Meet Gaspard Gabriel

We were lucky to catch up with Gaspard Gabriel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gaspard, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Like everyone, I’ve been through a wide range of life experiences, moving from place to place, facing failures, and losing loved ones. Over time, I’ve developed a strong sense of resilience, or at least I think I have. The most difficult part for me is acknowledging things and moving past the denial phase. Admitting my denials has been incredibly helpful.
I’ve been through a tough few years before moving to the US. I lost my dad and two uncles. I had to make a lot of changes, and I was also really unhappy with my professional situation. That being said, I’ve learned that it’s not good for me to push through everything. If I need time, I need time. Period.
I started running when my father passed away. It became a form of salvation and turned into a habit. No phone, no Apple Watch, no headphones, just me and my thoughts. My ability to problem-solve has drastically improved since then. When I’m immersed in intense physical activity with no distractions, problems become clearer, and the path forward seems as simple as the one I’m running on.
I’m trying to stay more connected to myself, looking for patterns in my behavior that might echo past trauma or unpleasant events. Undoing those knots has often come through talking and allowing myself to be vulnerable.
Life always provides help to those who ask for it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My name is Gaspard Gabriel. I’m a bassist, producer, composer and sound engineer from France.
I graduated from Berklee College of Music in May 2024 and moved to Los Angeles in October 2024. I previously earned a master’s degree in art and graphic design in Paris. I grew up nurturing both my passions, visual art and music, copying Dragon Ball and Marcus Miller. My father was a painter and sculptor, and my mother is a psychologist and writer.

I started playing guitar at 9 after my brother gave me one. I picked up the bass later on, around 12, because we were two guitarists in a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band, and we realized we were missing an instrument! So, I started playing bass, transcribing Flea, James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, Jamiroquai, Incognito, Victor Wooten, etc. I fell in love with the bass guitar, and I believe its role and register allowed me to find the foundation I needed to build myself. Bass is a low and grounded instrument, and I think the reason why I love it so much is no coincidence.

While studying and working in Paris, I was playing all sorts of music, wherever I could. Jazz, fusion, funk, soul, RnB, Brazilian, house music, etc. I co-founded a band with a musician friend of mine called “HS.” We made it through with our first album “Mu” and the track “French Riviera.” We toured in France for three years, and because we were playing a hybrid kind of house/funky music, it was easy to fit into clubs and kick the DJs out for real live performances. People started to notice my playing, and many of them recommended I go to Berklee. So I auditioned, got in and moved to Boston in 2020.

My Berklee experience was incredible. I recorded my first album, “The Awakening”, with amazing musicians while studying there. This project has been a part of my life for three years, and now I’m finally releasing it on February 14th 2025.
It all comes from a dream in which I was traveling through space to Jupiter. As I drew closer, the planet’s vibrant clouds and colorful shifting layers seemed to leap toward me. The experience felt like navigating through a colossal, multi-layered cake. This dream gave birth to the track “Big Cake!”.
I composed, arranged, produced, mixed, played bass, guitar. “The Awakening” gathers all my inspirations, who I am, and all the unspoken things I can only reveal through music. It’s an instrumental journey filled with beautiful melodies and improvisations. I composed it on bass, then transcribed and arranged for all the instrument featured. Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano, Guitar, Synthesizers, Drums and Percussions.

“The Awakening” features:
Akihiro Kokufukata & Joey Du Bois on trumpet,
Coy Simmons on alto saxophone,
Hana Uwai, Paul Vanier & Arman Wali on piano.
Angelo Della Valle on guitar,
Willem Jochems on drums.

I am now working in Los Angeles as a sound engineer, mixing engineer, and bass player. Who knows what’s next! I’m excited!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’ve always been really dedicated to what I do. I practice a lot and show up on time. That’s basically how I’ve gotten all my gigs, but it’s not the whole picture! People often ask how to get gigs, and I believe we all have to work on ourselves first. I’m still working on being a better person, and like music, it’s a beautiful lifelong journey. If I had one piece of advice to give, it would be to be empathetic and supportive of others as much as you can.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

Right now, I’m focusing on establishing myself in a new city. Los Angeles is huge and filled with incredible musicians, artists, sound engineers, and more. It’s a challenge at every level, but I believe in what I’m doing, so I keep on running. I’m trying not to compare myself to others too much and instead accept my differences, because they are a big part of who I am. Competing is healthy and necessary for me to stay sharp. I also believe that sometimes shutting my eyes and ears is beneficial. It helps me connect with what I truly want to do and become.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gaspardgabriel.com
• Instagram: @_gaspard.gabriel
• Other: Graphic Design and Illustration: gaspardgrenon.myportfolio.com