Gabrielle Aplin is an English singer-songwriter known for her folk-influenced pop style. She gained popularity by posting covers on YouTube and releasing independent EPs. Aplin signed with Parlophone and released her major label debut English Rain in 2013, which charted highly in the UK and Ireland. While praised for her talent and success at a young age, some critics say her music lacks range and that her vocals rely too heavily on a high-pitched sweet sound.

1. Artist Research
Gabrielle Aplin

2. Introduction
• Gabrielle Aplin was born on the 10th of October
1992 and is an English singer-songwriter from
Sutton Benger, Wiltshire. She at first gained a
fan base online after posting acoustic covers of
songs by bands such as Paramore and You Me at
Six on her YouTube channel.
• She covers various genres such as folk, pop,
indie, and country.
• She sings as well as being able to play guitar,
piano, and drums.

3. Biography
• She was brought up in a council house in the small village of
Sutton Benger, Wiltshire; the first of two children. Her parents
bought her first guitar at the age of 11, and she says her music is
influenced by listening to their Joni Mitchell and Bruce
Springsteen collections growing up. She is a fan of singer-
songwriters Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
• She attended Sheldon School in Chippenham, where she
describes her fellow pupils as "upper-middle class and I don't
think I fitted in with their lifestyles".
• She went on to study music at City of Bath College, participating
in the college's in-house label BA1 Records.
• She developed a fan base by posting performance videos to
YouTube. Her most popular videos include her original
composition "Home", and covers of "The Liar and the Lighter" by
You Me At Six. She has described her music as "very family
orientated, very personal".

4. Discography
Acoustic EP
• Released: 13 September 2010
• Label: Never Fade Records
• Format: Digital download, limited CD copies
• It reached the top 25 in the UK iTunes album
chart, and features the song "Reverse" which was
used on E4 TV show Made in Chelsea.

5. Discography
Never Fade EP
• Released: 9 May 2011
• Label: Never Fade Records
• Format: Digital download, limited CD copies
• This EP saw an expanded sound, showcasing a more folk
rock sound and playing all instruments herself. It
reached number 14 in the UK album charts, it was in the
top 100 in America and top 50 in Australia.
• In April 2011, she was invited to perform for BBC
Introducing at Maida Vale Studios, where she played 3
tracks from Never Fade and a cover of the Coldplay song
Fix You. Her cover is one of the most viewed videos on
the BBC Introducing YouTube channel.

6. Discography
Home EP
• Released: 9 January 2012
• Label: Never Fade Records
• Format: Digital download, limited CD copies
• Her YouTube channel features her performing the EP in
St Mary's Church, Bath. She described the release as "the
most honest thing I've ever written and recorded." The
lead track "Home" was featured on the iTunes Store as
"single of the week" and was available to download for
free as a part of iTunes' New Artists 2012 promotion. It
was also played on BBC Radio 1 and was the song near
the end of BBC Ones television drama series Prisoners'
Wives series 2, episode 4.

7. Discography
English Rain
• Released: 13 May 2013
• Label: Parlophone Records
• Format: CD, Digital download, Vinyl
• Her first major label single "Please Don't Say You Love Me" was set for
release on 10 February 2013. She was confirmed as the soundtrack to the
John Lewis 2012 Christmas television advert, covering Frankie Goes To
Hollywood's "The Power of Love".
• She announced live on 17th February Radio 1 Chart Show that her third
single would be “Panic Cord”. The song originally featured on her Never
Fade EP and it was released on 5 May 2013, charting at number 19.
• On 12 March 2013, She released previews of the songs that would appear on
the standard edition of English Rain.
• 'English Rain' charted at number 2 on both the UK and Scottish charts,
while charting at number 11 in Ireland.
• “English Rain: (Deluxe Edition)” was also released with bonus songs.

8. Record Labels
• Gabrielle Aplin created her own record label, Never
Fade, to launch her own music from 2010. In 2013, she
announced that her record label would now represent
other musicians. Her first signings were Welsh folky-jazz
singer Hannah Grace, who will join Aplin on a future
tour and indie folk artist Saint Raymond.
• On 29 February 2012, she announced that she had
signed to Parlophone. Originally founded in Germany in
1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon, the
British arm of the label was formed in 1923 under the
name Parlophone Records, which quickly developed an
identity as a leading jazz label.

9. Critical Opinions
• Her age has been criticised many times for example in an article in
the Telegraph, Neil McCormick writes, “With her fresh-faced, wide-
eyed beauty, Gabrielle Aplin looks younger than her 20 years. Her
music videos, which she has been posting online since she was 14,
have had over 30 million views; she‟s already had a number one
single and seven sold-out UK headline tours – yet she still has to
show ID to get served.”
• Her style of writing and singing has been criticised as she is said to
have only one „sound‟ as is said in a review of English Rain on
theaureview.com, “The songs are all very acoustic-folk-pop which is
obviously her signature sound; however having more range would
be good. Her vocals are constantly high pitched which comes off
very sweet and beautiful; perhaps testing her vocal range would
have given something more to the album. It‟s just missing
something that takes the album from a good album to an amazing
album.”