Summer ‘25 is well underway and Gabzy has curated a soundtrack to celebrate the season. If these sun-kissed months of the year could be held in our hands, they would feel and sound like Gabzy’s music. Therefore, there’s no better time than now for his scorching new 6-track EP, It’s Not Summer, It’s Me. Following his breakthrough collaborative project, Summers with Melvitto in 2019 – which has garnered over 40 million streams and counting – Gabzy’s sweet sonics have continued to jetset across the globe, selling out venues in Europe, Africa and North America as his fanbase proliferates. Today, he has cemented his role as a key voice in the UK’s Afro-fusion soundscape and a pioneer in the silky sounds of the solstice. With an upcoming world tour on the sunlit horizon, this Peckham-raised songster is in his midsummer element.
Gabzy sits down with GRM to talk summertime vibes, artistic influences and delves into the creation of his blazing new EP…
Your new EP, It’s Not You, It’s Summer is here – tell us more about how this project came to life.
“For the last year or so, I’ve just been in the studio creating. I already had like two or three projects which I scrapped and said, ‘Yo, I can go harder, I can go crazier than this.’ And then I finally found the one – we had to split a project into two and that’s when It’s Not You, It’s Summer was born. The name is a play on the phrase, ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ and it’s about how right before the sun comes out, guys and girls start second-guessing if they’re ready for that relationship or situationship. The sun brings parties and events and your ex-flings hitting you up. Everybody just wants to have a good time, people start acting up. So this project is pretty much just telling that story.”
When reflecting on your past projects, what do you love most about this body of work?
“It’s more personal and challenging. With certain sounds that I’ve explored before, I feel like I could make them in my sleep. But this time, I wanted to challenge myself. That’s what is most fulfilling about this project: the fact that I dug a little deeper than I usually would.”
This EP feels like summer – you’re often able to create a unique soundscape through your music. How have you curated this sound?
“I feel like it’s just down to beat selection and wanting to make songs that make people feel good. If I hear a beat and I feel good, then what comes out of my mouth is going to sound even better.”
What does your usual creative process look like?
“The producer comes in, he’ll play some ideas for me – nine times out of ten, I’ll have a glass of wine, some Echo Falls to set the mood. Then whatever the beat is telling me, I will sing. I usually just freestyle some melodies over the beat and, yeah, those melodies usually just tell me what to say.”
On the new project, you have some special collaborations – Fireboy DML and Victony. How did those come about and how did you gel creatively?
“First and foremost, I’m a big fan of them both. I had both of the songs ready and I knew that I wanted them on the tracks. They both loved the records. With Fireboy, as soon as we got in the studio, it was like bang – an instant connection. And I feel like that shows through the viral visualiser that we shot in the studio. With Victony, I sent him that song two years ago actually, and he said he needed to be in a certain headspace to record it. When he did deliver the verse, it was definitely worth the wait.”
It’s festival season and you recently performed at Afronation alongside some other huge stars. If you could create your own festival, which five artists would be your headliners?
“Oh wow. I’d definitely have Drake there and Frank Ocean… Burna Boy too. I need some women there as well… I’m a Summer Walker fan, I’d want SZA there too. Can I add one more? Tems!”
What a line-up! And when it comes to your own performances, what do you love most about doing live shows?
“When I perform, I just feel the energy – the fans singing every single lyric, it’s surreal. They could be songs that I wrote in my bedroom in Peckham or Canary Wharf and now there are thousands of people singing them back to me. That’s what I enjoy the most about it – feeling that energy from the fans and seeing how my music has impacted their lives.”
Speaking of Peckham, you grew up there and you also have Nigerian heritage. Are you intentional about representing those roots in your music or does it come naturally?
“I grew up in a Nigerian household and I feel like my sound just came naturally to me. They called Peckham mini Lagos! In my music, you can hear different backgrounds and cultures and that just comes from where I’m from.”
When you were growing up, what kind of music was playing in your household?
“My dad listened to a lot of R&B – a lot of Joe, Usher, Jagged Edge, just to name a few. And of course, the 2Face, Styl-Plus, those African influences as well… My dad played a lot of soulful stuff and I feel like a lot of my own music is soulful too.”
If you had to show young children some current music that would introduce them to today’s industry and leave a mark on them, which artists would you play for them?
“Wow, um… there’s quite a few. Obviously Frank Ocean. Doechii is very creative. Drake because he constantly reinvents himself, he moves with the times. And I’d definitely say Odeal too – he’s a great example of someone from our own generation, someone who is versatile and making music that connects people.”
When did you start seeing a career for yourself in music?
“Growing up, I actually wanted to be a footballer but it didn’t work out. I did sing in a choir but I never thought I would be an artist, it was just a hobby… My guy had a studio in his house and during secondary school we used to rap for fun. One day, after secondary school was done, he just said, ‘Let’s start making music.’ And from there, I started experimenting and ended up sending some music over to a label in New York. Before you know it, they flew me to New York. And yeah, I feel like that’s where my career started.”
I heard that a friend encouraged you to pivot from rapping to singing. Are there any other milestone moments that changed the trajectory of your career?
“Yeah, I feel like that was the main one because without that person, I would probably would have still been rapping and working in Primark or something. The switch to singing was a change that needed to happen. In hindsight, yeah, rapping wasn’t the right direction for me.”
When you look forward to the next five to ten years, what do you hope to achieve, both creatively and personally?
“I want to have made my mark as one of the greats. I want to win a Grammy. And I actually want to disappear like Frank Ocean so I can start a family!”
And after all of your years in the industry, what words of wisdom would you share with people chasing their creative dreams right now?
“There’s always another day, just keep going. ‘Cause one day, what you want will come to you.”
Gabzy’s new EP, It’s Not Summer, It’s Me is now available on all streaming platforms. Make sure to soak in the vibes and enjoy the sounds and stories of summertime with Gabzy as your guide.