Digital Cover Story 16: GASHI
"Travelling around the world has made me a cultural artist, a genre-bending artist and a global artist."
From handing his mixtape to none other than Kanye West whilst being a homeless janitor to being convinced by the late Nipsey Hussle to drop out of school and ultimately getting signed by music legend Jay-Z - GASHI‘s journey is unlike anybody else’s. Having collaborated with the likes of DJ Snake, Sting, French Montana and Middle Eastern superstar Khaled, to name but a few, and having millions and millions of streams under his belt, his music career has undoubtedly been a highly successful one so far - now, GASHI is on his way to take over the world by storm.
Born in Libya to Albanian parents and moving all around Europe as a refugee until eventually settling down in Brooklyn, New York, GASHI has had a unique upbringing - one, which has shaped him as an artist and as a person. “I think moving from country to country has helped me but also hurt me”, he begins to tell me and elaborates that “it helped me a lot and hurt me a little. Helped me a lot because I’m so culturally aware and I don’t get culture shocks, I’m very well-rounded with the world. It has helped me with my sound and who I am. It’s made me a completely different artist because I am so aware of all sounds, cultures and it’s all in me because I’ve lived it and I’ve eaten it and I’ve breathed it.”
Words by Antonia Kuenzel
But, changing scenery often has also come with its trials and tribulations, both for his artistry and personal life. “Where it hurt me is that I tend to switch up my sound so much and the things that I do because I love everything, that sometimes it doesn’t give people the time to catch on to one sound of me because GASHI is a genre-defying artist. The things I’ve seen as a young boy and not being able to make friends because I was moving so much… I did enjoy it in Brooklyn but the thing is it made me appreciate my life so much more. It made me see how grateful I was having a family, having parents that really put their life on the line to get me a better education. In the 90’s coming to America was the dream and things really changed since then, but at the time my parents thought ‘let’s go to America and have the best education for my son and my daughter’ and them putting their life on the line and getting us good education,“ he recollects and appreciates how all those experiences have gotten him to where he’s now. “Travelling around the world has made me a cultural artist, a genre-bending artist and a global artist. I just want to meet my parent’s effort that they put in. I’m so grateful for the life that I have now, that I’m able to do music and live my life and pay them money, pay for their housing and vacation and their car. I’m grateful for that.”
But considering GASHI has been exposed to such a huge variety of cultures growing up and living in various countries, I couldn’t help but ponder whether he’s ever faced an identity crisis at all. “I do sometimes feel like I have an identity crisis because anyone that meets me goes ‘You rep Albania so hard but I feel like you’re not even Albanian when I meet you, there’s nothing Albanian about you’. But I rep so hard for my people and my country because my parents are from there. And I’m such a family guy, everyone who knows me knows I’m such a family person. My family runs my life, they run my world. I try to never forget where I’m from. I meet so many people in America who have no idea where they’re from, they have no roots and they don’t care. The fact that I was born in Libya, that’s another side of me, that’s why I love Arabic music. Anything Middle Eastern, I love that sound. It’s a part of my identity. And I was raised in Europe, too. So that’s part of my identity too. I loved Germany, Austria, Switzerland. London, Paris, these places were part of who I am. So I have an identity crisis sometimes because all these places are within my heart. I’m such a New Yorker too. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, I’m Albanian, born in Libya, love Arabic music, love cultural music, love dressing like I’m from Europe - all those things are like a melting pot. That’s why the music I make is so genre-bending, that’s why all my Europe shows are sold out. I remember when I was on tour with Playboy Carti, the kids were going nuts in Europe. It was crazy how many kids went crazy.” As a German, I’m obviously delighted that he’s such a fan of my country, and of course, I have to ask him more about his experience living there. “I love Germany”, he says. “You have no idea. I love Munich, we took the train to so many cities. I loved the culture, I loved the Graffiti in Hamburg. I was raised in Germany five years. It was a blessing to be part of that culture.”
There is no doubt that singers and creatives with a Balkan heritage are slowly but surely dominating our airwaves - alongside GASHI, the likes of Ava Max, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora are all of Albanian/The Kosovo descent and have heavily influenced the pop music scene over the past years. I’d love to hear GASHI‘s thoughts about it and whether he is in touch with his peers. “I spent four Thanksgivings at Ava’s house, she’s this cute, little girl that’s like a little sister to me”, he chuckles. “I always believed in her. I was the first artist who’s done a song with Ava Max. I’d love for everyone to recognise her as an artist and not just her songs. And then you’ve got Dua Lipa who I think is the biggest superstar the Balkans have seen so far, people recognise her face and her music and her art. I love that we support each other. I support all my Balkans. I’m happy for the ladies, and happy for what they’re doing for the culture. I hope there’s many more, and hope to see more male Albanians in the scene as well.” Paving the way for the Albanian youth, GASHI hopes to inspire more young men to choose a path that makes them happy instead of going down paths which could one day backfire for them. “I love the fact that I set an example for my people and the youth of my country, that they don’t need to be gangsta, they don’t need to do any of these things. They can just be themselves. That’s what I wanna keep pushing”, GASHI admits proudly.
“I show love to all of my fans, I bring people together, no matter who you are. It’s a bond, it’s a vibe. It’s all about having a good time, and it’s all about my fans. Nothing else matters to me except for my fans.”
- Gashi
GASHI has got an impressive catalogue of albums under his belt already. His first album ‘Stairs’ got released independently and has accumulated huge critical acclaim and millions of streams to this date. Now, five years later, he gets ready to release his fourth album ‘Elevators’ which will display his undeniable growth as an artist over the past years. “It’s a genre-bending album full of all the genres that made me who I am. It’s got the greatest songs I’ve ever written. I didn’t focus on making an album. On my last album, I did”, he reveals. I am curious though, why the name ‘Elevators‘? Is it a direct follow-up on his debut ‘Stairs‘? “You know, I hate elevators, the first time I got stuck in an elevator was in Austria. And the thing is, I don’t like taking elevators now. But in order for me to elevate my career, I need to face my fears, that’s why I called the album ‘Elevators’. As much as elevators are my biggest fear, I have to jump on and face my fears to go to the next level. The album is about having the greatest songs I’ve ever written and to elevate to face my fears”, he elaborates, leaving me inspired with his profound answer that also makes me even more excited for the project to finally arrive.
Something that’s been unavoidable over the past 1,5 years in everybody’s life was a global pandemic which has unfortunately put many projects and plans to a halt. With his album on its way, I was wondering whether GASHI has faced any creative challenges throughout never-ending lockdowns and strict curfews - but it seems that he’s still kept busy and worked tirelessly on his craft. “This album began the second I got off tour in 2020, when the world locked down. But at the same time I released an album called 1984 during lockdown. And I couldn’t tour it, which hurt me and I began working on Elevators instead. I’m always working. I’m not one of those artists who makes an album and just puts it out, I really, really care about the music that I make. I put my heart and soul in each song. Right now, it’s just a hard time for every artist. Because people seem to move out very quickly. A new world is here, and the world is shifting. We’re going into a new era”, he says, affirming that even though the restrictions were rigorous in Los Angeles, there were unquestionably more important events than a pandemic happening, such as police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. “I dropped my album and then I would be protesting and then at the same time recording my new album because I was in LA. So all that was happening, and LA had curfews where we had to be home by 4pm otherwise we’d get locked up. It was strict but what happened with police brutality was more important. We have to be the change, we can’t sit back and watch,” GASHI demands.
Word on the street is that soon, GASHI will drop a collaborative single with Giggs, Godfather of UK rap. So naturally, I was curious how that collaboration came about. ”Giggs is a very good friend, he’s such a good dude. Him and I worked on so many songs, I was on his last album, and he was on my song ‘No Face No Case’”, GASHI reminisces. “We’ve done songs before but this one’s special because it’s called London and it’s coming out with Charlie Sloth, it’s gonna be a big tune.” And I’m most certain that it will be an absolute summer banger. Following up on that, I’m thinking out loud whether there’d be any other artists across our side of the pond that he’d love to team up with, and his answer truly acknowledges his love for UK music. “I really like Stormzy, I think he’s so dope. The way he raps is fire, it’s so on point. I think he’s super talented. There’s so many UK artists that I love, so it’s difficult for me to say anyone else because I also don’t wanna leave anyone out. But UK artists are so talented, I love what they’ve got going on and I support it heavy.”
As our conversation draws to a close, we talk about all things touring and what someone who’s never been to a GASHI show can expect from his live show. “Oh wow, I mean my last show in London was sold-out”, the singer recalls. “It was mad, I turned it upside down. So a GASHI show - if you’re an introvert you’re gonna be an extrovert by the time you’re out. Because I make all of my fans so confident. I show love to all of my fans, I bring people together, no matter who you are. It’s a bond, it’s a vibe. It’s all about having a good time, and all about my fans. Nothing else matters to me except for my fans. When the show is on, it’s about them and making them concern-free and making them forget their problems.” This statement makes me want to buy tickets to his next show immediately because it really sounds like a great time.“
Listen to latest single ‘Sleeping On My Left’ below!
YouTube/ GASHI
Stream ‘Sleeping On My Left’ HERE
Follow GASHI on socials:
Instagram: @gashi
Twitter: @gashi
Facebook: @GASHImusic
Website: https://gashiworld.com/