Biography
Gabriels fuse elements of gospel, doo wop, soul, funk, and disco into an avant-R&B sound that feels simultaneously rooted in earlier eras, projected forward, and anchored in the here and now. The Los Angeles trio centers on Jacob Lusk, whose church-honed background supplies probing lyrics and a highly expressive vocal style. After a low-key 2018 introduction, the group reached broader tastemaker attention in 2020 via its debut EP, Love and Hate in a Different Time. BBC and KCRW airplay, paired with Glastonbury Festival and Coachella appearances, elevated their visibility, which they sustained through the 2021 Bloodline EP and the 2022–2023 full-length Angels & Queens.
Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope first encountered Lusk in 2016 while scoring a Los Angeles commercial. The Compton native had already sung with Nate Dogg’s gospel ensemble InNate Praise, served as a church minister of music, finished fifth on the tenth season of American Idol, and worked as a background vocalist and choir director alongside Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Ledisi. When the producers sought a choir for the project, Lusk’s direction, arrangements, and spontaneous inventiveness left them impressed. The three began collaborating sporadically around other commitments. Material originally created for a Prada advertisement evolved into “Loyalty,” co-written with Ashley Sade Gillis, who also shared the vocal spotlight. R&S Records of Belgium released the track in December 2018, marking Gabriels’ first official outing; the name derives from the Sunderland, England street where Hope spent his childhood.
A year and a half afterward the trio self-released its second single, “In Loving Memory,” following Balouzian’s score for Some Kind of Heaven and the pair’s joint work on Feels Good Man, both of which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Support from BBC broadcasters Gilles Peterson and Benji B helped the song gain traction in the U.K. Late that year Gabriels issued Love and Hate in a Different Time; Elton John then featured the group on his Rocket Hour program. After signing a label and management deal with Atlas Artists, the band arranged licensing through Parlophone in the U.K. and Elektra in the U.S., then delivered the four-track Bloodline EP in December 2021. KCRW subsequently named Gabriels its 2021 Breakthrough Artist.
The group performed on Later...With Jools Holland in 2021 and made its Glastonbury debut the following June behind the advance single “One and Only.” Further live plans were canceled when producer Sounwave, best known for his Grammy-winning contributions to Kendrick Lamar’s work, proved unavailable. The four completed the debut album together, and in September, while opening for Harry Styles in the United States, they released Angels & Queens, Pt. 1. The complete Angels & Queens arrived in July 2023, several months after a Coachella set.
Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope first encountered Lusk in 2016 while scoring a Los Angeles commercial. The Compton native had already sung with Nate Dogg’s gospel ensemble InNate Praise, served as a church minister of music, finished fifth on the tenth season of American Idol, and worked as a background vocalist and choir director alongside Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Ledisi. When the producers sought a choir for the project, Lusk’s direction, arrangements, and spontaneous inventiveness left them impressed. The three began collaborating sporadically around other commitments. Material originally created for a Prada advertisement evolved into “Loyalty,” co-written with Ashley Sade Gillis, who also shared the vocal spotlight. R&S Records of Belgium released the track in December 2018, marking Gabriels’ first official outing; the name derives from the Sunderland, England street where Hope spent his childhood.
A year and a half afterward the trio self-released its second single, “In Loving Memory,” following Balouzian’s score for Some Kind of Heaven and the pair’s joint work on Feels Good Man, both of which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Support from BBC broadcasters Gilles Peterson and Benji B helped the song gain traction in the U.K. Late that year Gabriels issued Love and Hate in a Different Time; Elton John then featured the group on his Rocket Hour program. After signing a label and management deal with Atlas Artists, the band arranged licensing through Parlophone in the U.K. and Elektra in the U.S., then delivered the four-track Bloodline EP in December 2021. KCRW subsequently named Gabriels its 2021 Breakthrough Artist.
The group performed on Later...With Jools Holland in 2021 and made its Glastonbury debut the following June behind the advance single “One and Only.” Further live plans were canceled when producer Sounwave, best known for his Grammy-winning contributions to Kendrick Lamar’s work, proved unavailable. The four completed the debut album together, and in September, while opening for Harry Styles in the United States, they released Angels & Queens, Pt. 1. The complete Angels & Queens arrived in July 2023, several months after a Coachella set.
Albums
Live from London 2023
2024
Angels & Queens
2023
Angels & Queens - Part I
2022
Love and Hate in a Different Time
2021
Singles
