Harlequin proved to be hugely popular with audiences during the current season of ‘The Masked Singer’. Ever since she debuted with her take on Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’, she demonstrated a spine-tingling vocal talent which naturally demonstrated passion and poise, masterly control and an abundance of character. While some guessed that the artist behind the mask was Gabrielle, for many it was their first introduction to one of the UK’s greatest voices.
Having departed the show at the weekend during the semi-finals, Gabrielle today reveals that her new album ‘Do It Again’ will be released on March 5th via BMG. The album has been launched alongside its lead single ‘Stop Right Now’, which debuted on Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show on Radio 2 today.
The ‘Do It Again’ album features stellar studio recordings of the songs that Gabrielle performed on ‘The Masked Singer’. From elegant, timeless twists on recent favourites such as Billie Eilish’s ‘Everything I Wanted’ and Harry Styles ‘Falling’ to revisiting classics such as ‘Smile’ and ‘Fast Car’, Gabrielle’s talent is undeniable. The album also features Gabrielle’s take on other iconic compositions, including ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ (most memorably recorded by both Roberta Flack and The Fugees) and Sam Cooke’s ‘Bring It On Home To Me’.
The upbeat soul-pop of the single ‘Stop Right Now’ is romantic but also realistic, as it explores the idea of doing all you can to save a faltering relationship. It’s one of two original new songs that were co-written by Gabrielle, the other being ‘Can’t Hurry Love’.
Gabrielle commented, “I have loved putting my own stamp on the songs I sang on The Masked Singer along with some of my favourite covers and two new songs I wrote. The new single ‘Stop Right Now’ was written with Ben Cullum. It’s a song I’ve wanted to release for a while and I would dance to it in my kitchen. I always felt it needed to see the light of day! I am so happy that day has come. I’m really excited for people to hear this album and I hope they enjoy my take on the covers and the new songs too.”
Gabrielle recorded ‘Do It Again’ with Ian Barter (Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith), who produced, mixed and mastered the album.
‘Do It Again’ will be released on digital and CD formats, and is available to pre-order here. Gabrielle’s official store and Amazon will both offer signed CDs.
Gabrielle made an immediate impact when her debut single ‘Dreams’ spent three weeks at #1 in the summer of 1993. Her second #1 single, ‘Rise’, followed in 2000 and was embraced by fans as an anthem that helped them inspire them to keep the faith that better days would follow in the future. Her catalogue of hits includes a further eight Top 10 hits, notably ‘Out Of Reach’ (which featured in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’),’If You Ever’ (with East 17) and ‘Give Me A Little More Time’.
That success extended to albums too. Her 1999 #1 album ‘Rise’ was one of the most successful of the era and has been certified 4 x Platinum, a status matched by the compilation ‘Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits’. Another three reached the Top 10, including her previous set, 2018’s ‘Under My Skin’. ‘Do It Again’ represents Gabrielle’s sixth studio album.
Her popularity was matched by critical acclaim in the shape of a succession of major awards. Highlights included two BRITs (Best British Female and Best British Breakthrough) as well MOBO Awards for Best Single(‘Give Me A Little More Time’) and Best Album(‘Rise’). After being nominated on five separate occasions, she won her first Ivor Novello Award in 2008 when she was honoured with the prestigious accolade for Outstanding Song Collection.
