CAMILLE
GABRIEL
Where are you from?
Gabriel : I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When I was 12, my family and I immigrated to Canada. We settled in the Montreal area.
Camille : I was born in Quebec City! I grew up there until I was 21, and then I moved to Montreal.
When did you start playing music?
Gabriel : Since the age of 6. I took classical piano lessons until my Pre-University. In the meantime, in high school, I learned to play the trombone, the French horn and I had the opportunity to sing in a choir. I completed my musical training with a jazz piano program at Pre-University. During all these years, I gave piano lessons and performed in various events such as church services, tours, non-profit shows, contests in Montreal and the United States as well as concerts with the Conservatoire de Montréal, the Philharmonique de Montréal and the Orchestre métropolitain de Montréal.
Camille : It goes back to my childhood when I took piano and dance lessons. Then I learned the basics of the saxophone and the transverse flute in the harmony at school. I started singing publicly during my teenage years in school, summer camps, and church. I then learned the guitar, the ukulele and the djembe. In my early adulthood, I embarked on a new project: posting singing videos, including a cappella. I did this while maintaining my singing involvement in churches, choirs and Christian events.
What is the most important thing in making music?
Gabriel : For me, the most important thing is that my music conveys a message and that it touches the hearts of those who listen to it.
Camille : I want my music to speak to people's hearts and to impact them positively. I don't want anyone to feel sad or discouraged when listening to my songs. In fact, I want every listener to feel better, with a touch of joy and hope, after they listen to my music.
What is your music production process?
Gabriel : I really enjoy harmonizing. So I often start by finding a chord pattern that I like, then lay a melody on it and end up looking for lyrics that represent the atmosphere created by the harmony and the melody. I always record what I do on a cell phone or a computer so that I don't lose my ideas!
Camille : Usually the melody and the lyrics come to me simultaneously when I'm composing. It is often after a time of prayer, meditation or reading that a theme and a melody will come to my mind. Then, I take the time to write and record an audio so that I don't lose my ideas!
Which artists influenced you the most?
Gabriel : There are plenty! Anomalie, Anthony Evans, Brian Culbertson, Cory Henry, Doobie Powell, Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton, Jacob Collier, Kirk Franklin and Snarky Puppy.
Camille : So many! Lauren Daigle, Jonathan Ogden, Josh Garrels, Hillsong, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Héritage, Bastille, Pentatonix, Rend Collective and Walk off the Earth, among others.