Publishing date: Oct, 22, 2026
Gazal’s new EP has a clear message: she’s fed up with the societal expectations and patriarchal structures that make women feel small, and she’s ready to take up the space she deserves. The six-track EP blends humor, sharp lyricism, and honest emotions. She wrote many songs before putting this EP together and is already thinking about her next project. The Lebanese-Australian singer-songwriter is set to go on tour, taking her distinct sound across Australia in November. She sat down with us to chat about the meaning, emotions, and stories behind the songs on her most recent project, her career as a singer and songwriter, and some of her most exciting experiences so far.
__
BR: Can you tell me a bit about how you started out as an artist and the early days of your career?
GAZAL: Yeah, for sure. So when I started as an artist, I just grew up listening to classical music at home. There wasn’t much music in the house. So I kind of found my way, like in grocery stores, just like memorizing the melodies and then doing that thing on Google when YouTube took like forty-five hours to load of being like, how does this song go? Obviously never finding it. But my love for music kind of started there, and I kind of kept it really insular my whole life. For some reason, I have no idea why. Like, I’m not a shy person, but I was just like, oh, this will work out. I don’t know why, but I just kept it quiet and then got my first guitar from Aldi at like sixteen and just started writing and fell in love with writing. Like writing, being in the studio, that process is. Like I pick up a lot of hobbies and drop them really quick. And this is just like, stuck my whole life. So yeah, that’s a bit of the background. Did that answer your question? I forgot the second half of the question.
What inspired your new EP, How Do Women Fly?
GAZAL: Okay. My new EP, How Do Women Fly. It’s layered. The center of it is just like being so over men. And I think it’s not in a relationship standpoint. I think as you get older, you just realize all the ways that these male structures are embedded into society. And it makes you crazy. Like, I’ve honestly had to reel it back and be like, men are okay, but it’s just been all the little things that men, or like women, can do it- just haven’t had that experience. But all the little things that they do that make you feel small. And this EP is just me owning all of those parts that are typically looked down upon, being loud. Like my Lebanese background, I’m loud. Like I yell; I’m passionate. Like it’s hot. And it’s like that. I would always be, oh, I don’t want to be too much. And I thought, you know what? You’re all the men- I probably shouldn’t say that, but they’re all stupid. Like, a lot of them are stupid. So why have I been catering my life towards that lens of someone who I think is stupider than me? So the EP is that it’s just like stepping into, okay, who am I actually without the lens of a man? And it’s been a really powerful thing. It’s such a cool exploration. And I think the way that it’s masked in palatable pop songs is cool too, when the layers are like shit’s deep. So yeah.
What’s the core message behind the project and its name?
GAZAL: Okay, so How Do Women Fly? The core message is that as soon as a woman starts letting themselves feel and being unapologetic, that’s when you take flight. That’s when you are able to get what you want. When you stop making yourself feel small- in so many different ways. And I think the message there is that yes, women are complex. Yes, we have a lot of emotion. That is the strength. That is what makes us such amazing and powerful people. And I think owning that is so huge for all women. And it’s hard to do. And I think if I can provide any ounce of a woman listening to Onion on the way to a job interview, like fuck yeah, that’s what I want. And I think, yeah, I’m just- that’s definitely the core message of the EP. Like I want it to bring a bit of gusto and stand ten toes on your opinion and not have to change it because someone’s making you feel small. Oh, and that’s why it’s called How Do Women Fly. My previous EP was called Gods into Frauds, and it was the dethroning; it was the realization of, wait, why have I been obsessed with men? This is crazy. The dethroning of that, and then this EP is the evolution of, okay, this is who I am without that. And in the Gods into Frauds EP, in the last music video where I kind of let go of trying to make sense of things and just be like, this is how I feel. I’m not going to try and intellectualize it. This is just how I feel. And that’s it. I have wings in that music video. And I thought it was a nice evolution. … I think it’s interesting because I think my whole life I’m the loud person that will always stand up for the friend that can’t, probably to my detriment, like I get myself into shit because I’m talking too much. But a lot of friends have said to me, like, you being so emotional about your response to that validated the way I felt, to be able to be upset about this, be angry about this, be sad, be happy, whatever. And I think I wanted that to come across in the EP because yeah, I’m never in the middle of an emotion. Like I kind of go hard. And I think that, in turn, can validate other people to be like, no, I’m allowed to be this mad about this or whatever. Yeah.
You wrote a lot of demos before narrowing them down to the six tracks on this EP. What separates all those other songs from the ones that made it to the EP?
GAZAL: I think I’m very specific to curating EPs in terms of emotion. And I think this one had a certain tonality. It was almost like this six-month span in my life where these songs come from, like it’s often in time blocks and just sonically, the message came across in kind of a humorous way, but also it’s deep and emotional. And I think the other songs are for other things, and I’m excited to release those. But these just made sense together, and they were the perfect emotion, like the lyrics, the production being super, super fun and in many different pockets. The other ones are a bit like, I don’t know, there’s so many, there’s four hundred. I was just like, this just makes sense to me. And this is it.
It’s so exciting that you’re going to release some of the others.
GAZAL: The next EP’s ready. I’m so excited.
You’ve said that Pickup Truck is a really personal song and that you wrote “Onion” the following day as an emotional reaction. What was it like moving between those two very different emotional states?
GAZAL: Well, I think that just comes back to the core message of the EP, in that women can be many, many different things. And a lot of people in the industry have been like, what’s your genre? Where do you sit? Is it sassy? Is it this? Is it that? And it’s like a man in the industry can go out and write a full album in four hundred different genres, but when a woman does it, they’re like, I’m not sure where to place you. I don’t understand. And I think that in the EP is like, yes, that is me. I will cry and be so freaking upset. And then the next minute be like, no, actually, fuck you. And I think that’s normal, you know, day to day; each day is a new day. You never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes it’s wonderful, and sometimes it’s days like Pickup Truck where I was like, oh my God, get me out of here.
Do you have a favorite song on this EP?
GAZAL: Oh. Honestly, I love all of them. Performing all of them is so fun. Onion has a special place in my heart because it kind of came about because me and my friend, we were around a bunch of people, and he was like, holy shit. He was like, this is insane. Like, how many people are asking questions and blah, blah, blah, blah. And he was like, can everyone just do the shut the fuck up challenge and just be quiet? And I lost it, and I wrote it in my phone. And then that day, I was just seething from literally being told I had to cut an onion in the kitchen. And I was like, I swear. Like, why do men think that I can’t do that? It was also followed by a whole series of mansplaining, like the stupidest shit. And I was just like, oh, for God’s sake, what would be a better place if you just figured out how to shut your mouth? And then I did. Shut the fuck up. It’s so funny.
Who are some artists that you look up to or take inspiration from?
GAZAL: Noga Erez. She’s phenomenal. She is an Arabic artist, and she’s got this cool, like it’s rap and hip hop, but the sonics are so interesting. They catch you off guard. It’s so cool. I love her. I love Little Simz so much. Her flows are crazy. And also, I really respect artists that get the emotional world and being matter of fact and straight to the point and funny. A little. And they do that blend. That’s definitely something that I still want to nail. And Little Simz does it so well. Rosalía, the new album kills me. I’m utterly obsessed. I mean, that album speaks for itself. It’s just so good. FKA twigs, I love. Probably those are the four that I’m always toying with. And I think what’s interesting about the last project to this project, and this is what I say to my sister, but I’m like, I used to use a lot of men as my referential artists. So be like, these are artists I love just subconsciously because I’m like, oh, that’s so cool, blah, blah, blah. And then I clocked myself, and I was like, wait, why is it that I have no women in this lineup? That makes zero sense. And this was a couple years ago. And then as I started retailing that and just be like, as a woman, why would my favorite artist be a man? This doesn’t make any sense. The people around me, like my sister, I’m like, you need to get some females into this lineup of your favorite artists because that’s your experience. And I think women that actually don’t do that, it’s internalized misogyny. And I think that’s also what I’ve been working on in this EP. And constantly is like, okay, where does my internalized misogyny sit? That was a great example of one of them of just being like, men are so cool because they don’t have to try in their artist world and, do you know what I mean? Subconsciously, you’re just like, oh, they’re so nonchalant. And I’m like, no, you know what, women are doing the most and the music is better. Sorry. So I’m. Yeah, the internalized misogyny is such a big part of this EP, breaking that down in so many different ways as well, because everybody has it, you know, that’s the society that we’re brought up in. So it’s just figuring out what it is. … I was realizing why I just would never get infatuated with female artists. And I was like, for me, I think because I am quiet, laid back, and I appreciate something understated, especially in art. I’m like, oh, it just has that allure to me. And I think with some female artists, it’s kind of this thing of, are they trying too hard, or are they doing the most, or it’s so on the nose, or it feels juvenile or did it, ah. And it’s like, wait, why? That is purely based off of my internalized misogyny, and then you really break down the lyrics side by side of a female and a male. It’s no comparison. It’s just, and it’s, yeah, it’s crazy. And every woman that I’ve met that doesn’t have females in their lineup is a little bit behind. Okay, this is a stretch, but at least in my life, who are my beautiful friends, and I’ve questioned and been like, why don’t you try this? Like, why is that? I’ve prompted the question, but it has been because they’ve just never thought about internalized misogyny. And I think there are women that are constantly doing that work of, huh, how can I lift up the girls? But yeah, a lot of women that do have men as their favorite, it’s because they’ve just never thought about it before.
Is there any song on this EP that you particularly want people to pay attention to the words and the message behind it?
GAZAL: I think “This Man’s a Preacher” is so layered in the meaning, and it’s about when you’re in a relationship with a man, and it just feels like everything they say they’ve read off Tumblr and, in a way, just to appease you. And I think so many relationships, especially with men and women, there’s a lot of times they actually do not understand you, and they’re just saying things for the sake of it. And I feel like this song is me figuring that out of being like, wait, hold up, you actually don’t mean any of this shit that you’re saying because you haven’t changed. And you will tell me all these things about myself that I need to fix. And I think that song for me just comes back to base of like, no, hold up, I’m smart. You don’t need to tell me who I am or what I’m doing and preach to me about the ways that I need to fix myself, although always open to it. It’s like, no, it’s just the manipulation. I’ll flip it back on you, blah, blah, blah. And I think that song, yeah, when you pay attention to the lyrics, and I think how many kind of use sex in relationships to also brush over a complex situation that maybe requires one hour of speaking that they don’t want to do and, yeah, they kind of weaponize that. And then I think as a woman, you can feel sort of, yeah, just objectified in that sense. And it’s kind of just that realization of like, don’t touch me. Get your mitts off me and talk properly. And yeah, I don’t know. I love that song for that reason.
You’ve written for other incredible artists like Taemin, Grentperez. Is there a difference between how you approach writing music for yourself and others?
GAZAL: Yes, in that I think writing for others is much easier for me because it’s more fun. And I think I’ve learned a lot about songwriting through that, through not being as close to the project. You can objectively go, that’s a line, that’s a great line, and move it around. Whereas my project, and I think all artists would feel this, you’re just so close to it. It’s just annoying. You can overthink it way more because you were there. And I think having the third in the room sometimes brings it back to base of going, no, that wasn’t great. I get what you’re trying to say there. It’s not imperative to what we’re trying to do, and it helps kind of narrow that. I’m quite good at narrowing the focus for other people and being like, okay, where do we want the message to come through? What are smart ways we can do this? Whereas for me, I’m like that. And then I just have to do it myself of being like, what does this mean? And why does this even make sense? But yeah, I love writing for other artists. It’s so fun. The main thing I love is other people’s stories. That’s always been the reason for music: connection across the board, but also just being in rooms with creative people. And there’s something so satisfying and it kind of happened randomly. Rarely happens, but articulating something in such a way that just condenses it and makes sense. And you can add the mood and the feeling behind it with all the music and the melodies. Yeah, it’s so satisfying. There’s nothing like it in a room when that happens and you’re just like.
What has been the most exciting thing you’ve experienced since you released your first song?
GAZAL: There’s been many, many exciting things that have happened. I mean, I just checked yesterday, and Rolling Stone put me on a billboard, which was pretty cool. And I didn’t know it was up. And I was like, ah, what? A fan sent it to me. But I think the thing that’s most exciting for me is just always, whether it’s in writing, whether it’s playing live, whether it’s an interaction with a fan, being so in that emotional state where it’s just everything starts flowing. When you’re in a writing room, everything starts flowing, and you’re on that roll. That is the best feeling ever. That flow state. And so I think in this process of music, I’ve always been way more fixated on the journey in terms of, I want to enjoy it and not just burn out. And then in three years, be like, ah, help. So yeah, the most exciting thing is meeting new people and hitting that flow in session and meeting fans and building relationships. That’s freaking awesome to me.
What are you most looking forward to with this new project and the tour ahead?
GAZAL: I’m a bit nervous just because, I mean, it’s always one of those things with music is interesting because you can never measure it. You can’t measure connection, so you can never measure how well it’s doing. So it’s just kind of scary. You’re like, ah, what’s going to happen? But I’m just excited for tour. I love with live shows to take it into a bit more unconventional space and, whether it’s through stage design or set design of the place, really bringing people into the world. So I’m really excited for that. And the EP, I’m just excited. I feel like, oh, I’m excited it’s out. But I’ll also be excited if I know the songs are kind of being used for the purpose of, and you know, people have messaged me, so I’m so happy they are. But for the purpose of giving women that extra, like, I got this- that’s when I’ll just be like, yay! Yeah.
Head to AdmitONE to see artists like GAZAL LIVE!
