We’re living in a time when almost everything demands our attention. Social media turns everyday life into something to display. Algorithms keep us addicted; the media’s political discourse is numbingly sensationalist; politics divide us into sides all, whilst the media’s snappy headlines thirst to push an agenda. There’s pressure to keep up, stay informed, be productive and constantly make something of ourselves.
Aberdeen-based Spanish musician Adel Gomez joined Artists in Aberdeen, a show on Aberdeen Student Radio hosted by me, on 6 November – the day his new single, ‘Dancing Amongst Chaos’, was released. Our conversation was broadcast live from the studio with an exclusive performance of ‘Dancing Amongst Chaos’. Beyond his own music, Adel is also part of Aberdeen’s live music scene, hosting an open mic night at the Victorian Toilets, Wild Goose.
What began as a conversation about his musical journey soon became something much bigger, which inspired me to feature it in The Gaudie.
Adel’s approach is honest, sometimes provocative, occasionally humorous, but always refreshingly human.
On finding music
How did you start making music?
I wasn’t particularly interested in music until I was around 17. I grew up in Spain, lived in Ireland for a while, and moved around quite a lot. My brother had an electric guitar that he’d left in the basement, and in 2018 I decided to pick it up.
I was going through a bit of a rough patch as a teenager. Life was difficult, exams were difficult, and I thought: you know what, I do like music. My mum found a teacher that changed my life. He treated me like family. He took me to gigs and showed me what it was like to be a musician. He had friends who were musicians, and that lifestyle fascinated me. That’s when I decided I wanted to make music.
On music and things we repress
You mentioned how we can feel increasingly disconnected from one another despite being more connected through technology. Was there a particular experience that made you start thinking about this?
I think COVID was a turning point. We had so much time to think about everything, and society changed. Technology has its positives, of course. We can use it to promote things like this. But generally, I think the way we use it now can make us less intelligent and less connected. We’re constantly stimulated, and we don’t always realise how much of our attention is being taken away.
Do you think music can be a way of reconnecting with those things?
When you play music or listen to it, you connect with something more primal.
You forget about the things that don’t really matter. You feel something. I don’t know if this has happened to you, but sometimes we’re repressing something. We don’t want to express certain feelings. Then you listen to a song, or you go to a concert, and suddenly you start feeling everything you’ve been trying to keep inside. That happened to me at a concert once. I didn’t even realise I was repressing certain emotions until I started feeling them there.
That’s why we like music and art. We release everything that we repress.
We’re free. We’re not attached to anything. We just get to feel, experience and be alive.
On being an artist today
What’s the reality of trying to make it as an independent artist today?
It’s easier to record a song now, which is why there are so many songs being released every day. But it’s incredibly difficult to get through all the noise.
You have to be organised.
An artist nowadays has to be a marketing expert, a musical genius, and somehow still find the time to make music. It’s almost impossible. Sometimes you spend so many hours creating something, only for someone to scroll past it in five seconds.
And I don’t blame them. We are under a constant stream of stimulation.
On social media
Do you think social media has changed the way we relate to one another?
I think it has made us more selfish.
Instagram, for example, turns you into a narcissist. You start thinking about yourself, what you’re posting and how people are reacting. I did it for years, and I still do. I’m always analysing things and asking why we behave the way we do.
You open your phone because you need to check your bank account, and suddenly you’ve spent twenty minutes watching videos. It drains your energy and your focus. Then, when you finally want to do something else, you’re already tired.
Political helplessness
During our conversation, you were quite open about your frustrations with politics and the current state of the world. How do you navigate that?
I don’t feel represented by any of them.
We’re going into wars, there’s so much happening, and it’s not very nice. But what am I supposed to do about all these wars? What can I do? What can Adel Gomez do? Am I supposed to call Donald Trump and tell him to stop bombing people?
It’s beyond our control.
You also suggested that changing the world might begin with looking at how we treat the people closest to us. Is that right?
Exactly. If all these people want to change the world, how is their relationship with their mum, their friends and their family? Is that good? How is their life? Are they balanced? Are they happy? If you’re feeling angry and unbalanced, what are you going to do with everything you do? You’re going to mess it up.
Organise your life. Organise your ideas. What do you want? Where are you going? Start there.
Maybe you can make a difference. Maybe you can’t. You have to be okay with that as well.
When I first listened to your new track, I interpreted the chaos as something quite internal, like the chaos of love. Is that what you had in mind?
It’s both. Internal, external, everything.
Does writing and releasing something so personal bring you a sense of peace?
I think it brings relief.
You can’t control what happens, but you can be honest. It’s a very honest song. You’re putting yourself out there and saying everything that’s on your mind. From there, God knows what can happen. But at least you’ve said what you needed to say.
On identity and being yourself
Do you intend to bring these observations and ideas into your work to use as an artist?
I use it as a person.
That’s interesting, you don’t seem to separate the artist from the person. Do you feel you have an artistic persona when putting your music out there?
My art is me.
I don’t preach anything. I don’t try to fix things. When you try to control things, you normally make them worse because you’re trying to make everything predictable.
There’s already enough of a persona in Adel Gomez. He’s a difficult person to deal with! I don’t need another one. Sometimes I’m on stage with my band and I go crazy. Other times, I’m incredibly shy. It depends on the moment. It doesn’t mean I’m acting.
Things we keep to ourselves
Your song ‘Possibility’ explores uncertainty. How personal is that song?
It’s about not knowing what to do with yourself. Wanting help, feeling lost and trying to find a way out.
For the longest time, I’ve had to deal with anxiety and panic attacks. I would act like everything was okay. I’d say, “No, I’m fine”, when actually I wasn’t.
Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult to tell a friend or your mum that you’re not okay, that you don’t know what to do with yourself. But through music, you’re able to express things that you can’t always communicate through ordinary words.
That’s why we like art. That’s why we make it.
What does it mean to dance amongst chaos to you?
But for me to dance amongst chaos is about finding what truly matters.
A final thought
Perhaps finding what matters doesn’t mean having everything figured out. Perhaps it’s about continuing to create, feel and question things despite the chaos, like Adel’s song suggests. Maybe it’s about continuing to dance.
Adel Gomez performed an exclusive acoustic version of ‘Dancing Amongst Chaos’ live on Aberdeen Student Radio’s Artists in Aberdeen on its release day, alongside a special performance of ‘Possibility’.
You can listen to his new single, ‘Dancing Amongst Chaos’, on Spotify, and follow The Adel Gomez Band on Instagram to keep up with his music and upcoming performances.