LA Music Review | Art, stories and advice
Relatable, empowering and truly exceptional!
Hi Gabrielle, welcome to LA Music Review! Tell us a little bit about you and your music.
Gabrielle Solange, aka 7HO3NIX, was born in Ohio. Raised in an artist family, she began recording original songs by age 7 on a cassette recorder and writing and illustrating fiction stories that she dreamed of sharing with the world.
At age 13, she was placed in the foster care system after running away from an abusive home. She says, “My imagination was my escape and songs were my sanctuary. I felt that through songwriting and poetry, I could truly connect with God and feel my worth and purpose. I always knew that somehow art was the superpower I was given to overcome the darkness in this world. It is the lens through which I can look at ashes and see beauty.”
By age 15, she was discovered out of an inner city music program and signed to Sony records as part of the band Fatty Koo. After starring in a reality tv show on BET, ranking in Billboard’s Top 200, and scoring songs in mainstream movies, the band fell apart due to label complications and industry politics.
Devastated, she released the viral song, Survive, with producer, Toby Gad (John Legend, Beyoncé, Demi Lovato) before leaving the music industry for over a decade.
Start streaming “It Is What It Is” here:
After a mission trip to Africa, she reignited her love for music and found the courage to officially launch her independent artist career in 2017. She now speaks and performs her original music while advocating for causes that are dear to her heart, like mental health, anti-bullying, suicide prevention, anti-racism, and equality. In 2020, her version of Kelly Clarkson’s I Dare You protesting police brutality was selected by the American Idol herself as the 1st place winner of a Cover Nation contest in partnership with Warner Bros.
However, just as she began to hit her stride, she suffered a serious neck injury that prevented her from singing through most of 2021 and 2022. During that time she fought to regain her voice while healing from heartbreak, struggling with thoughts of suicide, and navigating grief from her mother’s passing. After many obstacles in her life, she continues to rise and recreate herself. In 2023 she changed her artist name to 7HO3NIX (pronounced like phoenix) to reintroduce herself to the world and find her audience!
Congrats on the release! What was your inspiration when you were writing this project?
Released on January 23, 2023. I wrote and produced this song across different continents while searching nomadically for the pieces of my own scattered heart. It was helpful in recovering from a severe heartbreak, many career setbacks, and navigating the grief of my mom’s passing.
What is your vision for this song? What lessons would you like to impart with your audience?
I hope people can find emotional relief in the lyrics and music and feel the breakthrough I experienced after creating them.
What is your favorite part of the song?
I love the spoken word/rap part. Writing about the very dark time I went through was like finally exhaling. I was admitting to myself that I really wanted to commit suicide and acknowledging that I am still here. And I was grateful. It was the breakthrough I was crying out for.
Anything else we should know about? Future releases?
Yes! I plan to come out with more music and share my story in a series of videos with it.
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