Tonight

Gail Belmonte

A chill track with that feel-good fairy dust sprinkled on top, ‘Tonight’ is about enjoying the night, slowing down and taking the time to soak in its magical beauty

Gail shares about the song: “I’m quite the night owl and work best during the nighttime, so I decided to write a whole song about how much I love the night. In writing ‘Tonight’, I felt a sense of safety in the night, and I wanted to portray that in the most comfortable and magical way possible - and that’s throwing a bit of love in there. The most important thing to me is that it’s completely okay to feel vulnerable on your own in the dark of night, and it is okay to slow down every once in a while and let the night time take over.”

Born and raised in Singapore, of Filipino descent, Gail Belmonte loved singing and performing from an early age and has been practising professionally from the age of 18. Gail was champion in the vocal solo category of Singapore talent competition Impresario 2016, a finalist of China Super Vocal 2016, a finalist in Mediacorp Singapore’s The Final 1 (2013), and also appeared in Season 4 of ABS-CBN’s Pilipinas Got Talent (2016). Gail made her theatre debut in Pangdemonium’s staging of the Tony award-winning musical, Fun Home, in 2017.

Gail Belmonte has featured on tracks by artists like fulses, thecolorfractal, Fingerfunk and Tim De Cotta, and is finally ready to put out her own music with 3 singles planned for release in 2020, in which she explores the effects of love, heartache, falling apart and putting yourself back together again.

What’s your story and how did you become a singer?

I have been singing since I was a child and I am pretty sure my deep love for performing music developed when I was still in the womb because my dad would sing ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin to my mom’s tummy every other night when she was pregnant with me. Besides singing, when I was growing up I loved to create fantasies in my head and live them out as if I starred in a musical that was written, produced and directed by me. So I knew without a doubt that I wanted to live a life where I would be able to write stories and sing those stories for people to hear.

What’s the story behind ‘Tonight’?

I’m quite the night owl and work best during the nighttime, so I decided to write a whole song about how much I love the night. In writing ‘Tonight’, I felt a sense of safety in the night, and I wanted to portray that in the most comfortable and magical way possible - and that’s throwing a bit of love in there. The most important thing to me is that it’s completely okay to feel vulnerable on your own in the dark of night, and it is okay to slow down every once in a while and let the night time take over.

What’s your favourite part of the song?

The chorus! After I recorded the vocals and listened back to it, I was immediately transported to a place with a beautiful night sky filled with stars. Time seemed to stop and I couldn’t be happier.

How do you make music?

I enjoy writing, so I find myself writing all the time. Whenever I feel like getting something off my chest or wanting to make sense of a situation better, my go-to has just always been to write. The same goes for singing for me. Where emotions are involved, there is music and more often than not there is singing. My musical process can be an arduous journey because of how closely the writing and the music is to me. And that’s what my musical process is; a journey towards unlocking my authentic self and making sense of the pieces that make up who I am.

How did you find your sound?

My strongest musical influences are Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Brandy, H.E.R., Tori Kelly and Jhene Aiko. My style is deeply rooted in the R&B/soul category where the performative part of the music is thoroughly influenced by the music itself, almost like Pocahontas when she says she goes where the wind takes her. In my case, and in the case of the singers cited above, I go where the music takes me.

What do you hope to achieve with your music?

I just want to get the music out there with the hope that someone going through the same thought processes as me can identify with my music and unlock their hearts just like I am in the process of unlocking mine. I’m such a perfectionist that I tend to overthink and over analyse. I want to learn how to stop taking myself so seriously and inspire others to do the same. Releasing music is a part of that because these songs are like my literal babies. Once they’re out there, people are free to form their own opinions of them, something I have been deathly afraid of ever since I decided to make music my life. The most important thing for me, however, is to send everything I have into the world with love and have everything I do be done in love.

Any last words?

I think the fact that what I’m singing about in this song is so normal and real, is what makes it such a relatable thing. Anyone who listens to this can relate and imagine themselves going through the same thing. I hope the listeners hear this and feel time stop for them, knowing that it is perfectly okay to slow down and just be.

[Verse 1]
Could this be right
When I see you my
Heart beats faster as you look away

No, it ain’t fear
That’s causing these tears
But could it be my heart is overwhelmed

[Pre-Chorus]
You never take but still you gave me more than what I’m asking
You just take my hand and gaze into my eyes now I’m falling

[Chorus]
So hold me close and stay the night
I want to show you what you mean to me
Don’t let go and keep your eyes locked to mine and we will be alright
For you are with me here tonight

[Verse 2]
I see how we
Can’t bear to leave
And I forget just how the past was written

I don’t trust myself
But with your help
I finally found the piece that I’ve been missing

[Chorus]
So hold me close and stay the night
I want to show you what you mean to me
Don’t let go and keep your eyes locked to mine and we will be alright
For you are with me here tonight

So hold me close and stay the night
I want to show you what you mean to me
Don’t let go and keep your eyes locked to mine and we will be alright
For you are with me here tonight