“love that music brings people together. At our concerts, all social, professional, and cultural categories mingle. I just want people to feel good and leave happy, with a desire to accomplish things they once thought were impossible. There are no borders; we are one.”

Gaëlle Buswel: New Blues Rock Days

Gaëlle Buswel is a unique artist who leaves no one indifferent. Her exceptional voice will move you as it reaches straight for your soul. Her generosity of spirit, her spontaneity and her dazzling smile are irresistible. A prodigious performer, she has already more than 500 concerts across Europe under her belt as well as 2 North American tours. In listening to her music, it is not surprising to learn that right from the very start this artist was drawn to folk rock and blues rock sung by husky-voiced singers. When you have the music of Led Zeppelin, Joe Cocker and Queen all playing in the nursery, with Neil Young and Janis Joplin for your childhood lullabies, you are bound to be drawn towards this fantastic mixture of complementary musical influences. As a teenager, she immersed herself completely in blues music, delving into the albums of Bonnie Raitt and Jonny Lang.                                             (Gaëlle Buswel / Photo by Guillaume Malheiro)

Today, it is with her own songs and her own musical world – a place colored by American blues rock, folk and ‘70’s rock but clearly of it’s own time – that France-based Gaëlle Buswel brings us as she stands before her audience. There are lyrics that will touch your heart, melodies that grab a hold and take you elsewhere. Her unique ability to convey her own vision of things through her music makes her a complete and authentic artist followed very closely by thousands of fans from the four corners of the earth.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the music and Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world and the (life) journeys you’ve taken?

Music influences me every day, in my outlook on things, in my emotions. Music should feel good, soothe, or bring out emotions. It also allows us to express things. We connect to a song. The rock and blues of the 60s and 70s have had a strong impact on what I do today. I grew up with that thanks to my parents, who were true music lovers. Indeed, I traveled to the United States, notably to New Orleans, Memphis, and Austin to understand why it was this blues-rock-folk music that resonated with me so much. I needed to go on the ground to know the history beyond books and documentaries; I needed to connect with its roots and meet the native musicians and people of this culture that were born there.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

The sound is blues rock, sometimes folk rock, and mainstream. My philosophy is to be authentic and sincere, always creating pieces that make us vibrate on stage. Often my creativity comes from encounters with people, something I've just experienced or that has left an impression on me. I love watching people, observing them. I am very curious, and people inspire me a lot. Sometimes there are  themes about society that intrigue or shock me; I can't stand injustice.

As an anecdote, my second-to-last album 'New Days Waiting' was born from my trip to the United States and my meeting with a busker in Austin, David Quick. We met by chance at a jam session at Speakeasy and, with other musicians, spent 48 hours in a garage playing music while being completely disconnected from the outside world. We lived in the moment! David gifted me one of his songs, 'No One Else.' Before returning to France, I told him: I would find you and we would record it together.

A few months later, I went back to Austin with my best friend, and we wandered the streets of Austin for two days asking people if they had seen him, as we had no way of communicating. People wondered why a French girl was searching for a busker with such importance. They told us we were crazy, that it was a waste of time and we wouldn't find him. But by talking about it, people started spreading his name. We eventually found him, to our great joy, and we were able to record the song together. That's how a song can be born.

“We have no choice but to be present everywhere! Communication is very important. I'm very close to my fans who support us a lot. But I try to continue making music that I love and that people love. I hope the new generations won't forget where blues, rock come from and the values that this music unites.” (Gaëlle Buswel, a unique artist who leaves no one indifferent / Photo by Marie d’Emm)

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

In 2010, a tragic event marked my life. My cousin, who encouraged me to pursue music, had an accident that cost him his life. We were the same age and very close. I was devastated. One week before this tragedy, he told me, 'Don't postpone things for tomorrow; we might not be here tomorrow.' This phrase resonated so much. He gave me the strength to attempt the impossible. It's now !. So I recorded my 1rst album for him and I then made a bucket list with many amazing things to achieve, and at the top of my artist bucket list, it said to play with Jonny Lang one day. It was the craziest thing I could achieve in music.

I remembered when I was 15 years old, I had a revelation while listening to Jonny Lang's album 'Lie to Me.' It was a true revelation for me. I had always wanted to make music; I was a fan of Janis Joplin like my mother because my parents listened to a lot of music from the 60s and 70s. But in 1997, when I saw him in 'Blues Brothers 2000,' I was amazed. I did my research at the record store and went to listen to everything by Jonny Lang, and I said, 'This is what I want to do.' He is the only artist whose albums I own entirely and whose songs I can listen to 15 times, lol. I love everything: the melodies, the lyrics, the guitar, the voice...

In 2011, I had the chance to meet Jonny Lang in Switzerland at a festival, as he was coming out of an elevator. I froze; I was so moved that I stammered. As I had just released my first album, I gave it to him. We met again at a concert a few years later, and in 2017, thanks to his manager Greg Classen, I had the opportunity to open for him during his French tour. It was the greatest day of my life as an artist. I thought, 'We can dream big, realize our dreams with our music, and share it the way we want.' It was the greatest honor I could have to open for him. Since that day, amazing opportunities have opened up. We have opened for Mavis Staples, Ringo Starr, Beth Hart, ZZ TOP, Zucchero...

And what's crazy is that there is a connection in my life with each of the artists we've played with that links back to someone from my team or a significant story with my family. It's the magic of music. That meeting with Jonny Lang was the ultimate turning point that changed my career and gave me the strength to believe.

”Music influences me every day, in my outlook on things, in my emotions. Music should feel good, soothe, or bring out emotions. It also allows us to express things. We connect to a song.” (Gaëlle Buswel, a prodigious blues rock performer and  authentic artist / Photo by Albane de Roffignac)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

What I miss the most is seeing the CD racks in stores becoming increasingly empty with the arrival of digital media. But at the same time, that means everything is accessible, and everyone, anywhere in the world, can listen to music from BB King to Benson Boone, including rap, opera, and more. In the past, you had to dig through the record store to find that rare gem or the CD you absolutely wanted. I remember my parents took me everywhere to find the CD I wanted or to see the concerts that were happening; we would wait in line for hours to buy tickets at the box office. We listened to an entire album, not just the intro before skipping to the next song. Today, the consumption of music is different, and if people aren't hooked by the first notes, they move on to something else, which raises questions for me, even though I don’t necessarily agree with it. And of course, the arrival of AI does make us a bit fearful as artists.

What does to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown says? What is the status of women in music?

I’ve never had any issues on that side; I’ve had the same male team for 14 years and I’ve always been respected. But it's true that as women, we have to prove ourselves twice as much. There is a beautiful solidarity among female artists, and women are increasingly asserting themselves, which is great. I just don’t like hearing, ‘It's good what she does for a woman.’ I try to advocate for this and support female artists because I believe everyone has their place as long as they work hard to get there. I have a little girl, and I want her to have the choice to do what she wants without being judged for her choices, and to be respected for who she is and what she does. I’ve just noticed that when you become a mother, people in the music world view you differently, even though we are still here and working just as hard, if not harder, and our music remains the same, lol. There’s a disconnection on that front.

I opened for Mavis Staples a few years ago in Paris; we were called the night before the concert. It was very moving to meet her; this woman campaigned alongside Martin Luther King. Through her music, she has made an impact on the world to bring about change and advocate for ideas. It’s remarkable; she is very exemplary and admirable.

What is the impact of Blues/Rock music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

I love that music brings people together. At our concerts, all social, professional, and cultural categories mingle. I just want people to feel good and leave happy, with a desire to accomplish things they once thought were impossible. There are no borders; we are one.

”Music influences me every day, in my outlook on things, in my emotions. Music should feel good, soothe, or bring out emotions. It also allows us to express things. We connect to a song.”
(Gaëlle Buswel / Photo by Guillaume Eymard)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Be yourself, stay authentic, and don’t forget where you come from. Music brings people together; it should not divide them.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

We have no choice but to be present everywhere! Communication is very important. I'm very close to my fans who support us a lot. But I try to continue making music that I love and that people love. I hope the new generations won't forget where blues, rock come from and the values that this music unites.

Gaëlle Buswel - Home