Featured Photo Credit: Bonnie Nichoalds
“Pardon My French” singer Gabi Sklar is kissing and telling on her sultry new single “Good Kisser.”
The temping track “explores the ‘maybe I should, maybe I shouldn’t’ relationship with a really good friend,” she says.
What’s a good kiss without cherry red lipstick? Gabi collaborated with director Justin Thorne (House of Giuseppe) for a 60s-inspired lipstick infomercial to accompany the indelible track.
We chatted with Gabi about “Good Kisser,” the making of the music video, and more!
What inspired your new single “Good Kisser”?
“Good Kisser” is about that noncommittal, in-between state between two “friends.” It leaves you wondering what this situationship can develop into and outlines the start of a story that can end one of two ways: in love or heartbreak.
What was the writing and production process like?
The writing process for “Good Kisser” was really conversational, and the concept “you’re a bad friend but a real good kisser” came about almost jokingly. We wrote it in a couple of hours, and it quickly became this dark, cinematic, sensual record that tells a story so many people can see themselves in.
How did you and director Justin Thorne (House of Giuseppe) come up with the infomercial video concept, and what was it like to bring the 60s glamour aesthetic to life?
I have always been very visual with my art. Usually, I begin to imagine the physical representation of the audio before the song is even finished. Justin came up with the concept, but when we compared his treatment to my mood boards, they were nearly identical! We were very much creatively in sync.
Do you have any favorite memories from filming?
I loved all of it! If I’m passionate about something, once I’m involved, it’s hard to detach myself from it. It had been about a ten-hour workday, and I just wanted to keep filming and playing in the 60s.
If you could set your fans up in the perfect environment to listen to the single, what do you imagine it looking like?
When I wrap my project, I have a special concept in mind for a listening party… for “Good Kisser,” in particular, I would probably incorporate the photo booth used in the lyric video and curate an experience that’s fun and interactive for the fans. I love the pure candidness a photo booth brings out of us. You have a three-second countdown before capturing a moment. Those three seconds are so telling – how someone reacts or doesn’t react, the spontaneity, the awkwardness, the chemistry between whoever else is in the photo, etc. There’s something really wholesome about it all. It would be cool to bring that to life and with people who really identify with the song.
Your previous single, “Pardon My French,” has surpassed 1M streams! How does it feel to know fans love your music so much?
I’m so happy people love the song just as much as I loved writing it. I’m really grateful for the support being that it’s my first release since building a presence on social media. Given that the song is in both French and English, it’s been really interesting seeing where in the world the streams are coming from. It makes me even more excited to tour and perform it live.
You posted on Instagram how this kind of success seemed impossible 22 years ago. What do you think younger Gabi would think about all this today?
Where I am now, at 23, felt impossible for 22 years. It felt impossible when this journey started for me at 13, it felt impossible only a few years ago at 20. It’s hard to recognize progress when you’re in the middle of progressing. Success is strange because it’s relative and always changing. It definitely does not happen overnight, but over many nights and many years, and just when you think you’ve reached it, you’re at the beginning all over again. This time, a different page in a different chapter. If you put me in a time machine to go back and hug my younger self, I’m almost certain she wouldn’t even recognize me but instead, say that’s exactly who I want to be when I’m older. I used to play piano in my parents’ house to the walls and sometimes to my dogs. I’d never think in a million years a career in music would go anywhere outside those walls. That’s how much of a difference a few years could make. It took ten years to get to Chapter 1.
You’ve collaborated with some amazing talents, including Diane Warren, Isabella Sjostrand, JP Saxe, Sam Romans, LionChild, Njomza, Boy Matthews, and 8ae. Who is your dream collaborator?
I still can’t believe I get to work with such incredible and talented people. I never ever take it for granted. I would love to work with Labyrinth, Mark Ronson, Dolly Parton, Lana Del Rey, Doja, Alex Turner, the list goes on. There are so many creatives I dream of collaborating with, it’s so hard to even narrow it down to a few.
What can fans look forward to next?
There’s a whole side, both artistically and personally, I have yet to share with the world. The new music begins to reveal a part of my story and what makes me Gabi. It’s a bit scary but also exciting to be able to share a side with more depth and a side I know people will be able to relate to.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
Dedicated to everyone who wonders if I’m writing about them. I am.