Meet the French rock singer and composer, Gaëlle Buswel!

Performing with famous artists and bands like Zucchero or ZZ Top, the French rock artist Gaëlle Buswel took the time to answer some questions for us. Discover the full interview below!
Artwork: Guillaume Malheiro

Hi Gaëlle! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, my name is Gaëlle Buswel, I'm a singer, songwriter and guitarist in a 70's blues folk rock style and my 4th album, “Your Journey”, was released last year.

What are your main influences?

There are quite a few :) But mainly Jonny Lang, The Temperance Movement, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, The Beatles, the whole 70's period ;) And in the more recent artists, I love the universe of Jack White!

You recently opened for Zucchero during his 3 French dates (15/05, 18/05 and 21/05). Can you tell us about this experience? If I'm not mistaken, it was your first concert at the Accor Arena.

Ah it was fabulous, the team of Zucchero is marvelous, we were super well surrounded by his team, super well received, the public was great. We were in acoustic and to live your first Accor Arena, it is not nothing lol. The immensity of this place gives shivers (in the good way), I saw so many concerts there! But once I got into the arena with my musicians, it felt like home. The sound was fabulous, the room was beautiful, everything was perfect. It's always hard to describe how it feels, I just loved it. I wish it to all the indie people, to live such an experience :). Video: Lisa & Alexandre (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1132084280690867)

Speaking of concerts. You had the opportunity to play in many countries, like France, England, Japan, the United States and many others... Is there one that particularly marked you?

I loved each country, because the culture is different, each public has its energy. I must admit that in the United States, in Tahiti and in Japan, it was quite incredible. The landscapes are just fantastic, the people are so adorable and the craziest thing is that we were solicited by big media, press, TV. We were invited on the 1pm and 8pm news in Phoenix and Tahiti, we were on the cover of daily newspapers in Arizona and Japan... It was crazy, while in France we are not on TV...

And what about the artists you had the chance to play with?

I must admit that there too, it was magical. Great encounters with artists who inspired me and my team when we were teenagers. I was lucky enough to do the whole French tour of Jonny Lang in 2018, to open for Ringo Starr at the Olympia, for Beth Hart, for ZZ TOP on several dates in France in 2019, really it was a daydream. We can't imagine one day being able to meet the artists and musicians who inspired us, who created the music we make today, to be able to discuss with them and to know that they are so humble, accessible and human, that motivated us even more than ever. It's our tour manager Gérard Drouot Production who supported us a lot during this period and with whom we work officially today.

Your fourth album was released in 2021. Can you introduce it to us in a few words ?

This album is called “Your Journey”, we released it during the second part of the pandemic, it was a risky bet, but we had to give a little boost and hope to our fans. Our fans supported us during the first year of the pandemic and in 2021, we played the double or nothing card to release this album without touring. It was very risky for us, because as an indie, if there are no concerts, we don't live. Our life is the live. We were lucky to have the support of the whole music press when this album was released. And this album, it's kind of a positive boost, “Your Journey” is about life, about seizing moments, about saying that it all starts today and don't let anything stop you from moving forward or achieving your dreams. It was actually the best time for this song and this album to exist, it gave people a lot of hope. I wanted to continue to make people dream with Art, after these 2 complicated years. We even released a live show in a circus 2 months later to support another world of entertainment as well and as a release concert, because the real release concert could only take place in November, 8 months after its release. Everything was done backwards on this album, but it was very beneficial for us in the end. I'm really proud of this album.

How does your writing process usually work?

There is no particular process, it can start from a riff, a piece of melody, an evening with my guitar, an event that has marked me and I want to deliver it on paper. My team also composes a lot now, we collaborate a lot together now.

Let's talk about merchandising. Is there a merch item that you give a particular importance to? If yes, which one and why?

Haha, all merch is important, I like to pamper my fans. I have to admit, I'm very picky about the packaging of my CDS, I want people to be proud to have our items and to take a little piece of us home. There is something for everyone, women, men... Recently, I made a backdrop with a drawing that reveals a lot of positive messages in it, I'm really happy about it!!! Hey, but you're the ones who did it ;) Picture: Ajanti Photo

The last word is for you!

See you on stage!!!! This is where it all happens ;)