Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Gabbie Hanna

Gabbie Hanna has done it all in her career. From climbing the charts on Billboard and iTunes to becoming a New York Times bestseller, Gabbie’s talents are endless. This year, she embarks on an exciting new chapter in her career that’s unapologetically her. We had the pleasure of speaking with Gabbie about her new single “Shut Me Up“, the exciting year ahead, and more!

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Gabbie: I have always loved it. I’ve always loved performing. I feel like a lot of other kids, I practiced in front of my mirror. I dreamed of what it would be like to be a rock star, but I grew up in a place where that wasn’t really instilled in us as a possibility. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. It was always a fun fantasy.

When I got a little bit of attention on social media, I ended up writing a song to promote my poetry book. After I wrote that song, I knew that it was the only thing I was going to do for the rest of my life. I was trying to dip my toes in the water before really saying “I’m an artist.” I was like, “Hey, here’s a song to promote my book.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Gabbie: It’s so hard to pinpoint one thing because I feel like every day I wake up and I have this new direction and excitement. There are so many people who inspire me so much. I’ve been blessed to have cool people who want to sit in a room and create and help bring my vision to life.

I think it’s the producers I’ve worked with. Last night, I did a session on an absolute whim. It was like two in the afternoon and I booked a session for four. I drove to the studio and hung out with these guys for the first time and created a brand-new sound. I was like, “Oh my God. This is my future.” It’s hard to pick a moment because every day is exciting.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout the years. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out to you?
Gabbie: There have been moments that stand out emotionally in terms of feeling like I was on the right path and reinvigorated me with my self-belief. My last EP hit Billboard and I sobbed. I hit Billboard before with other projects. This one didn’t even chart as high as the others, but it meant the most to me because it was at a time that I believed in myself the least. I braced myself for failure. At that moment, I was like, “Why am I doubting myself? You can do anything at this point. Just make cool sh-t and people will respond.”

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Shut Me Up”. What inspired the song?
Gabbie: That song was actually written like two and a half years ago. I finally got it out. I’m actually in the process of redoing a lot of the older tracks that I made because I definitely want to express myself with the type of music that I love and listen to, which is rock, but I’ve been producing a lot of pop. “Shut Me Up” was my first step into letting people know that I’m going to start doing rock. It’s a bit of pop/rock.

But I was honestly just tired of being told that my artistic expression wasn’t right. I was thrown into music in an unorthodox way, where most people get to figure out their sound without anyone watching. I came from the influencer space, so people were watching. I had this very awkward stage of trying to figure out who I am as an artist and as a person in front of everybody. I didn’t know my sound. I didn’t know what my voice could do or was supposed to do or what made me happy.

So “Shut Me Up” was about people telling me that I couldn’t experiment. I felt silenced a lot. People were telling me, “We can’t do that. Don’t redo that take. It’s fine. We’ll just autotune it.” When I wanted to make a better take, they would say, “No, that idea doesn’t make sense structurally” or “No, you don’t want to put those lyrics in. No, you want to do it this way.” In a way, I was being told that I couldn’t be myself as an artist. This was my way of saying “f-ck you.”

PC: You’re getting ready to release a new full-length album this year. What can fans expect? What do you hope to say as an artist?
Gabbie: As of last night, it’s going to be totally different than I was even expecting. But it’s a year in the life. The songs are going to stay the same, but the production is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever heard from me, which is very exciting for me. It’s so exciting. But it’s about a year in my life. It was actually written about 2018, but it’s weirdly representative of 2020 on a global scale. It’s about going through the f-cking wringer, and nothing is going right—everything is bad—and almost giving up.

As cliché and corny as it sounds, I want people to know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. You have to keep going because if you give up, you’ll never get there. That’s a message that everyone really, really needs to hear right now.

PC: If you had to pick one song off the album that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Gabbie: I don’t know if it’s just because it’s the newest thing that I wrote, but I feel like it changed my life. I love it so much. The song that I started last night is called “When I Die”. I feel like it really wraps up who I am, and it’s the first song that I feel like is truly authentically me. I heard it and it made me feel the way I feel when I listen to my favorite bands. I’ve never felt that before.

PC: You were talking about growing up in the limelight. What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Gabbie: Oh my God. I wish that I had let my guard down a lot sooner. I was trying so hard to make my music career match my YouTube career, where I already told people who I was in that sense, because I was playing a character. I was trying to be entertaining and family-friendly. That doesn’t work when you’re trying to create real art. I wish somebody would have shook me and said, “Why aren’t you making the music that you love? Would you add this to a playlist?” I think I would have said yes, but I don’t know if I would have meant it.

I wish that somebody could have helped me come out of my shell and told me to stop being insecure. I wish they told me to stop holding back my weirdness and who I actually am and to stop trying to appeal to mass mainstream media. At the end of the day, I’ve never been mass mainstream media. Why the fu-k was I trying to be a pop star?

PC: Was there a particular moment that sparked this shift?
Gabbie: I feel like in the last few months, I’ve had a rebirth or awakening where I let go of a lot of anxiety, OCD, overthinking, stress, depression. I feel like I’m just coming out of fifteen years of hating myself and not believing in myself. I feel alive and truly happy for the first time.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Gabbie: Creeper. They’ve been on repeat. They’ve been inspiring me so much. They’ve reinvigorated me as an artist and made me really push my boundaries and step outside of myself, my box, and my comfort zone.

PC: First album you bought?
Gabbie: The first album I got was a gift and it was Hanson’s “MMMBop.” Then my first CD was Avril Lavigne. Other than that, probably My Chemical Romance. They’re one of my biggest inspirations.

PC: First concert you attended?
Gabbie: Anberlin, I believe, was the first real concert that wasn’t just one of our local shows. I saw My Chemical Romance really early on too, and that was life-changing. Linkin Park was also life-changing.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Gabbie: I have to say Creeper. They created the sound that I’ve always wanted to create but with my own twists of course. They’re like MCR meets Panic! At The Disco meets Queen meets Billy Idol.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Gabbie: To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it like that. To me, I’ve always seen myself in small venues playing more intimate shows. I guess I’ve never really dreamed of stadium tours. That feels honestly a little intimidating to me. So I don’t have Madison Square Garden on my bucket list, if that’s what you mean.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Gabbie: Watermelon with Tajin, and soda water.

To keep up with Gabbie, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Shut Me Up” today.