, expected in 2021, further anticipation for her debut EP announced for the same year. Needless to say, we can’t wait to get more from what is one of the most interesting news of 2021 among those we have discovered in recent months. 
- .: Nova MUSIC blog // March 2021
Listen now to "Fallen Angel," by Imelda Gabs, available in streaming on all major digital platforms. You can find your favorite one via imusiciandigital.lnk.to
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<\span>You can also discover "Fallen Angel" and Imelda Gabs music by listening to our playlist NOVA ERA, a weekly rotation featuring an eclectic selection of artists covered by Nova MUSIC blog.
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