Singer-songwriter Gillian Moranz ventures into the world of rock and roll with her new single ‘What I Want.’
Fort Macleod’s Gillian Moranz has released a new single and video that represents a departure from her usual musical style.
What I Want is a rocking song that came out of Moranz experimenting with rock and roll progressions to expand her guitar skills.
“The song really just came from me messing around on my guitar, having fun outside of my familiar singer-songwriter style,” Moranz explained. “In the past I have spent countless hours crafting deep and meaningful lyrics with simple melodies that kept the lyric at the forefront.”
The lyrics for What I Want are a byproduct of that guitar exercise and took on a life of their own after Moranz introduced the song at a casual jam.
Moranz introduced What I Want as a song she didn’t think was finished, but came away surprised.
“After playing it through it was decided that it was very much complete, and it was a lot of fun to play,” Moranz said.
What I Want was recorded live off the floor at Vancouver’s Monarch Studios at the same time Moranz was recording her EP Cue The Day.
Moranz played guitar and handled vocals, supported by Noah Walker on guitar and bass and Jodie Ponto on drums.
What I Want was engineered by Alex Penney and mastered by Elisa Pangsaeng of CPS Mastering.
“It was clear that this song needed to be released as a single on its own rather than part of the EP so it was a long wait before I was able to share it with the world,” Moranz said. “The release has been really well received and it seems folks have been enjoying a departure from my singer-songwriter roots towards more rock and roll sensibility.”
The experience of writing, recording and performing What I Want has Moranz thinking there will be more rock and roll in her future.
“I have had so much fun with What I Want that I’m sure I will be delving into more upbeat rock songs in the future,” Moranz said. “I do have another single in the works that has a harder edge, so I think it’s safe to say that there will be more to come from this new venture.”
Moranz intends to release another single early in 2024 and plans to record an album in the not-too-distant future. A full-length album of rock songs is another longer term possibility.
“It takes a lot of time and money to create a great album so I want to make sure I have everything lined up to do it properly,” Moranz said.
“This next tune will definitely be drawing from a similar well, but with more poetic lyrics. As I continue down this creative path I can imagine more fluidity between my singer-songwriter/lyrical sensibility and the roots of rock and roll. The creative field is a place full of possibilities and alchemy, and I’m just excited to see where this road leads.”
The song What I Want and accompanying video can be found at www.gillianmoranz.com.
