Singer, actress, dancer and model Gabrielle de Gama has chosen to address bullying in her debut single “Nasty”.
The 14-year-old describes the track as a classic pop song with lots of sass, and on it she addresses the pressing issue of bullying – particularly cyberbullying.
Gabrielle says she used the lockdown as an opportunity to write and record her debut single, which drops this Friday.
“My debut single ’Nasty’ was written during lockdown level 5, during my first year in high school. Communication was mainly online and I was trying to form new relationships with the other students.
“This opened up a lot of opportunities for bullying.
“Cyberbullying rates across the world grew tremendously during this time.”
She adds: “My producer Gino Lee and I looked at what the core of my message was.
“The word ’Nasty’ is in my chorus and it sums up the song. ’Nasty’ is short, sassy and easy to remember. It also describes what bullying really is.”
The Grade 9 learner explains that she was bullied from a very young age and the bullying resumed in 2020.
Gabrielle adds: “My bullying started from Grade 4 when I moved to a new school. It then resurfaced when I started high school.
“It started as a result of my Instagram posts, mostly because the new high school children didn't understand my journey in music and my upcoming trip to the International Modelling and Talent convention in America in July this year.
“I had also never met them because of lockdown level 5, so the entire scenario was online.
“In my song, the message I would like to get across is that being nasty is toxic and could be a tragic act.
“We need to do more to stop it. We should all stick together instead of isolating one another, we need to help each other get through this poignant time in history."
Gabrielle wants children across the globe to walk away with a feeling of hope and courage after listening to her music.
Her showbiz journey began when she was cast in the production “Annie Junior the Musical” at the People’s Theatre at the Joburg Theatre in 2018.
She played the lead role of Annie and it was here that she learnt she could sing.
With a desire to pursue this venture further, she sought out a vocal coach who could equip her with the tools for a successful career in music.
The rising star then met June Kraus, who trained and helped her unleash her ability to sing both classical and pop music.
“Nasty” is available on all major streaming platforms.