Exclusive Interview with 'NINA GALA'

Nina Gala, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Baltimore, writes deeply personal songs that highlight the depth of our inner selves and the value of our emotions, experiences, and dreams. In 2016, Gala started playing her heartfelt, story-driven songs live. Since then, she has gained a reputation in Baltimore’s vibrant arts scene for her ability to calm audiences with her distinctive voice and emotionally charged solo performances. gala is getting ready to release her debut full-length album, “swan heart,” this fall. This follows the release of two independently released eps, “gala.” (2017) and “renaissance” (2020). gala found herself ending a six-year relationship, in the midst of a pandemic, and living alone for the first time in the summer of 2020. She began writing the songs that would eventually become her debut album, “swan heart,” over the course of the following six months with little more than a mattress on the floor and her amp plugged into the wall. With the help of up-and-coming Baltimore producer Jon Birkholz, who also co-produced the album, Gala has broadened her sonic palette to include her own bass compositions, Erik Schwarzenberg’s percussion and string arrangements. Swan heart stands out as the most sophisticated piece in the artist’s collection even though emotive storytelling remains at the core of Gala’s practice.
“tangerine” unfolds naturally, brightly, and warmly like a piece of citrus that slowly bursts in your mouth on a sunny afternoon. Nina Gala sings softly of the simple but profound experience of being held close by someone you admire, accompanied by slow, psychedelic guitars. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

NINA GALA: Part of me always knew that I wanted to be a songwriter, a singer. It was a dream that lingered in the back of my mind since I was a little kid. I started writing poetry when I was ten or eleven years old and posting it on the internet. This was my entrance into the world of creation. I began building my universe and refining my voice through that work, and that universe is still very much alive in my songs today.

It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I felt ready write songs. A few months before my college graduation, I bought an acoustic guitar from a pawn shop. I had played a little bit of guitar in high school, but I remember distinctly how uncomfortable it was to try to play it in the store. Shortly after, I moved to Baltimore, and was immediately immersed in a really rich community of artists. It was a place that made me feel like anything was possible, like picking up a guitar at 22 and starting a new life with it.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

NINA GALA: Beyond some grade school music classes, I am completely self-taught. For me, there’s freedom in the not knowing and always approaching my instrument and my craft, intuitively, with a child-like wonder.

3. Why the name ‘NINA GALA’?

NINA GALA: Making art is brave, so brave, that early on, I felt the only way I was going to be able to really pour myself into my practice, to live unapologetically as an artist, was to give myself a new name. There is something empowering about naming yourself. I felt like it gave me special powers, and still does. When I feel I need strength, I simply remember that muse, that character, the most powerful side of myself, gala.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

NINA GALA: I always work towards creating songs that are highly emotive, timeless and unmistakably, gala.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as FOLK?
**NINA GALA**:
I listen closely to work I admire, but I avoid getting too close to it, learning how to play it, or trying too hard to emulate it. I always want my work more than anything to feel unmistakably like me. My hope is that I can experience work I admire thoughtfully, and that organically, some of the magic will rub off and materialize in my work in ways I’m not expecting.

6. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

NINA GALA:

I believe making work, writing songs, is my purpose on this planet, my gift to share. These days, every day, as I lean further into my practice, I am finding myself touching new hearts and opening doors to new realities, dream realities. It’s a sacred experience. One I hope to keep discovering for a lifetime.

7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

NINA GALA:

All of my work is auto-biographical so I’m constantly writing- in my head (don’t recommend), in notes on my phone, in drafted emails and rarely, if the stars align, in a notebook. When I feel something profound (often), I find myself immediately translating the experience into a poem, and trying to get it down. Once I have the essence of the song, and its identity begins to form, I introduce the guitar, and build the song from there. Earlier on in my practice, once I got as far as the vocals and guitar, the song was done and they were recorded live. There was something special about the rawness of them, but with swan heart, I knew I wanted to do something a little different.

I wanted to honor the songs on swan heart by adorning them. Some of the embellishments I was able to write myself, like the vocal harmonies and bass lines. Others, I brought in a very small and close group of collaborators. My friend and long time collaborator, Jon Birkholz, arranged and engineered all of the strings on the album, and the co-producer and principal engineer, Erik Schwarzenberg, wrote and performed the percussion. I was so grateful for their contributions and the contributions of the strings performers as well, as these adornments so perfectly mirrored my vision for swan heart and elevated the work greatly.

8. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

NINA GALA: Creating my debut album, swan heart, was the most sophisticated creative project I’ve ever taken on. It took two years from the time I wrote the first lines until I received the final masters. I collaborated with artists I admire in ways I never thought possible and grew so much as an artist myself. I always envisioned that one day I would create something that felt as special and as rich as swan heart, I just never imagined that it could happen so soon.

9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

NINA GALA: Over the last few months, my work has been more visible than ever before. At one time, all of my songs were something sacred inside of me. Letting them out into the world, unprotected, showing them to new people and receiving their reflections, unfiltered, has been difficult at times. Still, I understand that good work will not always resonate with everyone. The more I allow my work to be seen, the more people I will reach that are genuinely touched by it. This is what makes it all worth it for me.

10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

NINA GALA: I’m at an interesting point in my creative journey because it’s been some time since I performed. People ask me all of the time when they are going to get to experience my songs, live, in the flesh, and the truth of the matter is, I don’t know, but my hope is that it will be soon. Everything I do with my art, I want to feel intentional, special and the purist reflection of my vision, so when I do return to the stage, I can promise it will be something worth waiting for.