Gabrielle’s distinctive voice soundtracked the nineties and early noughties with hits like Dreams, Outta Reach, and Rise – but she’s happier now at 54 than she ever was then.
Catching up with ahead of her Brighton Pride performance, Gabrielle – real name Louise Gabrielle Bobb – is bubbling over with chat and it’s clear she is thriving.
‘I prefer performing more now,’ she says. ‘When you’re young you’re a bit cocky, you go out there and do your thing. But when you start having success you realise more is expected of you, and the pressure builds.
‘Now I’m in my mid-50s and I’ve got this back catalogue of songs people seem to enjoy, I’m menopausal in parts but I’m out there living my best life.’
She adds: ‘I don’t want the 90s back, no thanks.’
When Gabrielle turned 40, her mum told her she’s the happiest 40-year-old she’d ever met.
‘I loved it. When I was approaching my 50s, I couldn’t wait. People thought I was nuts because I was saying I was 50 before I was 50, which is something unheard of for a woman. But I just couldn’t wait to get there.
‘I think it’s because I had friends who didn’t make it, so I felt like I was the one picking up the torch for us. So I got to 50 and I thought, you know what, I can just be me.’
Gabrielle’s audience also reflects her youthful spirit in more ways than one. First, there are more children, so she has to watch her language. Perhaps surprisingly, there are also more men – who know all of the words to her nostalgic bangers.
‘I was doing a show and there were these bearded guys singing Out Of Reach, and I was like, “Wow, look at you!” They don’t care. I love it,’ she says, explaining how her audiences seem to be freer nowadays.
Looking back, Gabrielle has one piece of advice to young women, like her 20-year-old self when she rocketed to fame on the release of Dreams.
‘Stay true to who you are,’ she says. ‘Be vocal. Do not stand for anything that doesn’t feel right, doesn’t sound right.
‘You have the right to say no. You have the right to be in a career that doesn’t mean you have to compromise yourself. Be assertive.’
Gabrielle speaks passionately about sexism – and reckons the music industry’s predator problem is a symptom of a larger societal issue – but also about the importance of festivals like Brighton Pride for the LGBTQ+ community.
‘When you think about the history of being gay, of not being able to be out and proud, and to now be able to be who you are, it’s all of those things Brighton Pride embodies,’ she says.
It’s safe to say, Gabrielle is planning on having a blast on the FABULOSO in the Park stage on Sunday 4 August, alongside fellow headliners including Mika, S Club and Girls Aloud.
‘Being in a place where everyone feels comfortable about being themselves, free to be who you are, to enjoy the music and do the things that you love doing without anyone judging – I just love it.’
Brighton Pride is taking place on August 2 – 5. Tickets available here.