Gallant “Redefines” R&B On Latest Album, ‘Zinc.’
Gallant’s newest album, Zinc., is the sequel he wanted after his 2016 debut album, Ology.
For VIBE V Sessions, he stopped by our Los Angeles office to perform two hits from his latest LP, “Fly On The Wall.” and “Atoms.”. Not only did he almost accidentally damage our stage, but he also described Zinc. as the “spiritual successor” to Ology, detailed his upcoming tour with Infinity Song and Alicia Creti, and shared why he will perform “Atoms.” forever.
“My first album, Ology, was really special to me. I was in a rough mental place and I really liked a bunch of music that didn’t necessarily fit in the box,” he said. “So, I made this album that was very specific and was just really important for me to make it. [With] Zinc., in a weird way, I felt like I was in a similar headspace [and it’s] kind of like a spiritual successor to my first album. Just because it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly like what genre certain songs are, and it doesn’t really matter. It’s just a really special album to me.”
He also described Zinc. as “a rebirth,” likening it to a “gravesite and a birthplace at the same time.” Gallant also named “Atoms.” one of his favorite songs in existence.
“For some reason when I perform it, it sends me into this different state of mind. So much so that after I finished writing it, which was like two years ago, I would just sneak it into sets that I was playing— even though nobody knew what song that was,” he explained. “The feeling of performing it is so deep and special to me for some reason, but that’s a song that I feel like I could perform for the rest of my life.”
When speaking about his upcoming tour, Gallant revealed he will announce more dates and is thrilled to share the stage with Infinity Song and Alicia Creti.
“When I saw people like Infinity Song, a sibling band doing soft rock their own way, or Alicia Creti, [who has an] incredible voice, I’m really honored to be able to look ahead where I’m constantly surrounded by people that I’m genuinely inspired by and that feed me creatively and as a human being,” the singer expressed.
In our full conversation (above), Gallant also spoke on how he has redefined R&B and detailed his “bucket list” goals of working with his “GOATs” Maxwell and Usher. Overall, he hopes fans have a rotating favorite song from Zinc. and that listeners consider it as “something special.”
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