Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Gigi Vantage

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

My older brother is a musician and songwriter, and he was a great influence on me when I was very young. Growing up around music and watching him create songs had a big impact on me and planted the seed for my own songwriting.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

By the time I was about 13, I loved listening to music so much that I would carry several albums tucked under my arms everywhere I went, just in case I happened to find someone with a turntable where I could play them. Music was that important to me. Eventually, I got hold of an old, beat-up acoustic guitar. I refurbished it and, before long, I began writing my first songs. I didn’t really know where it would lead, but I knew I loved creating music.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

In the early 2010s, I decided I wanted to get back to creating original music. But this time, I wanted to step outside of what was familiar and challenge myself creatively. That’s when I created Gigi Vantage. Since I live in Las Vegas, the name Gigi Vantage was inspired by the cigarette girls who once worked in the casinos. I liked the idea of taking something distinctly associated with old-school Las Vegas and giving it a modern musical identity.That theme has become an important part of the Gigi Vantage project. You’ll see elements of it throughout the album covers and in many of the videos I’ve produced. It’s become more than just a name—it’s part of the visual world I’ve created around the music. For me, Gigi Vantage is an opportunity to experiment, explore new sounds and production techniques, and do something different while still drawing on everything I’ve learned through years of songwriting, performing, and producing music.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

Today, Gigi Vantage is a cross between EDM, trance, urban music, and modern lounge. It brings together electronic energy, atmospheric textures, rhythmic movement, and a sleek late-night feel, while still carrying the songwriting and production sensibility that shaped my musical background.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

My Digital Audio Workstation completely changed how I make music, giving me one place to write, record, arrange, edit, and produce entire songs. Without relying on a traditional studio, I could experiment freely, build layers, reshape ideas, and develop a song from its first spark to the finished production. It also introduced me to sounds and techniques I might never have explored.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Musically, I use guitars, keyboards, and various synthesizers and synth generators, all brought together through FL Studio. Working digitally gives me the freedom to experiment with sounds, arrangements, and production in ways that complement my traditional songwriting background.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of “Infected Mushroom”, and I’ve really come to appreciate their overall sound. In particular, I love the character and impact of their kick drums. That kind of powerful, distinctive low-end has influenced some of the sounds I’m experimenting with in my own productions.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

To me, the best songs come from personal experience. A songwriter can certainly write about things they’ve never experienced or places they’ve never been, but there’s really nothing like firsthand experience. Most of my songs come from my own life—love, hate, good times, bad times, heartache, relationships, and everything in between. I write about the things that have affected me, the moments that have stayed with me, and the emotions I’ve actually felt. For me, songwriting is a way of taking those experiences and turning them into something people can hear, feel, and hopefully relate to. Sometimes the happiest moments inspire a song, and sometimes the hardest ones do. But either way, when a song comes from a real place, I think people can hear the truth in it.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

Ultimately, I want people to be moved by my music. Whether a song makes you want to dance or makes you want to cry, I believe you should feel something. For me,emotion is what makes music matter. If someone listens to one of my songs and it makes them feel something deeply, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. 

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

I believe music has the amazing ability to heal and is the most universal language in the world.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

For me, performing at Electric Daisy Carnival would be a dream come true. Being on that stage, surrounded by thousands of people who came together to experience electronic music, would be an incredible moment. I’d also love the opportunity to perform at other large electronic music festivals around the world. Ultimately, I want the music to reach people and create an emotional experience.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Probably someone like John Lennon. He had an incredible ability to take the simplest statements and make them sound profound. There was a depth and honesty to his songwriting that I really admire. I think collaborating with someone like that would be an incredible learning experience.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

 https://music.apple.com/us/artist/gigi-vantage/1563428718,  https://pandora.app.link/aKekQVs3t6b, https://open.spotify.com/artist/4fK5ctANi7lTJNAJ1Le0vs?si=jxhMD0HkTSaCMNiyNbDEWA , www.youtube.com/@gigivantage-lv, http://gigivantage.com/, www.facebook.com/gigivantage/

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

I’m looking forward to producing many more Gigi Vantage songs and albums, while continuing to develop my own solo projects and working with other artists.

There are still so many sounds I want to explore, ideas I want to turn into songs, and creative directions I want to pursue. After all these years, I still get excited about making music—and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope listeners discover that I’m not limited to just one style of music. I write, sing, and produce many different genres, and I enjoy exploring different sounds and creative directions. I want people to discover the versatility in my music and never quite know what they might hear from me next.