GALE’s Next Chapter: From ‘Lo Que No Te Dije’ to Escaping ‘Ysilandia’ and the Fearless Sound of What’s to Come
MARVIN took on a day at SXSW with the inimitable singer-songwriter GALE.
Written by Gabrielle Nicole Pharms
Photography by Diego Cadavid @cadavidamora
Most artists cringe when their own music plays in the car—not singer-songwriter GALE. The Latin GRAMMY-winning Puerto Rican powerhouse proudly blasts her own tracks, a testament to the authenticity she pours into every lyric and melody. MARVIN and GALE took a break from the buzzy chaos of SXSW to chat about how she encourages artists like Shakira, Anitta, and Christina Aguilera (among other iconic A-listers) to find their voice, how she transformed from Quinta Galaxia to GALE, and why embracing imperfection is the key to artistic freedom.
MARVIN: You’ve co-penned songs with major artists like Juanes, Shakira, and Christina Aguilera, among many others. I’m unsure if you’ve ever come to Austin for studio sessions or songwriting. Is this your first time coming to Austin and performing at SXSW?
GALE: Yes, it’s my first time performing at SXSW. I cannot believe it! It’s also my first time in Austin, and I’ve loved it even though I just got here.
MARVIN: It’s a vibe, right? That’s why I moved here.
GALE: It is! My cousin moved here. She loves it. I’m very honored to perform at this amazing festival, and I feel like it’s a huge responsibility, but I also want to enjoy it so much.
MARVIN: Oh, of course! So, let’s get into your newest song, “YSILANDIA.” One of the lyrics that resonated with me most is this: “¿Y si yo misma me hago daño sobrepensando? (And what if I hurt myself by overthinking?)” Most of us have been overthinkers at some point in life. So, with this song and many of your records tapping into self-reflection, how do you feel songwriting has served as a catharsis for your overthinking?
GALE: Oh my god! I love this question. I try to ground myself as much as possible and understand the journey – and I try to enjoy it. I am very driven and focused, and I have known what I wanted to do since I was a little girl. I wrote my first song when I was seven. Then, a lot of things happened. I just needed to understand that life is made up of ups and downs and uncertainty here and there. It’s okay to let go of control, and that’s very hard for me to do. So, “YSILANDIA” was a concept from my therapist. “Ysilandia” literally translates to “Whatifland.” I would ask her, ‘And what if I don’t make it to my show? What if something happens to the plane? What if my manager or my mom can’t come?’ And my therapist was like, “Why are you living in this place, like,’Ysilandia?’ Why are you there?” I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have a castle there. I’m like a princess there. I have a life there.’ Then, she says, “You need to get out of there.” So, I spoke to ROBI, the artist I collaborated with for this song, and we talked about writing something about the uncertainty and anxiety that hits right before you fall in love. I told him about ‘Ysilandia,’ and he’s like, “That’s the name of our song.”
MARVIN: It’s so catchy! It’s like, thank you therapy for that. It’s been about a year and a half since you dropped your debut album, Lo Que No Te Dije. Is there a sophomore album in the works?
GALE: Yes, I’m working on an album. I’m almost on the other side of finishing everything.
MARVIN: That’s exciting!
GALE: It’s been really fun. And now that you mentioned Lo Que No Te Dije, that first album was very nostalgic, vulnerable, personal about a breakup, and very straightforward. With this next one, I wanted to have so much fun. I wanted to be more energetic and experience whatever I wanted to with my heart – and try not to be in my head and not think about the outcome so much.
MARVIN: That’s tricky sometimes. So, you wanted to focus on being in the moment?
GALE: Yes! Being in the moment. So, it’s going to be more of that.
MARVIN: I love it. That’s also a good mantra to live by while you’re at SXSW. It’s easy to start drifting into ‘Ysilandia.’ So, just live in the moment!
GALE: Let’s do that every day!
MARVIN: Right? It’s easier said than done. How do you feel Lo Que No Te Dije informed what you envisioned as a songwriter and performer going forward?
GALE: Oh, so much! I am so proud of that album. When I’m driving, and my songs pop up, I start jamming to my own music! I talk to my friends, like Anitta, for example, and she hates listening to herself. She’s like, “Change it! Change it!” I’m like, ‘I don’t do that.’ (Laughs)
MARVIN: Oh, that’s such a vibe.
GALE: I’m so proud of it. So, I love the songs, and I hope that I can still say that in years to come. When I go back, I’m like, I feel it and kind of relive it. In terms of the sound and music, I’m like, ‘That’s what I wanted to do, and that’s what I stand for.’ I’m making the music that I would like to hear and that I love, and not so much thinking about other things – that are also important – but, what do I want to say? How do I want to say it?
MARVIN: That makes sense. It’s about coming from an authentic place. When you’re songwriting with other artists, how do you encourage them to embrace their authenticity?
GALE: It’s hard because writing with other artists is so intimate. Writing a song, in general, is very personal, vulnerable, and magical. You don’t know what’s going to happen. So, when I go in a room with other artists, as a writer, I like having at least an hour conversation to get to know each other if we don’t already know each other. If we know each other, then we become like therapists in a way. I become a listener. Then, I try to make justice of everything that you’re feeling, and everything I suggest creatively is going to be through the filter of that artist. Like, everything that I will suggest for Shakira to do or say – even the melodies – is going in my brain through the Shakira filter. It’s like acting.
MARVIN: Yeah, like two truths can exist even if they’re from two different perspectives.
GALE: Exactly. I love how you put it. It makes so much sense.
MARVIN: Even from the context of cultural lenses, you’ve collaborated with Anitta, who’s from Brazil, and you grew up in Puerto Rico. You have two starkly different backgrounds based on geographical location and culture alone. So, you could essentially have two different truths about the same topic. It doesn’t make one perspective better than the other or invalidate another artist’s experience.
GALE: Agreed. The most important thing is to listen to each other and not judge any of the ideas – to create a flow and a safe space in creating a song.
MARVIN: What helps you to keep an open mind during collaboration?
GALE: Listening and creating that place where it’s okay to be vulnerable. Like, ‘It’s okay to talk about anything. This is between us. Let’s just write something honest.’ I feel like honesty is the most important thing, even when I’m writing by myself. It’s like, ‘It’s okay if you want to say this. Let’s go there. Let me take you there.’ I enjoy it so much. Being vulnerable is so scary, but that’s why I go there, because it’s uncomfortable. When you supera (overcome) and grow, you achieve different things and become better at what you do. Being vulnerable is badass.
MARVIN: The vulnerability gives you this whole “the sky’s the limit” mindset. Speaking of which, when you first started performing, you went by Galaxia (Galaxy), right?
GALE: Quinta Galaxia (Fifth Galaxy). Yeah!
MARVIN: So, what made you transition from that Quinta Galaxia to GALE? How do you embody this moniker?
GALE: So, I have two actual names: Carolina Isabel. I love that name, but when I started my project as an artist, I wanted a name that solidifies and just sums up everything – and branding. When I think of my actual name, Carolina Isabel, I see myself with my family in Arecibo, where I’m from, drinking Cafecito with my grandma. It’s beautiful, but I wanted something else. So, I went in my heart. I was like, ‘What are things that I like?’ “Gala” comes from “galaxia” (galaxy), and then it was a “creative trip” and lots of brainstorming.
MARVIN: You got lost down the rabbit hole.
GALE: Yeah! Also, Gala was Salvador Dalí’s muse, which is one of my favorites. But I was like, ‘I like “Gale,” but what does it mean?’ So, then, I spoke to a witch in Mexico – not a lot of people know this. She studied words and sounds. So, without any context, I asked her, ‘What do you think about “Gale?” What does it mean?’ She’s like, “That name means musicality, harmony, and leadership.” There was one more thing that I forgot, but those three always stuck. Then, later that week, I dreamt that I was in a huge festival, and someone yelled at me, “Gale!” Then, I turned around. I woke up, and I was like, ‘Thank you. That’s it! I’m done looking. This is my name.’
MARVIN: How do you feel “GALE” apprises everything you do, from songwriting to even how you dress?
GALE: I think it’s in everything. I feel like it’s the power of expressing myself through my music, how I want to dress, how I’m feeling, what I write, which sounds I go for, and determining lyrics for certain songs. GALE is also constantly evolving, which is also cool. I embrace it.
MARVIN: I love it. Leaning into the embodiment of GALE juxtaposed to life’s ebb and flow, what helps you to stay rooted in who you are as an artist but also true to the girl that grew up in Puerto Rico?
GALE: Oh, I love this question so much because I’m so nostalgic all the time. I live in Miami. My whole family lives in Puerto Rico, but I’m very close to them. So, I do a lot of talking to them, like calling my grandmas, my dad, and my mom to feel close to them despite the distance. Also, music, writing, and movies. I’m passionate about movies. Every time I watch a movie, it feeds my soul, which also feeds the craft, the art, and feeds who I am – along with therapy once a week. I need that. I try to find joy and gratitude in the little things in life, like I’m obsessed with the sky. So, finding joy in those little things makes me feel grateful and grounded as an artist, as a person, and as who I am.
