Meet GAELLE BUSWEL | singer, songwriter and guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with GAELLE BUSWEL and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi GAELLE, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks gets things done. It is often a good thing. In a job like mine, artist, you have to take some all the time. People often think that the opportunities that present themselves are luck, but often they are the result of many risks and sacrifices taken upstream. Whenever I took risks, like saying no to other projects in parallel to defend my independent project or said no to certain musical productions, it was beneficial. It was not the easiest path, but my determination helped me to make this or that choice and take risks. Sometimes taking risks is scary, because we always know what we are leaving or what we are losing but we do not know where it will lead us and if it will work. But often taking risks make us stronger, allows us to recover in the event of failure, or to better structure ourselves.

I think one of the biggest risks I took was to say no to a big record label 5 years ago. They wanted to change my music and my whole team.They promised me 150 shows a year. It was very enticing, it made everyone dream and it was the guarantee of a safe tour. But my musicians also sacrificed a lot to support my project. I didn’t know where my project would go by managing it by myself, but I couldn’t do this to them. Taking risks is also saying no. We continued to work hard together, to take other risks and one day we made the right encounters and today I work with a label, a great concert booking agency and all of my team.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a singer songwriter and guitarist. My music is a kind of Folk Rock, roots music. I have released 4 albums since 2011 and have had the chance to tour in North America, Japan, and Europe. I had the chance to play my songs as an opening act for Jonny Lang, Beth Hart, Ringo Starr, ZZ TOP, Status Quo, UB 40… In France, I am often recognized as the most determined and motivated artist to defend an independent project for 10 years by myself (in a register that is not well publicized in France). I never gave up and I always found a solution to bounce back even in the most difficult times. I think that there are 2 things which I am really proud about in this adventure, the 1st is to have almost always have the same team for 11 years, and the second, to have opened for artists and bands who have inspired us when we were young. For us, it was something inaccessible but it happened. It was like a reward.
The path was not easy, it was strewn with pitfalls, disappointments, doors that were closed, because in France playing blues and rock with a lot of guitar solos does not sell well according to some producers. I tried to get around the problems and find the path that allowed me to move forward, without selling my soul to the devil. After that, I met the right people to move forward with. It is a job which brings a roller coaster of emotions constantly. It’s a wonderful job that gathers people together. And often for a good time spent, a nice meeting, a great concert, it makes you forget all the hard years. It’s a job in which you have to live in the moment.
The lessons I have learned … don’t wait for someone to come and get you, you have to go ahead and dare to do everything yourself from the start. You have to get out of your comfort zone, take risks, assume them and dream big. Rely on yourself: the right people will arrive on the way. But it’s like everything in life, we must not be dependent on others, often that blocks us. I also learned that saying « no » is a good answer, it avoids wasting your time when you don’t agree. Preserving the people you work with is very important too. And what more can I say … just don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible. 🙂 And to tell you more about me, well, I’ll let you discover it by yourself;)

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have been to Arizona twice, Sedona and Prescott. I stayed there 2x 15 days for concerts. So if I take my best friend to visit Arizona in the places that have marked me the most. I would take her to eat and drink at the Soundbites Grill in Sedona (Stephen and his wife are adorable, and the view from this restaurant is incredible) then a sublime hike in the Red Mountains in a 4×4. It is a very calming and breathtaking view. Sedona has very good vibes. I fell in love with that city. For fun we would go ziplining at Camp Verde at the “Out of Africa”. We would go see the concerts of Ponderosa Grove with Drew Hall and Candace Devine in Prescott! They are fantastic!!
And over a week we would have time to go to the Grand Canyon. I admit what struck me the most in the United States, it was the first time I had my feet on the 66 road ! That was one of my dreams.
But otherwise I have to come back to Arizona and I count on you to make me discover your favorite places!!!:)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people I would like to thank! For 10 years many people have contributed from near or far to my project and helped me to grow. Of course there are my family and my friends for their unconditional love and who have always encouraged me in this project, even in the most difficult moments they have always been able to find the words so that I do not give up. And that’s thanks to my parents that I had the passion for blues rock music when I was a kid.
My friend Olivia, thanks to whom I was able to write my first songs while I was living with her in England more than 15 years ago. She pushed me to play every day alone with my guitar in each venue I could find in London, it was very formative.
My cousin Xavier who kept telling me : « life is too short not to take risks and do what we love ». This phrase resonates with me every day.
The artist Jonny Lang: it’s thanks to this artist that I do this job, he’s my greatest musical influence.
My meeting with Neal Black, a Texan bluesman, that I met at Soubock de Cauville 11 years ago. Neal took me under his wing to launch my first solo album. I will always be grateful for everything he taught me and for his trust. Neal is the person who helped me start my career.
In 2015 I met a wonderful musician in Austin, David Quick, he gave me back my faith in music at a time when I was lost. A wonderful person, thank you.
Matthieu Drouot for his confidence : he contributed to making many dreams come true. Thanks to him I was able to play the opening acts for Jonny Lang, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top … with my team.
Of course my meeting with all of my team (Michaal, Steve, Jb, Laurian, Léa, Angela, Didier…), I don’t have the words, they are the best thing that has happened to me in this musical adventure. All these experiences and encounters allowed me to build myself and become the artist that I am today. Thanks everyone. lol there is not enough pages to say thank you to everyone. Today I also wanted to say thank you to all of my fans, they are the best support in this world. The whole team of my label « Verycords » who also took a risk when signing us in the middle of a pandemic, when we did not know where the world was headed. They believed in us, thank you.

Website: http://www.gaelle-buswel.fr/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaellebuswel/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GaelleBuswel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaelleBuswel.OfficialFanPage

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/GaelleBuswel

Other: Wikipedia : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ga%C3%ABlle_Buswel

Image Credits
Guillaume Malheiro Guillaume Eymard David Millet Christie Goodwin Printemps de Pérouges Vincent Assie