This weekend, I had the opportunity to meet Gabrielle Ross, the insanely talented singer who opened for Jeremih at our Spring Concert. We talked about her upcoming EP, European tour and message to young women about being true to yourself.
When she was 6 years old, her mother put her in acting and singing classes to help break her out of her shell. Once she stepped on stage, she realized that it was the only place she wanted to be. After being bullied for being too different growing up, she wants to inspire young women to be comfortable in their own skin. Luckily, she found her place and comfort in music and on the stage. “[Music] helped me through all of that and now I write about it. My parents always told me, “You’re not going to make friends for the wrong reason. You’re going to make real friends.” And I made those friends through music; I found people I had things in common with that helped build me up.” Although being bullied and not feeling comfortable in her own skin was difficult, it helped her learn more about herself and appreciate the positive things in life. Her EP, Things Are Going To Change, is coming out soon and reflects the struggles and challenges she faced, and how she evolved from those difficulties. She now realizes that everything happens for a reason, even if you don’t know why in the moment.
In addition to advocating for self-love, Gabrielle also supports gay rights and marriage equality. She has a song on her EP called “Love is Love”. “Love is what it is, no matter who it is and it’s nobodies place to judge and tell you if it’s true or not. [“Love is Love”] is about being true to who you are. Love who you want and don’t care what people have to say. Those who have something to say are those who aren’t happy with themselves.” To help spread her message, she started her own hashtag #BeYOUtiful. To her, being true to yourself and happy are the most important things in life.
Until her EP comes out, check out her single with Jeremih, “#MCM”, and follow her on Twitter (@gabrielleross) and Instagram (@gabriellerossmusic). Gabrielle also loves connecting with fans; feel free to reach out to her via Instagram or Twitter.
It was so great talking to you, Gabrielle, and I wish you all the success in the world.
You are #BeYOUtiful.