At 17 years old, Gabi Wilson is already a renowned musician, songstress, poet, and philanthropist – and she hasn’t even released her debut album yet!
It all started in the home. Her father, she said on 106&Park, was in a cover band and gave her her first instrument, a guitar. “It was always available, but he never forced it on me”, she added. Now, Gabi plays four instruments and has been performing to large crowds since the age of six. She has been featured on numerous talk shows and has even performed at the BET awards, twice. It’s no surprise then that she has been compared to a young Prince, who also happened to be the first musician the prodigy ever saw in concert.
Host Bow Wow pointed out that Gabi has been spotted with many celebrities lately and asked what good advice she’s gotten from them as she continues to pursue music. She quoted Drake, who told her “kill it”, and also warned her to keep herself surrounded by the people who have been by her side since the beginning.
So what’s in the works for this ever-rising star? Having already published a book of poetry at the age of six, Gabi is now looking forward to following it up with a publication of spoken word poems. And of course, she is working on her debut album which she explained will be “a journey through different types of music.”
In 2011, Gabi was the recipient of the White House EPIC award, an honor given to inspiring women in media and culture. There, she was given the Barbie “I Can Be” award for being a young female role model. As a do-gooder, Gabi devotes time and effort to multiple organizations, including Boys and Girls Club, Rally for Kids with Cancer, SickKids Foundation of Toronto and Humanity for All.
