Gabriella Bongo ft: Liam Bailey - All Or Nothing (Single)
Gabriella Bongo has announced the release of her new single ‘All Or Nothing’. Featuring the vocal prowess of Liam Bailey, ‘All Or Nothing’ perfects all the key elements of a great drum and bass anthem. Rich, wobbly bass lines line an all-powerful kick and snare pattern, whilst Bailey’s soulful vocal performance injects a cry of emotional energy into the music. Glittery synths add their layer and hi-hats electrify the high end. Anthemic and uplifting it's another track that spotlights the rising star status of Gabriella Bongo.
Gabriella shares an insight into the track, “Growing up listening to a lot of UK music, I inevitably came across Liam Bailey - his most notable song for me being ‘Blind Faith’. I followed him on Instagram as a fan as his voice is incredible. When I became somewhat confident in my music I DMed him - although he did not respond for quite a while! Eventually he did and we had a session! I remember being so excited and so nervous. For about an hour, we were having a chat about our journeys in music so far and I remember telling him I felt as though I didn’t have a choice - I had to make a career out of music. I was doing my A-Levels at the time and already decided I wanted to go to music school afterwards, and so this session made me realise that after I was done with academia, I had to give music my all. Lyrically we drew a lot from that conversation and the space it had put us in. We recorded most of the vocals in a Pirate as that was the only space I had access to at the time. About a year later I got some live strings on the song too.”
Gabriella Bongo is a 20-year-old songwriter-producer from South London. Though her primary categorisation comes under the fast-paced, sentimental atmospheres of liquid drum and bass, she takes influences from House, DnB, 90s RnB and cinema. From these inspirations, Gabriella creates a self-professed commercial ‘pick n mix’ of genres to tell her stories.
Inspired by watching the likes of MTV and Channel AKA, at the age of nine Gabriella took to garage band and began to experiment with production. Fast forward to 2021 and the artist was part of Apple’s Creative Studio London programme. Interviewed by BBC News and Reprezent Radio and connecting with industry icons Nile Rodgers, Skrillex, FredAgain, Liam Bailey, Dogger, TSB, Enny and Fraser T Smith, she went on to feature on Young Urban Arts Foundation’s ‘Fresh From London’ EP, released through Universal.
In 2022, she created music for an International Women's Day event hosted by British singer-songwriter Mahalia and in 2023, performed at the Royal Albert Hall, bringing her drum and bass production to life with a 96-piece orchestra. In 2024 she was announced as Hospital Records official woman in drum and bass mentee, receiving guidance and studio sessions from the label as well as working with some of their artists. Her upcoming Radio 1 Chill Mix airs on Saturday 18th May.