“It was just one
of those cliché situations where I had to choose between my head and my heart”
You may not know
her name but there’s no doubt about it, you’ve definitely seen her face. From
touring with the Arctic Monkeys at age 15 to completely reinventing herself at
18 whilst on the road with Rhianna, she’s finally planted her roots where they
belong, back home in the grounds of Country Music.
Gabby Grills was
welcomed back into the family by huge artists like Blake Shelton and Willie
Nelson who says he’s “so damn glad that she came to her senses” [referring to
her decision returning to country music]. She’s ditched all of her previous
glamorous stage names and is ready to show the world some of her raw Country
talent.
Growing up in the
small village of Ashbourne Gabby had no idea that her fate was to be dragged
around the streets of LA in a cop car or singing the National Anthem at the
Super Bowl just last year. Gabby sure mixed in with the wrong crowd but what do
you expect going on tour with MySpace-made-famous Rock Band Arctic Monkeys. One
of her friends told sources “Everything was all just getting too much for her,
I could barely recognize her anymore.”
When she was
younger Gabby was just like any other girl… singing in her church choir,
staying after school for extra credit and riding her horse Dusty. Following her
parents’ divorce back in 2006 she headed to Texas with her mother [Opal (51)]
who became good friends with Ronnie Dunn and wife Janine whilst at a truck stop
in Austen. Some people would think that this would be the perfect set up to
launch Gabby’s career in Country Music but as Ronnie said “we don’t roll that
way, if someone, anyone wants to be famous in the Country Music Industry
they’re gonna have to work their ass off to get here. It’s not about who you
know, it’s about how you go”. After following his advice for 5 years all it took
was one person to film her practicing Elvis’ I Can’t Help Falling In Love
With You and within weeks Monkey’s Alex Turner sent her family an e-mail
asking for her to join them in their 2012 tour. A bit of an odd mix, but Turner
said it himself that he “can really see her electrifying their concerts”, a
huge compliment from the man himself.
Following the
controversy of Gabby’s speech at last week’s American Music Awards where she
mentioned that her “Rock Fans didn’t understand” who she really was and she felt
like now she had to “strip it down to show everyone who she really is”
“I hated that
image that people were putting on me, I felt like I had to live up to this
crazy idea that people thought I was some kind of rebel when all I wanted to do
was make music”
“Honestly those
guys [the Arctic Monkeys] were amazing to me and gave me a massive platform to
jump from but it just wasn’t the type of music I wanted to be making. I just
got so enthralled by being on the road I was completely ignoring the fact that
this wasn’t the type of music I wanted to be making”.
She admits to
feeling guilty about ignoring her friends, her family and her heart’s desire to
be a Country singer but the “opportunity was just too good to pass up”.
“I’m back and I’m
here to stay. I’ve been working on my new album Boots & Strings, I
have a few songs on there that I wrote with Amy A and The Lakes
so I’m really excited to show you guys, and my new video for Sentiment
is going to be released on January 5th, and
I don’t wanna give away too much but there might be a little appearance from my
good friends Jace and June”.
We’re so freakin excited
to hear what she has in store for us and I have a feeling Country Music isn’t
gonna be the same again! She is renowned worldwide for having that powerhouse
voice with a Tennessee twang so we’re all ecstatic that she’s making the
switch. It never really felt like she completely belonged in the realm of Rock
Music, especially when Countrypolitan sat down with her to talk about her swift
switch of image. “I just got caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to be
what everybody else wanted me to be when all I wanted to be was free. Of course
I love my fans, but they don’t love me, they love what the makeup team, editors
and managers make me, and for once in my life I just want to be me, free”.
This bold statement was
followed by a few tears and whenshe made her way back into the studio she never
seemed stronger “I’m back, and I’m ready to show the world who I really am and
who I was always supposed to be”.
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