Experimenting Without Fear: GEM’s Approach to Making Unpredictable Music
Stepping boldly into the music scene, Istanbul-born singer-songwriter GEM makes a striking debut with her single Hurts To Exist—a fearless dive into self-doubt, resilience, and raw emotion. Fusing cathartic vocals with genre-defying soundscapes, GEM crafts music that is both unpredictable and deeply immersive. Raised in a household where music knew no boundaries, she developed a unique artistic voice shaped by influences ranging from heavy metal to R&B and techno. In this exclusive interview, GEM takes us through her journey—how a childhood steeped in diverse sounds shaped her artistry, the pivotal moments that defined her career, and the creative process behind her bold and unfiltered music.
Can you tell us about your journey into making music and what inspired you to pursue this career?
Well, there was never a silent moment in my household growing up. My father constantly listened to hundreds of artists across many genres. Whether it was Massive Attack, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Groove Armada or Iron Maiden, I learned to listen according to musical value rather than limit myself to a handful of genres and have a limited understanding of what’s possible, musically speaking. As you could imagine, being exposed to such a wide variety of music, it was almost inevitable that I would become the type of artist I am today. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily a choice for me in the beginning though. I started singing at the same time as I started speaking, so automatically I was always involved in band, theatre and choir as I grew up. Around the age of 13, the soundtrack for the movie “Burlesque” was the tipping point for me. I consciously decided that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It wasn’t a smooth journey, I was young, knew nothing about the music business and I trusted others to dictate who I am and my career which almost made me give up. It was when I took control of my journey that I solidified the kind of artist I want to be and who I want to be surrounded by.
What’s your creative process like when starting a new project? Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the zone?
Surprisingly, even though my writing and vocal performance is honest, intuitive and flexible when I record, I actually tend to approach a new project/song very systematically. I am extremely habitual, but I wouldn’t call it ritualistic. I’m a morning person, so usually I wake up around 6.30 AM, grab my coffee, pen and notebook, open up a dictionary and thesaurus ( I like to push myself in terms of my lyrical content and wording, so I always look for unique descriptors that deliver my message more effectively) and I usually listen to the track on repeat, and then isolate different sections to brainstorm. Almost like a mind map, and the rest just seems to flow freely. I set a 3 hour time limit, then I repeat the process almost obsessively. Luckily I write very quickly once I have the main structure!
Are there any particular artists, genres, or sounds that have heavily influenced your style?
Absolutely! My influences change and evolve constantly, but to name a few genres that I tend to come back to; Blues, Funk, Heavy metal, R&B and Hip-hop. In terms of artists, that’s a hard question to answer but I’ll do my best! I would say Eminem has been and still is my favorite artist of all time for many reasons, his resilience and lyricism being the main two. Other names that have been a huge inspiration; Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Dire Straits, Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Muse, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Tech N9ne, Remy Ma, De La Soul, MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott… Honestly this list will never end. But I have “The Dad Soundtrack” playlists with my father that include all of our favorites!
What’s your favorite piece of gear or software that you use in your music making process, and why?
My lyric notebook, Logic and my Apollo Twin. I can’t write on my phone or my computer, the tactile aspect of writing the words down helps me solidify my thoughts. And my Apollo is simply very comfortable and easy to work with, plus UA has amazing plugins and FX that I like to experiment with.
Can you share a memorable studio moment or collaboration that stood out in your career?
I view every studio moment as an opportunity to learn, so I have less so specific moments but impactful collaborations in general: SoFlawless, the producer of Hurts To Exist and the whole EP “Overthinker”, has been nothing short of a life-saver! He has helped me grow and express myself as an artist immensely. Not to mention his encouraging approach to my unorthodox ideas. Not only is he an extremely talented producer, but an incredible mentor. His faith in me, my vision and his equally obsessive work ethic has given me the confidence to create freely and stand by my work. I had the honor of being in the booth with Herbie Crichlow, which were the most impactful songwriting sessions for me as a songwriter and recording artist. The CEO of my publisher “All Stars Music”, Mine Aksoy, taught me all that I know about navigating (and surviving) the music business and is a huge role model to me. She was not only the first person to support me in this industry, but she’s also the sole reason I didn’t stop pursuing music when I was in an extremely hopeless and dark space. Not to mention she saw enough potential in me to support me and never gave up on me from day one, unlike most major music business executives. Another massive figure in my career is Orkun Tunç (his artist name is Armageddon Turk), a creative powerhouse through and through. We work together both on the business side and we’ve collaborated on various creative projects. He taught me to think out of the box without overthinking, experiment freely and above all, to never dismiss a creative idea no matter how far-fetched it sounds. In fact he is the one who unknowingly inspired the name of my EP “Overthinker”! Finally, even though it never got released, I had the pleasure of working with Ty Dolla $ign on a track and a video which was obviously mind-blowing!
What advice would you give to up-and-coming musicians looking to break into the music industry?
This is a subject I can probably fill a whole new interview with. To keep it as short as possible; I would strongly suggest every artist to research and fully understand how the rights of a song work before even considering a release. Speaking from experience, no one will protect your rights better than you, so we should always be aware of our rights and limitations. Aside from that, I think it’s our responsibility to do our own research, manage our expectations and strategize for our projects BEFORE we seek services from others. The function and approach of a music publishing company is massively different than a label, PR company or a distributor. We should know what to expect from each key player, and not blindly believe people/companies so that we don’t go through difficulties that are potentially damaging to our career. Another piece of advice is READ YOUR CONTRACTS!! Unfortunately we are no more than a product in the eyes of music business professionals, I’ve come to accept that and as soon as I did, I started being very careful who I choose to work with. In terms of creative advice, I would say believe in your own vision, don’t back down, and hold on for dear life. Because you will hear more about what’s wrong with you and why you will fail than anything remotely positive or constructive in most cases. A valuable lesson I learned was to never make music according to what’s “trending” or compare yourself to other artists. Artistic value is not dependent on streams and what works today may not work tomorrow. In my opinion, it’s not a competition and we all have different backgrounds that led us to where we are, we should support each other rather than let our ego dictate our artistry, no matter where we are in our individual journey. Finally, I found that it’s always good to be versatile creatively, musically and strategically as it isn’t enough to just release music while expecting to have a sustainable career.
How do you stay inspired and continue to grow creatively in an industry that’s constantly evolving?
I’m extremely curious by nature, and the volatile aspect of the music industry actually fuels my creativity. I see the evolving nature of the industry as an opportunity to constantly challenge myself to take my artistry to the next level. However, I believe it is just as important to be creative in our business approach as we are toward our music. Learning about different revenue streams, how the industry is changing over time motivates me to stay authentic and experimental.
