Seniman Indie-Pop asal Thailand-Australia, Gabe Watkins, merilis EP internasional pertamanya, ‘Grape Soda’. Ini merupakan kumpulan lagu-lagu yang ditulis dan terinspirasi oleh pengalaman pribadi Gabe; nostalgia, masa muda, musim panas tanpa beban, cinta pertama, dan kenyamanan di rumah. “I hope that whoever listens can feel that same nostalgia. And they’re able to reflect on their own journeys, reminding them of those significant experiences of first loves, summers and everything to do with growing up.”, Gabe Watkins.
EP ini dimulai dengan lagu favorit penggemar, “Flowers from Japan”, sebuah lagu cinta jarak jauh yang akan memikat semua orang dengan melodi yang bermimpi, diikuti oleh “the rush”, “Sunsets” dan lagu “choose u everytime” yang membahas tentang hubungan yang telah berakhir tetapi masih akan memilih orang yang sama jika diberikan kesempatan untuk kembali ke masa lalu, dan ‘Feels Like Home’.
EP ini kemudian diakhiri dengan 2 lagu belum pernah dirilis milik Gabe, “driving home to u” yang menampilkan temannya Valentina Ploy, dan akhirnya, lagu utama “Grape Soda”. Dari “driving home to u”- “I wrote this song with my good friend Valentina Ploy. She’s an artist that I’ve always admired, so it was a real honor to write with her. I remember we got into the writing room and this song just came to us so quickly – I think we were done in about 3 or 4 hours. It’s a song that’s essentially about the idea of loving someone in every universe or reality – but only having one where you’re actually with that person. It’s really sad but also beautiful. Going through that kind of thing like a breakup – it’s a really painful experience. I hope people can resonate with this song and I hope it makes them less alone. It’s a song I’m really proud of.”, Gabe Watkins.
Dari “Grape Soda” – “The story of this song goes back to my childhood, where living in Thailand people used to think my name was “Grape”. Even at Starbucks now if I say my name is Gabe they’ll write Grape on the cup, which I find really funny. And so I wrote this song for my girlfriend Soda, hence the name “Grape Soda”. I wrote it during a songwriting trip last year and so I got to work with so many amazing people on this track – Jack Garratt, Richard Craker, Valentina Ploy. It was a really great experience and this song was the highlight for sure. The reaction to this song on TikTok so far has been really really cool, and I hope it continues. This song is really special to me. It’s just such a feel-good track that I think really encapsulates what it’s like to fall in love. I think it’s probably my favorite song I’ve ever written.
Tentang EP pertamanya yang telah dirilis, Gabe mengatakan, “Ini adalah sebuah karya yang membuat saya sangat bangga, dan saya tidak sabar untuk membagikannya dengan dunia”.