Gabby Rivers
Coming off her biggest headline show to date, Norwich singer-songwriter Gabby Rivers tells us about beginning her career as a teen musician, being chosen to play at Latitude and how she’s built a strong fanbase.
How long have you been a musician?
I started singing at a very young age, but I was about 8 when I began doing it professionally in Musical Theatre. I really enjoyed singing more than the other aspects of Musical Theatre, so when I was 12 I started doing some open mics and realised that I wanted to pursue it as a career - I thought it would be a dream if I could make a career out of it! So between the ages of 12 and 15 I mastered the craft of songwriting and playing the guitar, which I was really into. I started looking at the local music scene on social media and noticed that there were a lot of bands, and I felt I maybe wasn’t getting booked as much because I was a solo artist - I was writing quite upbeat music at the time, so I thought having a band to back it up would be a good idea as well. Around the time I was finishing my GCSEs I started to form a band, and I reached out to people in many different ways - I met a drummer who was busking on the streets! - and we started getting booked for gigs. I think we’ve been gigging professionally for about four or five years now.
You’re based in Norwich - is that where you’re from originally?
No, I’m from Suffolk, I’ve moved to Norwich in the past year or so to live with my band.
Is there a very active music scene in the area?
Definitely - I think that’s a big reason why I moved there. I’ve gigged in a lot of music scenes in East Anglia, and Norwich is like nothing I’ve seen before. I find that a lot of the bands are very supportive of each other, and some of them have moved London and have been signed, so it’s a good starting point! If someone was looking for a starting point I’d have to recommend Norwich.
Where is your dream venue to play?
Definitely Alexandra Palace! I’ve played in some cool venues already - The Hawley Arms in Camden, which was where Amy Winehouse began, and she’s one of my biggest music inspirations! We did a really special stripped-back set to a packed-out audience.
And what would your dream festival be?
Ever since I was really young my parents have been taking me to Latitude, which I think is the biggest festival in Suffolk - I got to play there in summer 2021 with BBC Introducing, and that was my first big one. I’d love to play there again though, on the BBC Sounds stage - a lot of my favourite artists have played on that stage! In 2021 Latitude was just as everything was opening up again after the pandemic, and the government used it as a kind of testing ground to see if other festivals that year could go ahead. In 2022 I played Reading, a festival called Secret Garden Party, and a local one in Norwich called Wildfields that’s doing really well. I’ve played on some big stages in the past couple of years and been really grateful for it!
How did you get chosen to play the BBC Introducing stage at Latitude?
I first uploaded a track to BBC Introducing in 2018 or 2019, and I kind of just made an effort to make myself known to BBC Introducing in the area, like if there were any local events I’d go and meet other artists, and I continuously uploaded my tracks, which is free! It’s worth uploading several per year - I did four last year, spread over the year, which I think is a good amount. Once I’d made myself known to Angelle who runs BBC Introducing in Suffolk, she chose me to play their stage at Latitude. I was actually chosen for 2020, which obviously didn’t happen, but she kept me in her head for 2021 and pushed me forward for it and I got it!
Having begun your career in your teens, have you found that you’ve changed your sound or direction at all?
When I started out I was very much determined to just be an indie, alternative artist, like I was only listening to indie music and that was all I wanted to do - I felt for a really long time that I was only going to be liked as an artist if I wrote one genre. A couple of years on from that though I realised I was bored of always writing the same stuff, and now I love that I don’t have to stick to a specific genre - it’s made me a lot more creative, and I like trying out new things. A lot of my favourite bands have changed their sounds over time, and I’ve noticed that’s becoming more and more acceptable in the music industry - nowadays fans generally like the artists themselves rather than just their music, so if they like you as an artist they’ll listen to whatever you put out, so that’s what I’m trying to get at the moment, I’m trying to create a fanbase who like me as an artist, so hopefully they’ll like whatever I put out!
How have you managed to build your fanbase so far?
Consistent posting on social media, definitely - although it may annoy people who’ve followed me for a long time, I’ve seen it increase my followers and I know that people who really like my music do appreciate that I post often. Gigging in different places definitely helps get my name out there as well!
Starting out so young were you afraid you wouldn’t be taken seriously as an artist?
Yeah, I mean I have experienced it a couple of times where I felt like people maybe doubted me because I was young and thought I didn’t know what I was doing, but I’ve been so career-driven from day one, so it’s nice to prove people wrong! I’ve experienced it as a female in the music industry as well - there have been a few experiences where people have looked down on me or treated me differently to my band, who are male. If someone loves something and they’re determined, don’t doubt them, let them do it.
Who’s in your band, and how did you meet them all?
There’s me and four others. We’ve been together for two years now which is the longest time I’ve been with one group of musicians, and it works really well. There’s Jason who’s the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals - I met him when I was 12, and he’s been in the band the longest. I met him because I was doing a battle of the bands competition and my guitarist then was judging, so I had to get someone to fill in and he suggested Jason. We won, so Jason has been with me since! Jan is the lead guitarist - I met him in 2021, at a recording studio he works at. I’d just been booked for Latitude and needed a bass player because my usual one wasn’t available, so I asked him and he stepped in. He’s moved up since to lead guitar though because he’s so good! Nick, my drummer I met at a music festival. When I needed a drummer for one gig he filled in because he knew loads of my songs, and afterwards everyone liked him so much they asked him to stay in the band! The last member is Stan, who plays bass and does backing vocals. He was in a band called Deep City who aren’t together any more, but we often played the same gigs together and he was always very supportive, so he offered to play in my band if I ever needed a musician. I love the way it’s worked, that they’ve all just stepped in for one gig and ended up staying!
Words: Scott Bates
Photos: Abby Keenan