Gale doesn't care how cliché or “woo-woo” it may seem, but she truly believes that music chose her.
Since she was little, the singer-songwriter, born Carolina Isabel Colón Juarbe in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has done everything she can to make sure her pop star dreams come true. She began performing boleros for her family and then studied to become a classically trained singer. She broke into the industry co-writing songs for artists such as Shakira (“Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran”), Christina Aguilera (“Brujería”, “Santo”) and Anitta (“Loco”, “Me Gusta”), until she finally landed a record deal with Sony Music Latin.
While performing at South by Southwest earlier this year, Gale was in the midst of creating her second album, “Lo Que Podemos Pasar.” At the time, she had only shared two singles from the upcoming project: “Skittles,” an indie-pop tribute to her late first love, and “Ysilandia,” a punky guitar ballad featuring fellow Puerto Rican singer Robi.
He has since completed his second album and is eagerly awaiting its release. She says she set out to make something “energetic, simple and bigger-sounding” and achieved that goal through inventive writing exercises and living life wholeheartedly.
When she first debuted with her 2023 debut, “Lo Que No Te Dije,” the singer blurred the line between guitar-driven rock, reggaeton-inspired dance beats, and radio-ready synth pop. Taking listeners through the complicated feelings of a breakup, Gale says she wasn't thinking about genres or boundaries: she wanted to create something unique and personal.
“The first album is very nostalgic, vulnerable, personal and overall a breakup album, that's all. So for the second one, I want to have fun and be creative,” Gale said.
In March, Gale spoke with De Los about his new creative process, his calling for music, and why he has such an affinity for pop. We reconnected via Zoom to learn the full story behind “Lo Que Podemos Pasar,” their second album out Thursday.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What was it like entering the studio for the first time after releasing your debut album, “Lo Que No Te Dije”?
The answer to that is pure creativity. The first album is very nostalgic, vulnerable, personal and overall a breakup album; that's all. For the second, I want to have fun and be creative. The message behind “What Can Happen” is to get out of your head and stop overthinking things; Try to live each experience with your heart. Maybe you'll learn something from it. You might fall in love or even feel sad. But either way, you will grow.
I was able to take advantage of this by writing prompts for myself. They can be anything from topics or titles that I want to explore through writing. I put them in the bag and then in the session I pull out a suggestion and we go from there. It's like traveling back in time or connecting with a feeling I haven't felt in a while.
It sounds like you're hosting a writing workshop in the studio. How much of the new album came from these indications?
That's how most of the songs were born. we all choose little little piece of paper and I started talking about how I imagined each concept. For “It Would Be Cool,” I knew I wanted to write from the perspective of going through a big headache. So it was less about how I felt the day I actually wrote.
In “Skittles,” the message was the title of the song. I wanted to write my love story with my first love. I feel like that's something very special; I mean, maybe not all. But, for many people, it is memorable, dramatic and intense. Sometimes, like in my case, it was very beautiful. So I wanted to honor that relationship in that song, and that's what we did with “Skittles.”
Some songs, however, did not emerge from a track, such as “Ysilandia” and “Domingo.” “Ysilandia” emerged from a therapy session. “I was talking to my therapist and all these concerns came up: 'What if I don't make it to the show? But what happens if my boss can't go? She told me she lived in “Ysilandia,” which directly translates to “What if Earth?” – and that none of those problems exist. And I thought, “My God, I have a castle in 'Ysilandia'. I have a whole life there. I'm overthinking everything.”
“Sunday,” the last song on the album, was written on a Sunday. We were in the studio and I was really missing my family and home. The album overall is a mix of what was happening with me in real time and themes that the universe chose.
In “Domingo”, you talk about what it is like to leave home in search of your dreams. What made you want to commemorate that nostalgia?
I am very close to my family. They are very intense. They spend every Sunday together, they take trips together every year, they all have matching t-shirts – it's like a constant party of 20+ people. I am very connected to all of them and having to leave them to pursue my dreams was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But that dream was very strong and I received their blessing and encouragement. All the sacrifices you have to make and accept when you choose this career are very challenging.
Your musical career seems to be marked by determination. You've been acting since you were little, left home to study music and entered the industry writing for other artists. What do you think was pushing you?
I have been very determined since I was little. I always knew this was what I wanted to do, but I didn't know the technical details. I knew I could write a song and I felt like I had a superpower. I always knew I was going to make it. I didn't know how, but I knew that music is what I'm here for. It has been very gratifying.
You have a good chance of giving up, but it is too late to give up; That's what I always tell myself. I try to enjoy the process and find myself in it. Sometimes it takes a little longer like this. But I also need to understand my path and respect the fact that I went to college. I studied music and started writing with other artists, and I'm very accepting of that.
Were there any real moments of doubt or were Are you always determined to pursue music?
I always knew I was going to do it no matter what. When I was 17, I graduated from this music school, La Libre de Música in Puerto Rico, and I told my parents that I was ready to move to Miami and be a superstar. My dad told me I had to go to college, so I told him I would if I could study music.
So I still did it. I moved to Miami, started writing, got a publishing deal, and was able to focus on my art career.
If you were to put yourself in that 17-year-old's mindset, how would it feel to be so sure you knew what you wanted?
Music has always been like my safe place. When I think about me when I was 17, I think about me writing songs by myself in my room. I felt safe and heard. It was like therapy. He chose me; If that sounds cliché, I don't care. But I literally can't think of anything else. I never felt like I chose the music.
From the electronic dance break of “Pa' Qué Te Quedas” to the piano ballad “El Amor Y Sus Consequences”, this is a pop album in essence. Why do you think you are attracted to pop? What about the genre that resonates with you?
Growing up, I always say I'm a pop girl. I was raised by Britney [Spears]Christina [Aguilera]Shakira, Avril Lavigne and Selena Quintanilla. So it was that or boleros, because of my dad. I was performing and singing all these beautiful songs by Armando Manzanero and Pablo Milanés when I was 6 or 7 years old. His lyrics have a lot of depth and are like beautiful poems. I feel like I am those two worlds: pop and such dramatic and heartfelt lyrics. I love that combination.
That's why pop music is never superficial for me.
Much of the album is about learning from lived experiences. which was the biggest one or lesson you learned while doing he?
Don't chase perfection. I used to be a control freak where everything had to be perfect. But with this album I learned to let go of things, accept them and let them be. I also learned to really fall in love with the process. Before, when I was trying to control everything, I wasn't having a good time. I realized that I just needed to do the best I could and understand that I was living the dream of galesite who was 7 years old, writing his first song. I just need to be grateful and keep working hard.
