Gattison Showcases Queer and Black Excellence In Latest Track

Earlier this summer, queer recording artist Gattison released a brand-new single entitled “Passionfruit,” which he says not only shows a different side of him but serves as a reminder that everyone should embrace their true and authentic selves.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Gattison has been playing piano, singing, and songwriting ever since he was 12 years old. Coming from a musically rich family that includes his aunt, Dorothy Morrison, one of the original singers of the 1960s hit “Oh Happy Day,” his uncle, Jerry Combs, who was signed to Warner Brothers music, and his cousin, Levi Seacer Jr., who played guitar for Prince, music always seemed like an obvious career choice to Gattison.

He began his musical journey in church—evident by his smooth, soulful sound. In his teenage years, Gattison developed a love for EDM, which gave birth to a silky sound grounded in funk and super-charged by the undeniable energy and excitement of electronic music. His billboard breakout, “Picture Perfect,” peaked at #43 on the Billboard charts, and his two singles, “Be the Truth” and “Transformation,” are being considered for Grammy nominations.

Gattison took some time to answer some questions for OFM.

Thank you for taking some time to chat with me, Gattison! You recently released an Escape Remix of your hit summer track “Passionfruit.” How excited were you to release this project out into the world?

I was super excited! I love the song; I love the energy. It was something a little new for me, so I was super pumped to release it and get it out.

Can you tell us about the concept behind the single?

“Passionfruit” is a swaggy song about confidence and being able to approach a person that you’re interested in. I’m not usually cocky in a song, so it was kind of cool to write in that vein and let that side of me out.

How has “Passionfruit” been received by listeners?

It has been received well! I’ve been very pleased that people are listening to it. On my Instagram, I’ve been asking people what their favorite lines in the song are, and it’s been cool to see which lines and lyrics they love the most. I appreciate the DMs I’ve been getting.

Ultimately, what do you hope audiences take away from your music?

Honestly, I just hope that they enjoy my music, and I hope my songs will fit somewhere on the playlist of their life, whether it’s just about having a good time or it’s something more meaningful.

You are known for your pop/contemporary R&B sound. Do you think there is a certain quality lacking in those genres?

Hm, that’s an interesting question! I feel like pop/contemporary R&B goes through cycles, and currently, I think we’re in one of those cycles where the industry and artists are trying to figure out what the next sound is. I’m doing my best to fill in some of the gaps and do what comes natural to me.

Coming from a musical family, I’m assuming this has always been a passion of yours?

Yes, music has always been a passion of mine. I’ve seen all my cousins, aunts, and uncles do their own thing, like cut records and all that good stuff, and this is definitely something that I knew was going to be in the cards for me.

Do you remember the moment where you were like, yes, this is what I am destined to do?

For sure! When I released my first single “Withdrawals,” I remember putting it out, and iTunes was the major place to put new music out at the time, I remember being like, “Oh, my God, this is exactly what I want to be doing.” It was such a surreal moment for me.

What has been the best piece of advice you have been given?

Stay consistent. As an artist, I can be a perfectionist, and I can be one of those people where I’m like, if it’s not exactly how I want it to be, I’ll keep doing it over and over and over. So, some of the best advice that I got was, listen, you just got to do the best that you can and then get it out there because if you keep doing this whole perfectionist thing and doing it over and over, you’re not going to put anything out. You’re only going to put out one song in a year, and people need more than that.

How would you say your art connects with the LGBTQ community?

I’m writing from my own life experiences, so I try to make music that has layers. Whenever I’m writing, first and foremost, it always comes from my experience. Then I always try to say, “OK, how does my own experience also translate to people who don’t necessarily have the same kind of experience as I do?” It is definitely rooted in the LGBTQ community.

Prior to coming out, you spent years hiding your true identity while growing up in a conservative Christian household. Did that have any impact on your music?

It did. If you look at my discography, you can see that there is a lot of meaning in most of my songs. There’s a lot that’s on the surface, and then some of them are hidden messages. I talk about everything from my experience being in a mixed orientation marriage with a woman, coming out, and figuring out my identity. Once I did come out, I then talked about figuring out what it meant be a queer, Black man in our community, where I fit in, those kinds of things. That definitely translated into the lyrics, sound, and mood of the music that I put out.

We can see that change once you came out and started to live your authentic life.

Yes, absolutely. You can definitely see that change, and kind of looping it back to “Passionfruit,” that’s why I was so excited to put it out because it kind of embodied that change of really just being able to embrace myself, being cocky for a moment, and just doing my own thing. Like, “Yo, this is me, and this is good too.”

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?

Obviously, I want to tour, and I’m very excited about releasing an actual EP project. I’m really big into storytelling, so I’ve been working on a few projects that are going to be bodies of work where I can tell a story. That’ll be 2023, but I’m super excited about it, as well as some other things that are happening. Of course, I want to continue getting into the studio and release more music, music videos, and all that good stuff. A lot of exciting things are coming!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Gattison by following him on Instagram @gattisonofficial, or visit his website, gattisonofficial.com. “Passionfruit” is available on all digital streaming platforms.

Photos courtesy of Gattison