Name: Gizmo Varillas
Nationality: Spanish
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Gizmo Varillas's latest full-length album The World In Colour is out March 21st 2025 via Big Lake.
Recommendations: Bonga - Mona Ki Ngi Xica; Dorothy Ashby - Come Live With Me

If you enjoyed this Gizmo Varillas interview and would like to know more about his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, tiktok, and Facebook.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I have fun experimenting and trying stuff out, so it doesn’t take much to be inspired.

Listening to other music is usually a great way for me to get going. Or just picking up an instrument and singing some melodies. I’m basically having fun with it until something strikes me. Then I start getting a little more serious with it.

There’s a balance between being playful and having fun, and then being more methodical. You need to wear different hats and know when to act accordingly. With experience it gets easier and easier.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

Sometimes I have a clear idea, like with my song ‘Crossroads’, I had the title before the song.



So I knew what I was going to sing about, because I was at that intersection in my life, and had the theme of the song already laid out before me. All I had to do was be authentic and speak my mind on that subject, So it came quite naturally.

Other times I have no idea where I’m going and I’m catching up with whatever my subconscious has to say. There really is no set way. It’s all about doing, doing, doing, until something sticks.

What do you start with? And, to quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

For me, there is no set rule for creating. Whatever sparks an idea is good, whether that is a bassline, a drum rhythm, a lyric, melody or just a guitar riff. It can start in any way, all that matters is that you explore the idea through until the end.

Part of the role of the artist is to determine if the idea itself is worth exploring. I think all ideas exist already, and we are just discovering them. The ones that resonate with us are the ones that are everlasting. It’s like we are resonating with the frequencies and emotions that the music and lyrics carry.

I think that it’s better to let the song/music reveal itself to you than try to impose yourself on it. Usually that’s when my best work comes.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

For me, lyrics can be stored in our subconscious. They often come out naturally without thinking.

So for example, I’ll sing a melody and a few words or phrases will come out and it’s usually things I have been thinking about or I am experiencing in life. Then it’s all about crafting it into a song and editing it into something memorable.

Lyrics don’t necessarily need to grow together with the music, one of my favourite things is to take a set of lyrics I wrote for an old song I had and then create new music for it. It gives the words a whole different point of view.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I think being relatable and memorable is important. Taking a topic that has been spoken about a million times, but giving it a fresh spin.

We all have our own ways of approaching text. But I’d like to push myself to write in new ways that I haven’t done before. That’s exciting for me.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

It happens a lot. There are times when I have a set of lyrics which I really love, but I don’t like the music or the melodies. So I create a whole new bunch of chords and melodies to go with the lyrics. It could go from a folk song, to a bossa nova or then into a funk track.

I’ll keep trying until I’m happy with it. I ask myself, do these lyrics fit the music and do I relate to it? If so, I’ll ‘marry’ the two together and leave it as it is. Otherwise, I could go on forever and explore the limitless possibilities.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

There’s definitely an element of deep concentration and mindfulness that music brings. I am able to tap into that very easily.

For me, creating music is like being sucked into a vortex where time goes at a whole differen pace. I get lost in the process and connect with myself on a deeper level. I guess you could say there is an element of spirituality in it.

When you're in the studio to record a piece, how important is the actual performance and the moment of performing the song still in an age where so much can be “done and fixed in post?“

The performance is still the most important part of the process. Everything thing else after it is just there to enhance what already works.

I try to make the performance side as good as I can get it, because I know it will make my life a whole lot easier down the line.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I think there comes a time when you can overwork a piece of music. There’s a sweet spot. I work really hard to do as much as I can, but at some point you need to step back and listen to it from a fresh perspective.

If I can’t think of any clear examples of things to improve on after listening to the song a few times, I know I’m near finishing. Beyond that point, it’s worth getting someone else to listen to it.

Even recording a solo song is usually a collaborative process. Tell me about the importance of trust between the participants, personal relationships between musicians and engineers and the freedom to perform and try things – rather than gear, technique or “chops” - for creating a great song.

I think it’s good to listen to people you trust, and take their thoughts on board. Whether or not you agree with them, their thoughts are valid and worthy of deliberating.

I usually like to at least try stuff out, and if it works then perfect. It’s hard to know if it will 100% work until you try so that is my process. Then if it doesn’t work at least you know you tried.

Keeping that mentality is usually very healthy when working with others.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?  

The song is the most important thing, then the biggest part that contributes to the song is the performance and arrangements.

Then what matters is the quality of recording, so the front end (mics, room, instruments…) and then the mixing stage, lastly the mastering. That’s my order or importance.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I feel the emptiness after finishing writing the album, more so than after releasing it. Once you are done writing, you get a feeling of ‘oh no, what next?’.

But I’ve done this long enough to trust the process. I know that it takes time to know what the next steps are so I don’t dwell in it for too long.

I’ve learned to keep myself motivated, just by learning music, songs, or instruments. Once I get started, suddenly I’m writing songs again.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Music is incredible rich and complex in many ways, it has many elements that contribute to the final listening experience.

I personally like the challenge, both spiritually and intellectually. I like solving creative ‘riddles’ and I feel like music is perfect for how my brain works.

I’m not sure I would get the same satisfaction from more mundane tasks.