Rising Stars: Meet Gabriel Duran

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Duran. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Gabriel Duran grew up in Southwest Detroit with strong ties to his families roots. Gabriel started his journey with music at a young age thanks to his grandfather, Ismael Duran. At eight years old, Duran started performing alongside his grandfather throughout the city. Accompanying him on percussion. It wasn’t until high school that Gabriel began writing his own songs and performing them at the talent shows. At the age of 16, he founded the hip-hop collective Awkward Theory alongside DeMaciiio and Supreme Flows. The group would go on to release their debut album, an EP, and also had the chance to tour the U.S. Having spent the majority of 2019 focusing on his solo career, Duran has now released his debut album Wish You Well in the fall of 2020, followed by an EP titled Lose Me Now in April of 2021. Focused on curating a unique sound that both reflects his roots and inspirations, the twenty-three years old Southwest Detroit native has become known for his sultry vocals and Latin influence on records like Tesla, Say Nothing, and Knew Me. Eager to perform in the fall, Duran is currently one of the lead organizers for a free music festival in his community called SW FEST.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of obstacles along the way. I have always felt as though there are several doors of opportunity closed for not only myself but for many people in my community, so encountering struggles along the way feels pretty normal for people like us. There have been great moments along the way and there have been many moments that feel like tests for what will hopefully be even better times. There’s always an opportunity to learn from our “misfortune” or individual struggles.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a recording artist that holds a lot of pride and love for the community and cultures that I come from. My mother is a Chilean/American community organizer and my father was Puerto Rican/Mexican, so my sound has been influenced by quite a variety of artists/genres from around the world.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I’ve heard a lot of stories about how inseparable I was from this toy tape recorder that had a microphone attached to it. I’d like to think that the toy was one of the earliest signs of my admiration for music. I remember being very vocal about how I felt growing up. What I liked, what I didn’t like. My mother had me at a very young age and my father passed shortly after, so to a certain extent I know that I grew up a lot quicker than I should have. This however allowed me to carry myself in a way that took many people by surprise. I know everyone has had a moment in their childhood where an elder told them how mature they were for their age, but this felt pretty normal for me growing up. In many ways, it is probably why I became so quiet and to myself in my teen years. This new appreciation for sticking to my own allowed me to focus a lot of my attention and energy on my passion, which was then and still is today; music.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/GabrielXDuran
• Facebook: Gabriel Duran
• Twitter: twitter.com/GabrielXDuran
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GabrielDuranOfficial

Image Credits:
Xavier Cuevas, Renato Pecina, Jacob Mulka