Gabriel wants to work with James Arthur.
The 54-year-old singer is a huge fan of the former X Factor winner's music and admits it would be a dream come true if he could get into the studio with him.
Gabriel thinks they could record a special song together, but he's so nervous about working with other artists that he believes he'll run a mile if it actually happens.
In an exclusive interview with BANG Showbiz, she said: “I would love to work with James Arthur. But if he came to me, I would probably run 10 million miles because I love him so much.'' ” he said.
“Sometimes I struggle with anxiety, like, 'What if I don't sound as good as he does?' It's weird, but there's still that part of me.”
Gabriel previously dueted with British boy band East 17 on their 1996 hit single “If You Ever” (a cover of Shy's “If I Ever Fall in Love”). But her collaborations were sparse.
The soul star regularly receives song offers from other artists, but she often turns them down due to lack of confidence, but now that she's older she wants to say yes to more projects.
She said: “I get asked a lot by people who want to write songs for me, and to be honest, it's very scary to be approached because I really love them and want to write songs for them. If so, you might think, “Is it okay for me? “Can I do my best like them?'' I once refused to jam with Prince on stage because I'm intimidated for various reasons.
“I don't often work with other people, but now I'm feeling a little more courageous. As I approach retirement, I might be able to say yes to more projects.”
One of the collaborations the “Dreams” hitmaker agreed to was a duet with British R&B musician Mahalia, “Good Enough,” which will appear on Gabriel's eighth studio album, “A Place in Your Heart.” ” is included.
Gabrielle met Mahalia when she supported Adele at her headline BST Hyde Park concert in July 2022, and Gabrielle reached out to the 26-year-old artist to add her signature vocals to the track. I asked him to do so.
Speaking about the collaboration, Gabriel said: “Mahalia is an amazing person. I first met her at BST Hyde Park when she was opening for Adele. Mahalia was just amazing. The reason she was suggested to participate in “Good Enough'' was because her vocals were amazing.'' It's really great to have Mahalia on this song.
“My son was like, 'Mom, this should be a single, this is a summer jam, people are going to be crazy about it.'”
“When I met Mahalia, she was a lovely, warm person. My daughter had introduced me to her music a few years earlier, but it was special to actually meet her in person. She's an amazing person and I'm looking forward to meeting her again. She's a singer-songwriter, and her vocals and everything else is very special to me.
“Unfortunately, we weren't able to get into the studio together, so I'm a little disappointed, but she seems like she's having a lot of fun. We send her the tracks and she does her own thing separate from me.” Thanks to modern technology, you don't even have to leave your house! Just send things to others and collaborate that way.
“This song is so atmospheric that I can imagine we would have been jamming and dancing together in the studio, so it was upsetting that we couldn't physically be in the same room.”
Gabriel's new album “A Place in Your Heart'' has been released.