Gabby Barrett

Artist Interview - Gabby BarrettOur Friday Artist interview series continues. This week, we spoke with Gabby Barrett about her major label debut album Goldmine, (out today) and so much more. See the highlights from our conversation below.

TNB - Your debut album Goldmine is out today, What did you learn about the process of making a major label debut album that surprised you?Barrett - I'm so excited my first album is finally out in the world today! I think the biggest lesson that came out of making a major label album was solidifying my instinct on creativity. I’m so blessed to have a supportive label (Warner) and to have had a major hand in creating this album; from the production to instrumentation to writing 12 of the 13 songs to imagery/color schemes, etc. I'm very proud of it and can't wait for y'all to hear it.TNB - Do you have any favorite memories from recording the project?Barrett - Gosh, there are a lot. Of course from the first time I met Ross Copperman, I knew he was going to play a huge part in this project. Being in the studio with him has taught me so much as a writer, also so much from a production stand point. Getting in a room with some of the most talented writers like Jon Nite, Zach Kale, Josh Osborne, Nicolle Galyon, Emily Weisband and Jimmy Robbins, was such an amazing experience. I also love that my husband was a part of making this album. It makes everything all the more special. He rips lots of guitar solos throughout the songs, so be on the lookout ;)TNB - You recently made history by becoming the first female country artist to top 10 million single-week streams for your first #1 single, “I Hope”. Did you know this song was special when you wrote it? How did it come together?Barrett - I didn't right away, no. I'm one of those people who likes to hear the song very close to what it would sound like as a single, before I can really tell what I think about it. But, when we were leaving the write, Jon Nite mentioned that he thought this might be the biggest song of his career – which I thought was absolutely insane, and it definitely got me excited that we may have something really special. We wrote 'I Hope' on Halloween 2018 in a super thrown together, last-minute write - me, Jon Nite and Zach Kale. They had come in with the idea that we could write a song about a relationship where the guy had done the girl wrong but she wished him well in the end. Of course, I knew that that's just not how women would behave under those circumstances, so we flipped it up and made it a song that could serve as a way for people (men, women, anyone) to get closure and kind of get the last word.TNB - How early/when did you know you wanted a career in music? Who were some early champions that supported your ambition?Barrett - I started singing when I was 9 years old in a gospel choir just outside of Pittsburgh where I grew up, but I think it was after my first performance at 11 that I knew this was what I wanted to do. My dad was the person who first believed in me and first called out my talent - I wouldn't be here without him.TNB - What is one thing fans might be surprised to learn about you?Barrett - They'd be surprised to know that I've never seen Forrest Gump and if I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be Olive Garden breadsticks and salad.TNB - What content have you been taking in during quarantine?Barrett - We are big Stranger Things fans (still patiently waiting for Season 4), so watching a lot of that, baking a lot, reading my Bible every day and plugging into the Word, and, of course, music-wise we finalized the album during quarantine. I've also been loving some of the new stuff coming out in country!