The talented actress and singer Gabriella Di Grecco, known for her roles in Disney series such as “Bia” and “O Coro”, is adding a new title to her resume: director and composer. She has just released a music video at the biggest musical event in the Central-West, the Chapada dos Guimarães Winter Festival. The video, which accompanies the track “Na Minha Mão” from the EP “Checkmate” by the pop duo DIGRECCO, composed by Gabriella and her sisters Camilla and Giovanna, is now available on digital platforms from October 27th. In addition to her acting successes, Gabriella has also built a distinguished career as a singer, accumulating millions of plays on Spotify and millions of views on YouTube. This new venture as a director shows Gabriella’s versatility and talent behind the camera.
Can you share more about the process of directing the music video for “Na Minha Mão”? What were the challenges and rewards of this experience?
The music video for “Na Minha Mão” is certainly the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced in directing. Starting with the fact that it was a live recording of a show, with 5 cameras running simultaneously. This in itself is a challenge, when we record a music video in the studio, we usually only use one camera. Still in the studio, we can cut, re-record, redo, readjust; we have control of the light and all the things that happen in the scene. A live recording is like theater: it’s just one time. So, for those of us who are in charge of directing, everything needs to be very well orchestrated so as not to miss any takes and to avoid possible recording errors as much as possible. In the specific case of “Na Minha Mão”, we still had one more context to consider: the show took place within a music festival in another city. So, in fact, I was able to organize the recording of the show on the day of the show itself.
That day, the artists and dancers had a dress rehearsal to get to know the stage spaces. The same thing happened to me. On the same day as the show, I had the opportunity to learn about the structure of the festival, the structure of the stage and how the show was actually going to happen. Of course, beforehand, I already had an idea of what the artists intended to do in the show. I studied the rehearsal videos to get an idea, but I was actually able to create and design this direction literally on the day of the show. So, what I did was: we arrived at 10 am for the dress rehearsal. In this rehearsal, I understood how the show would actually happen, I got to know the team and the equipment I would work with, and so I was able to set up a camera map and schedule cameras for each moment of the show. Everything needed to be very well delegated and designed, as we only had one chance. We can’t go back to the entire show because we had a problem. So, after the dress rehearsal, I spent the afternoon making camera drawings and aligning myself with the entire team.
At night, we had everything ready to start filming! And it was incredible! We captured beautiful scenes! I recorded everything in a complete making of on my Instagram. And most importantly: the music video will perfectly fulfill its purpose, which is to present the pop duo DIGRECCO as an exponent of national pop. And of course, moving up a notch as a director is quite a reward. Leading a large team in a live recording at a music festival made me grow a lot as an artist, as a director, and also for my future in music. But what I love most is being able to be with people, create and achieve something beautiful with them. I always leave feeling cleansed when this happens!
What is it like working with your sisters, Camilla and Giovanna, in the pop duo DIGRECCO? Is there a unique dynamic when it comes to collaborating with family members?
Personally, the experience I have of being an artist alongside my sisters is being able to enjoy a place of great confidence in the creative processes and the steps we take in our careers. I am very lucky to have Camilla and Giovanna as sisters and artistic partners. The artist shines when he feels comfortable creating and showing his sensitivity, and I realize that the three of us feel very safe and comfortable in each other’s presence to create and grow together in art. The union of the three is making them grow as singers and performers. For me, it’s been a huge step as a director and as a musical artist (whether as a composer, as a vocal director or even as a singer). I am very happy with them and we want to continue this partnership, growing together.
You achieved great success as a singer on the series “Disney Bia”. What was it like transitioning from acting to music, and what inspires you to create your own music?
“Disney Bia” was a great opportunity to present this side in a more comprehensive way. However, singing has always been present in my life. I started singing more professionally with a metal band called Helena de Tróia. After this experience, I realized that I didn’t need to separate music from acting, and so I started my career directly in musical theater. In this sense, I had great masters who taught me everything I know about the art of singing and enchanting: Jane Duboc and Jay Vaquer. We’ve worked together for years and created deep bonds through music. Interestingly, the work I did on TV, such as “ Além do Tempo” and “Cúmplices de um Resgate”, required the character to sing. However, in “Disney Bia”, I had the opportunity to take my singing to another level: I recorded 3 albums, one of which was nominated for the Gardel Prize,the Argentine music Grammy.Additionally, I performed live shows and entered a faster pace of production and creation, as occurs in the American music industry. All these experiences, which fill my heart, encourage me and point out a path that I need to follow in music. I’m preparing the ground for this to happen at the right time!
“En Tu Cara” is one of his most recent songs with millions of views on YouTube. What was it like performing this song?
It was so much fun! “En Tu Cara” was one of the main songs on the third album we recorded with Disney Music for “Disney Bia”. This third album was part of a special called “Bia: Um Mundo do Avesso”. In this special, the characters’ characteristics were completely inverted. In this case, I played an angry villain whose arch-rival was my own sister. They hated each other and competed a lot with each other. It was a delight to do. In the series “Disney Bia”, Isabela Souza and I played two sisters who loved each other very much, and the story revolved around their fraternal relationship. In this special, these sisters hated each other. It was really funny to play with the hatred between these two, especially after spending 2 years recording such loving scenes between them. Also, the music video for “En Tu Cara” was amazing! The production did an excellent job with the setting, which reflected the rivalry between them in a post-apocalyptic, half “Mad Max” scenario. We did considerable preparation to convey the hatred of the two sisters not only in the special scenes, but also in the music video. I screamed so much on the day of recording that I went hoarse (laughs)! It’s worth listening to the song and watching the clip. The result was impeccable!
Which artists or musicians influence your music and musical style?
Wow, there are many! I consider myself very eclectic. I listen to literally everything. I think that the more we have contact with what is outside our bubble (this doesn’t just apply to music, but to everything we consume), the more aware we become about the world we live in and share with everyone. — and conscience is saved. In the case of music, this awareness is even more important, because music has the power to easily access peoplelike no other art form does, in my opinion. So, within this variety, I have phases in which I am listening to a specific style or artist. Lately I’ve been listening to Jungle, Grimes, Jacob Collier, Djavan, Marina Sena (the production quality of “Vício Inerente” is amazing! Iuri Rio Branco did a great job!), among many others. If you ask me the same question next month I’m likely to answer completely different artists, and I really like that!
How do you balance your acting and music careers, especially working on such diverse projects?
Lots of discipline. By this, what I mean is not only having an organized schedule (which is VERY necessary, since I have a schedule for everything), but also remembering what my goal or purpose is in each project I’m involved in. When working on a single project, it’s crucial to remember why we’re doing it. When we deal with several different projects, this reminder needs to be even more constant. It’s like taking care of a garden. Each project is a plant, and each plant has its own needs for watering, fertilization, disease control, among other care needs. Each plant will grow in its own unique way and in its own time. The exercise of remembering our purpose is fundamental to understanding and respecting the growth of each project. Sometimes some projects flow quickly and smoothly, while others take longer. The important thing is to be authentic and be fully present during the time you are involved in the project. When I found this way of managing the projects I want to carry out, everything became even easier, and I was able to manage more projects simultaneously.
Do you have any upcoming musical projects you can share with us? New singles, albums or collaborations on the horizon?
My future in music is based on three fronts, basically. As a composer for other artists, I continue to work very happily at Estúdio 48k in association with Warner Chappell, from Warner Music Group. Additionally, I continue to work with my sisters. With the premiere of the video for ‘Na Minha Mão’, which concludes the releases of the Checkmate EP, we will start planning their next releases. The third front is my original musical work. It’s still a little early to go into details, but I can say that, for this particular project, I had the pleasure and luck of having dream partners. For this project, Otzi Sounds is with me, the sound arm of Otzi Group, a multiplatform production company created by the geniuses Bruno Pirozzi and Marco Carlucci that has grown a lot here in São Paulo.In this work with Otzi Sounds, I count on the talent of Francisco Cabral, a maestro with whom I have a very interesting chemistry in the studio.We are developing a beautiful multimedia work that will go out into the world soon! I look forward to telling you about it in the future.
His work is notable in both music and acting. Is there a passion that you prioritize? Or is it important for you to explore both areas?
In fact, I like telling good stories andhave the chance tomove people, regardless of the format. Whether acting, composing, singing or directing, the love for art is the main driver. I’ve experienced focusing more on one thing than another, and my heart and life itself have shown me that the format is not the path, but rather the purpose and the story being told.
What else do you want to achieve in your career, whether it be acting, music or directing? What are your next steps?
I always like to challenge myself and do things different from what I have been doing. One of them is to return to the stage. At the end of the year, I debut a beautiful project alongside Miguel Falabella and a great cast. Furthermore, I am opening a new chapter (and dedicating myself even more to learning) within art: theater production. I’ve been hearing this call for some time now and I feel like I’m ready to put it into practice.. I have an incredible project in the fundraising phase.If things go as planned, we will have Gabriella Di Grecco in theater, audiovisual and music next year!
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