Carly Gibert is a 19-year-old house, R&B, and pop music artist, who recently was signed to 10:22PM/Def Jam Recordings. The bi-lingual, Spanish born singer just released her groovy single, “Interstellar,” which reflects on her move from Spain to LA. The disco-inspired bop appears on NOW Volume 79, and can be listened to HERE. Gibert has been making music since the age of four, and her passion for creating is evident in all of her releases. We sat down with the rising house star to speak about the inspiration behind her latest release, her songwriting process, and whats to come next in 2021.
- What inspired you to write “Interstellar?”
“Interstellar” is about trying to make someone care for you as much as you care for them. You would do anything for the other person, but they only think about what’s best for them. When I moved to LA from Spain–where I was born and raised–I kind of started a new life, it felt like living in another universe. “Interstellar” actually means “living between stars,” and that is how LA felt to me. It only took me moving to the other side of the planet to realize that I wasn’t taking care of myself. It also references the movie Interstellar (which is one of my favorite movies of all time) with its theme of leaving your life behind and starting over in an entirely different setting.
- How would you describe the sound of “Interstellar” in three words?
Futuristic, disco and progress.
- What musicians influence your music style the most?
Not specifically for this song, but I grew up with and have always been very inspired by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Mac Miller and Tyler the Creator. I definitely grew up on house music as well, since my dad would play it at home all the time; and I think you can actually hear that on “Interstellar.” The song has a kind of house vibe to it.
- What does your song writing process usually look like? Was this process the same for the writing of “Interstellar”?
I usually start off with one of the 100,000 notes on my phone. I write notes every single day–anywhere, anytime. You never know when the inspiration is going to hit, so this is how I keep track of my thoughts. When I find a lyric idea or a concept that resonates with how I’m feeling, I start writing random lines around it. At first, it honestly doesn’t make any sense and nothing rhymes. At that point, it’s all about placing the right lines in the right places and making them fit into a melody. This was also the writing process of “Interstellar.” I sometimes like to start with the melodies, though, and just build the lyrics based on the melody.
- If you could design your dream music festival where you were the headlining act, who would you choose to perform alongside?
If we’re talking about VERY ambitious dreams, I would obviously say Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Kanye. Then, of course, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Doja Cat, Audrey Nuna, SZA, BIA, Anderson .Paak, Rosalía, Saint Bodhi, Little Simz, Kali Uchis, Kaytranada, Rico Nasty, Tinashe, Ryan Beatty, Daniel Caesar, Miguel, Jorja Smith…there are too many great artists.
- What has it been like being signed and working with 10:22PM/DefJam?
If someone told me 3 years ago that I would be working with the people I’m working with today, I wouldn’t believe them. The people I’ve met and am surrounded by are some of the people I look up to the most, and I’m so grateful for everyone who made it possible. I have a very close relationship with everyone on my team. I speak to my A&R literally every day, and I’m so lucky to be able to talk directly to the label if I ever need something. I’m super involved in all aspects of my career, so having a direct relationship with the label is very reassuring.
- What is something about you or your music that fans might not expect?
I would definitely say singing in Spanish. It’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m so excited to do it. I don’t have any full songs in Spanish at the moment, but I do have some verses here and there. The next song I’m releasing actually includes Spanish verses. Growing up, I was very insecure about singing in Spanish because I thought my accent was weird. It didn’t flow as naturally as English did, even though Spanish is my first language. Through the years, I’ve been practicing improving my diction and I feel a lot more comfortable now. I guess I just had to make it my own and embrace the “Spanish person who can’t articulate Spanish” aspect of myself.
- What is next to come from you in 2021?
I have two more songs that I really love coming out in the next couple of months. Hopefully an EP by the end of the year? (Nobody confirmed that—I just made it up—but I’m putting it out in the world). To be honest, all I want to do this year is release all the music I’ve been working on for the past 2 years. These songs are so special to me, and I can’t wait for everyone to listen to what I have to say.
