Features / Bristol Harbour Festival
From rural Somerset to meeting royalty
TikTok sensation Gabriel Templar is headlining the main stage at Lloyds Amphitheatre on Sunday for Bristol Harbour Festival.
The singer-songwriter chats to Bristol24/7 about his musical inspiration, meeting Prince William and how 100,000 videos have been made online using his single.
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When did you first develop a love of music?
“When I was in primary school. I remember hearing The Beatles for the first time and seeing videos of them performing.
“From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a musician (even though I hadn’t learnt to sing or play an instrument yet).”
How would you describe your music and its influences?
“The genre of my music is something I’ve always struggled to pin down. The closest style I can think of would be indie pop. My influences come from a wide range of artists from different genres, such as The Beatles, Eminem, The Kooks and many more.
“I’m inspired by 50’s and 60’s music for their chord progressions and melodies, hip-hop for its fast lyrical pace and rhythms, and indie rock for its arrangements, aesthetic and structure.”
What has been your career highlight so far?
“In 2022, I had the opportunity through Lowden Guitars to perform at EXPO in Dubai to represent the UK for UK National Day on the amphitheatre stage.
“Through performing there, I won two Lowden guitars and was fortunate enough to meet Prince William.
“Another highlight has been performing at Glastonbury Festival every year since 2019 on a variety of stages.”
@gabrieltemplarThis is what TikTok makes me create?♬ original sound – Gabriel Templar
Tell us about the role of TikTok in propelling your music to the masses.
“I’ve been able to use TikTok to push my music drastically over the last few years.
Over 100K videos have been made using my single They’re Not Happy About Me in the background.
“I achieved this by repetitively making videos with my songs while using unique filters.
“This meant users would see these videos and recreate them, allowing the original idea to spread and trend across different countries, subtly promoting my music in the process.
“TikTok has brought me many opportunities and has massively helped me develop as an artist and understand today’s music industry.”
You grew up in Pilton, near Glastonbury. How does it feel to be headlining a festival in Bristol?
“It feels absolutely incredible. I grew up in Somerset, moved to Bristol in 2018, and have lived here ever since.
I get a lot of love and support from friends, family and fans from Bristol when performing in local venues.
Playing on the main stage at the Harbour Festival is an absolute honour and I can’t wait for my band and I to get the crowd going with some live music in the sun.”
Gabriel Templar is performing on Sunday at Harbour View at Lloyds Amphitheatre from 4pm-4.45pm
Main photo: Plaster
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