On their new track “Habibi,” they said, “Thanks to our live videos we started to achieve new fans, and many of those are Arabic. We wanted to create a track that could unite all the Mediterranean people under the same lyrics and sounds, and at the same time could give a love message to all.”
When asked about their music and songwriting inspirations, they said, “Everything could inspire us: the idea of a new video, a new instrument, a new plugin for our software, a new track of our favorite artist. Usually, we start producing the music, then we find a good melody, and put some words to it, then we work on the final lyrics.”
On being artists in the digital age, they said, “We think it’s great, and we are very lucky. Even if there are more artists out there than the numbers we had in the past, now it’s easier to build your own career without the support of big labels or big names in the music industry. The digital age is more ‘democratic,’ you need talent and smart ideas to show that talent to the public through social media.”
Regarding the impact of streaming services (Spotify and Apple Music) on the music business, they said, “Now every artist’s big ambition is to be at the top of Spotify Playlists, trying to reach new listeners. But sometimes, to achieve that goal, they refuse to try new sounds. Some artists just want to make a comfortable ‘commercial track’ against trying what they would really like to produce or have fun with. So the risk of this Spotify game is to have too many artists producing the same thing.”
For young and aspiring musicians, they said, “Be positive about your future, always. Believe in yourselves, even if other people try to put you down. We all have been through that process, so be strong for yourself and for your art. Protect your art and passion, and try to be smart finding your own way to reach an audience. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to also have people listening to you outside of the digital market. You must have fans in real life, and you can reach people just thanks to YouTube and social media.”
On their future plans, they said, “Once out from the lockdown, we will have a big tour schedule. We can’t really wait for it. We are planning our second tour in the US after our first run in November was all sold out.”
Gioli & Assia listed Stromae and U2 as their dream collaboration choices in music.
They concluded about “Habibi,” “Hey guys, our new release ‘Habibi’ is finally out. Go listen to it and let us know your feedback.”
“Habibi” is available on Apple Music and on Spotify.
To learn more about Gioli & Assia, check out their official website.
