Gabrielle on her incredible pop comeback - and explains her 15 year break
She may have spent the last 15 years focusing on being a mum, but singer Gabrielle still has the power to sell out arenas.
The double Brit Award winner, 54, is rebooting her career and can’t wait to get back on tour, saying: “I no longer have to worry about being back for the school run.” The Dreams singer adds: “Do I feel more comfortable now than ever? 100%. I feel less afraid and more confident in my own skin. I am in my 50s now and I feel like if I don’t learn to love and accept myself now, I never will.
“I am a mum, a grandma and I am doing exactly what I love to do. I can’t believe at this stage in my career I am able to perform in arenas again. It feels like a second chance… a renaissance. I am middle-aged now but I can’t do anything about that. Yes, I would have loved to have stayed aged 30, but that’s because I was younger and thinner then. I accept where I am – and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing.”
Gabrielle, who counts superstar Adele among her famous fans, is keen to keep taking to the stage for decades to come, emulating music legends Diana Ross and Sir Elton John. And while she took time out to raise her two children away from the spotlight, Gabrielle admits that music was never far from her mind. “There was an 11-year break in between albums which seems like madness now, but I needed to take that time for my family,” she says.
The music icon has. been releasing tunes since the 1990s (FILE)“I did think that this would never happen again… I felt content with that at the time but I’m glad I didn’t stay in that mindset. There have been some blips in the road but I really took the time out to reconcile who I am and what I want from life and that is to be on stage performing.
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“Now, I no longer have to worry about balancing my career and being a single parent. I no longer have to rush back for the school run or worry about embarrassing my kids at school. I am allowed to be myself with fewer worries and enjoy the magic of what being on stage does to me again, emotionally and spiritually.
“Performing in arenas again is a professional dream coming true. I would love to have a career like Sir Elton John, who is still performing in his 70s. That’s how I see myself. While people still want to see me on stage, I still want to be on stage.” Gabrielle, who shot to fame in 1993, was an inspiration to many of today’s music stars, including Adele, whose support she describes as “humbling”.
She says of the singer, who she met in 2022: “Adele is an incredibly talented superstar, but she is also a beautiful spirit. I was bowled over when I met her. To have inspired a talent like Adele’s… I will take that. It is a beautiful feeling to know you have played just a little part in inspiring the generations that come after you.”
In spite of her impact on the music industry, Gabrielle told how she had fight to be seen at the beginning of her career because of the colour of her skin. But she insists that things have changed, and female artists can be more outspoken than ever before.
She went on: “To be a woman, and then a woman of colour… the divide has always been there. From age to appearance, the expectations of a woman are far greater and everyone is a lot less forgiving. Thankfully we had queens like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross to inspire us. But times have changed and women of colour are now seen. The singers of today have much more control over their careers and are a lot more unapologetic. People can’t ignore us any more. There are still hurdles to overcome but we’ve come a long way.
“[When I was younger] I wasn’t told if I were a different colour, things would be different. I wasn’t told there were certain TV shows or magazine covers I wouldn’t get; that I might get the bigger award, but I still wouldn’t get the coverage. It’s a shame but you just have to fight harder. I’m glad I wasn’t told at the time because it would have really affected my confidence.”
In May, Gabrielle will release her first album of original songs since 2018, after her covers album Do It Again went to No4 on the album charts in 2021. And she told how the record, A Place in My Heart, really represents who she is today.
She says: “It is very unapologetic. Yes, I write about the highs and lows of love but also about positivity, accepting and loving who you are; about loving yourself and about realising you are good enough just the way you are.”
A Place in My Heart will be released on May 10. Tickets for Gabrielle’s 2025 nationwide tour are on sale now.
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