Gypsy Lee released her latest EP On A Mission from God and Gucci recently, so we had a chat about her journey so far, growing up with a family in the industry and on whether the EP is ‘slightly unhinged’ on purpose 😉
So I know a little bit about your story to this point, but I have a couple of things I’m curious about. Firstly, you’ve obviously grown up in a musical family, and I’m sure that has both pros and cons for you. What are the best things about having a family with experience in the industry?
I think I’m pretty lucky for the immediate support I have. My family have always been supportive of everything I do and have never pressured me into pursuing music. If anything they’ve always been quite upfront and honest about the reality of being an artist and the struggles that come with that. With that said, I have also had the pleasure of being surrounded by beautiful music my whole life and I’ve really seen the good that it does for people.
And what are the disadvantages?
Trying to escape the nepo baby claims was a bit of a struggle when I first started but I think I’ve outgrown that mind set. At the end of the day I’ve always loved music, I’m an indie artist and I write my own songs.
You also started being quite serious about the music industry from a fairly young age, and you’ve spoken online about your journey with Covid, and dropping out of school. Do you think if that hadn’t happened you still would have pursued music in the same way? Or do you think you would have taken a different path? (I guess I’m wondering, was there a sort of sense of freedom once you opted out of the ‘typical’ journey of a teenager that then made it easier to pursue a career in something like music, where it can be quite unpredictable?)
That’s a good question. To be honest I think I always knew I would end up pursuing music or something in the arts. It was kind of built into me. I was never very good at school and the only thing that got me through my early years was drama and music class.
Being a part of a family that already had an interesting, not particularly typical lifestyle, made it a freedom in itself to drop out of school.
And on that same note, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since starting out or what advice would you give your younger self?
Probably the biggest lesson I have learned with pursuing music is that you have to really want it for yourself. You can’t do it for anybody else or live off of love and admiration from others. You have to want it really bad and be consistent with everything you do.
Then, moving on to the EP. It’s been a couple of years since your last release. Can you share a little more about the process of creating this one? Did you take a break in between the two records or has it been more of a continual writing process?
The tracks on my latest EP and my Debut EP Pretty In The Dark were all written over the last 5 years. Each song is kind of attached to a significant moment in my life. Some good, some bad. On A Mission From God And Gucci is definitely more true to where I am in life right now.
And, how has your songwriting changed or evolved over that time?
I think over the last couple of years I’ve become more honest with myself and that’s definitely improved my song writing skills. I seem to have outgrown the cringe stage and am now all about writing my completely honest thoughts and feelings no matter how I come off.
I noticed the EP has this slightly, tongue-in-cheek sort of ‘unhinged’ vibe (I hope you laugh at that, this is so hard to describe over email). Assuming you can work out what I’m talking about, was that a deliberate theme of the record, or just something that evolved over time, and is there a deeper message in that?
You couldn’t have said it better honestly haha! Definitely deliberate. Growing I was made to feel like I was too much, too loud and too honest. I felt quite suppressed for just being myself. I reached my 20’s and suddenly realised I can be whoever I want now.
When I started writing songs I always knew I’d have to be honest about my experiences or my music wouldn’t mean anything. So I do deliberately really put myself out there and say things that I probably shouldn’t but I don’t really care anymore. It’s my truth.
You also duetted with Evie Irie on I Hope You Like Crazy Girls, this is a first (I think) for you, to work with another vocalist on one of your own songs? How was that experience and did the final version end up surprising you in any way?
Yes, working with Evie was my first collaboration ever and it was wonderful in every way! She is an absolute superstar and the whole experience was something I’ll never forget. The final version is everything I could have dreamed of! 🙂
Two last (hopefully easy) questions:
What is your favourite song on On A Mission From God and Gucci?
Scene Of The Crime
And I always finish up by asking everyone this, who are a few bands/musicians you’ve been enjoying lately who you feel deserve a little extra love?
Lunic, CaitySciFi, Kaitlin Keegan
You can catch Gypsy Lee at her upcoming live show this Wednesday (14th October). Tickets here.
You can listen to On A Mission from God and Gucci here.
And follow along with Gypsy Lee here.