When Jacob Lusk takes the stage with his band Gabriels, he always wears a tuxedo and bow tie.
The attire remains the same whether he is performing at Glastonbury on a warm Saturday afternoon or backing Harry Styles on his US tour. And for a very specific purpose
The singer states, “If you recall, there was once a period when servers wore black ties.” “When I put on the tuxedo, I feel almost subservient.
“I’m here because you purchased a ticket, and I’m here because you spent your money, so this is my way of showing you the highest regard and respect.
It elevates the performance to a new level.
Regardless of attire, the band is interesting to observe. The voice of Lusk is unreal, simmering just below the threshold of combustion until he draws back and releases all of his regrets, passions, and rages in an unreal falsetto.
The band, consisting of violinist Ari Balouzian and keyboardist Ryan Hope, supports him with music that combines 60s soul, ghetto funk, the black Baptist church tradition, and the spectral trip-hop of Massive Attack and Wu-Tang Clan.
“I didn’t know much about it,” admits Lusk of the poll, which has previously forecast the rise to fame of artists such as Adele, Stormzy, and Michael Kiwanuka.
“However, according to my research, it’s a good company to be in. The only issue is that I enjoy winning!”
Lusk is one of those vocalists who, upon meeting him, seems already destined for fame.
He punctuates his discourse with scurrilous asides, snippets of song, and an unabashed boast about his skills as a baker.
“If I bake you my cornbread, you’ll marry me,” he exclaims with a hearty chuckle.
But his road to fame was paved with failed record agreements, dishonest managers, and a treacherous American Idol experience, as he describes it.
Born and reared in Compton, Los Angeles, he is now 35 years old. Due to NWA, this city suburb has become synonymous with gangster rap, but according to Lusk, the reality is quite different.
“There are no housing complexes in Compton; the area is lower middle class.” The residents of your neighborhood could be garbage collectors or grocery store employees. Thus, it is not as shocking as NWA made it appear.
“These possibilities were available to you, but the hood protects some individuals, and I believe I was one of them. I was a diligent student, the president of the student body, and the captain of the speech debate team.
The young vocalist originally intended to become a physician until he saw an advertisement on Craigslist seeking backup singers.
Upon commenting, Lusk realized that it was posted by G-Funk pioneer Nate Dogg, whose work on songs such as Warren G’s Regulate and Dr. Dre’s The Next Episode earned him the moniker “king of hooks.”
Lusk joined the celebrity gospel choir, InNate Praise, and the two became close after he missed his train home and had to stay the night.
“He responded, ‘Well, you can spend the night here and catch the train in the morning.’ That night, he told me all of his Tupac and Biggie war stories, and the next day we began composing together.
Nate experienced a series of strokes and passed away in 2011 at the age of 41, putting an unfortunate end to their work.
Lusk remembers regretfully, “It wasn’t until after he passed away that I learned he had been discussing a contract for me.”
Death has been a persistent and unwanted presence in the life of the musician. When he was 12 years old, his father “became ill and died.” His granddad perished in a jeep collision. An uncle committed suicide. His godsister passed away when he was making the debut album for Gabriels.
“It makes you realize how brief and valuable life is,” he says. People are not to a fault; it simply is what it is.
Grief and loss are unsurprising frequent themes in his poems, but Lusk is a philosopher and an optimist.
If You Only Knew, one of Gabriel’s most heartbreaking songs is written from the perspective of the deceased, bringing solace to their loved ones.
“When you feel the sun / That’s my love shining down on you / You’re not alone.”
The band was established almost by accident in 2016 when directors Balouzian and Hope recruited Lusk’s church choir to perform in a commercial.
Although Lusk has done background vocals professionally for Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, this singing ensemble consisted of amateurs.
“It was the plumber and the 55-year-old woman on social security who stays at home. Poor fellow, he was tone deaf, but he had the kindest of hearts. When he sang, he sang from the heart, which made all the difference.
Balouzian and Hope, who had never watched Lusk on American Idol (he placed fifth in the 2011 season), were immediately struck by his skills, which included composing harmonies on the spot and coaching the vocalists with an equal measure of empathy and discipline.
They invited him to Hope’s studio in Palm Springs to create further songs. In response to his refusal, they set up camp outside his church with a remote recording studio. They quickly became attached despite having “absolutely no common reference points.”
“We are three incredibly different persons in terms of appearance, speech, behavior, and upbringing, but we have become extremely good friends.
And this is because there are more similarities between us than differences.
The apocalypse is now
Initially, the group took things carefully, maintaining day jobs and gathering once a month to refine their sound.
They did not release anything until 2018 when R&S Records acquired a piece of music they had written for a Prada advertisement.
But Love And Hate In A Different Time was the album that put 2020 on the map. Written as a reaction to Covid lockdowns and George Floyd’s passing, the song was a worldwide cry of pain.
“It was nearly apocalyptic,” recalls Lusk of his mental condition at the time.
“It felt like the end of the world. I don’t want to become political, but we all watched on camera as this guy was slain by a police officer.
“And everyone, regardless of where they stood on the political spectrum, felt the same way: ‘What the hell is going on?'”
He agrees that music cannot provide any answers. However, it can provide a shared space for experiencing sadness.
“The essential is to realize that you are not alone,” adds Lusk. “It’s as if to say, ‘Oh, they feel the same way I do. God be praised”
The song was championed by Elton John (a rite of passage for nearly every new artist) and earned Gabriels a spot on Harry Styles’ US tour last year.
“It’s fantastic that these individuals have opened these doors for us,” marvels Lusk. “Elton John? He is legendary. Harry Fashions? I have no negative comments. Outstanding experience of my life.”
As Gabriels’ star rises, Lusk desires to repay these favors.
