Gina Cutillo is back on the scene, this time with Brand New video "Brand New Start," an uplifting track which matches the cheery and positive vibes of the song. The video captures the magic of bumping into a real-life bridal party whilst Gina walks down the street. With the camera still rolling it caught an unexpected moment that truly captured the spirit of ‘Brand New Start.’
Cutillo's 2016 single "Keep On" entered at 34 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream charts and went on to become the most added track to radio. "Keep On" reached further chart success reaching number 41 on Top 40 Media Base Activator Charts, and was the number one indie record.
Gina released two EPs "Monolovers" and "Love, Faith, Soul." Both were put in the forefront of the APM library with a review stating: "New Yorker Gina Cutillo delivers Pop/Rock/Dance at its best with a fresh batch of incredibly catchy memorable songs."
Her recent single, "The Inside," was co-written with Pete Nappi of Arthouse Entertainment (Meghan Trainor, Ke$ha, Shinedown, Kara DioGuardi ). "The Inside" become a viral hit with social media fans and major industry execs.
Her chart successes have led Gina to tour and perform with some of the most talented musicians and asked to perform on Warped tour alongside Katy Perry, Paramore and Gym Class Heroes. Gina's stage presence resulted in performing on stage with Prince and playing with SXSW multiple times.
Her latest performance included being an opener for Neon Trees.
Brand new start
Gina Cutillo's aim is to spread positivity through her music. Describing this as "The best feeling in the world is when someone tells you they had a better day because of your song. It's truly what all the success comes down to … my fans." I grabbed a chat with Gina to discuss working with icon Prince and how it feels to be a woman in the Music Industry still dominated by men.
Kirsty Bright (KB): What was it like being able to work with someone as iconic as Prince?
Gina Cutillo (GC): “It was amazing just to be second row, so close in his presence, then to be asked to come on stage and perform aside him was mind-blowing. It was 20 minutes of my life that can never be touched. It was living a dream of a lifetime.
The talent, the sweetness. He’s so contagious. I danced as if I’d been dancing my whole life. A true legend and I shared a stage with him. Forever gold!”
KB: Being a woman in the music industry, do you feel that there is still a big gap in how women are treated in comparison to male musicians?
GC: “Yes, I think in every aspect of the world businesswomen have a way to go in getting that equal opportunity. When I first started my career, a major label wanted to sign me but didn't because they had one other woman signed already that was in the genre of my sound. At that time they had tons of the same genre male rock bands on their roster. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Like, really? This isn’t a school talent contest I’m trying out for.
This is real life. I need to make a living like everyone else. It’s a scary thought when you think about it like that, right? Your gender could affect whether you’ll eat or not, be able to pay your bills or not. I can handle “you’re not talented enough”, but sorry we already signed a woman. Can’t have too many of those... hmm tell ya mom that buddy! It's getting better, but we still have some big milestones to get to.”
KB: Warped tour is a fantastic music platform to perform to thousands of rock fans, how did you manage to get the funds together and perform even when your band had quit?
GC: “When I told the band we had been put on the tour for six weeks starting in Utah (we live in NY), I figured I would get some questions of concern.
I expected whining I did not expect half the band to quit out of fear (They say fear of success is a real thing.) But getting replacements was easy once you have an ad saying bass player and drummer needed for Warped Tour."
As for the funding - not easy but I had made many friends in the business scene that had big companies. I thought about who I could approach that could benefit from me being on this tour because no one does anything because they 'really like and believe in you.' They may believe in you, but always want something in return. It’s business. So there was this company called ‘Best Of Bands.’ They were a start-up doing well but could have used more exposure to the age demographic that Warped Tour has.
Ultimately, with a business plan and more, I suggested that Best of Bands sponsor us.
I’ll never forget that day, Ron my guitarist drove us to Brooklyn. We sat at this huge table with all these business execs. I suggested a big banner for our Merch booth and tons of bags with their company name and my name. We would film us physically handing these bags out to thousands of thousands of kids. I would post on YouTube, so the company could see. Best of Bands signed to sponsor us with funding, a bus, and gas money. It was an absolute triumph! I’ve never busted my b*tt so hard like we did on that tour. We had thousands and thousands of bags - Ron and I handed out so many they had to have more shipped to one of our shows.
You can’t buy promotion like that. I worked harder for that company than anything ever before because they believed in me and gave me a chance of a lifetime.”
'Do not let fear stop you'
KB: When times are tough what would you say is the best piece of advice when younger people are struggling to follow their dreams going towards something creative i.e.- performance arts, theatre, musicians.
GC: “Do not let fear stop you. Always be true to who you are and what you want. Also, listen to the right people. Now that's something you will just feel inside - that gut feeling. Also, if you are doing something and you're not seeing results try to accomplish it another way. Just know the entertainment business is the most sought-after career and the most difficult to be successful in, but if you truly love what you do you can move mountains.”
KB: Are social media platforms hindering artists or giving them an opportunity to reach out further to new fans?
GC: “With anything good, there is always a little bad. So yes, Social media platforms are giving artists an amazing opportunity to reach out to new fans and get their music out there. On the other hand, because it is so accessible there is so much noise out there which makes new music difficult to stand out. But in the end, it doesn't matter because technology is only going to get more intense, you have to find a way to make it work for you.”
KB: What other viable areas are there for artists to make money besides releasing music, as of course nowadays it’s available via streaming and iTunes.
GC: “Licensing and branding. Eyeballs on your socials is like money in the bank. The more you have, the bigger brands will want to offer you money for advertisement etc.
Licensing is the bigger way. A lot of bands and artists are breaking out through commercials. It's where I make the most income. I have had a lot of licensing and I have meetings with my licensing company APM monthly on how to create more opportunities for my songs.”
KB: The video in which you bumped into a bridal party, how was that? Did you feel it made the video more authentic and did the bride like the video's outcome?
GC: “That was super cool and reality at its best. The director, Max Skaff, and I couldn't have planned that better. In fact, it was not planned. We were shooting single shots of me just walking down the street and the bridal party came around the corner. I kept walking and doing my part while Max kept the camera rolling.
Afterwards, we asked them to be in the final scene. It absolutely made the video so authentic. It was like exactly what I envisioned with real people scenario and a wedding. What a great add-on to the theme of 'Brand New Start.' The bride loves the video. She’s been commenting on my page a lot.”
BN: The song is a very uplifting number; do you feel it’s a great way to spread positivity to others in a very trying time in the world?
GC: “Thank you! And yes, that is why I wrote it a year ago. It was in response to how the presidential campaign was affecting people. From my family members to friends and more. The divisive nature of the campaign really tore people apart. My mother, when she was alive, would always tell us we were not allowed to talk about politics in the house.
I get that it’s a touchy subject, personal views, and values so we all protect them as they are very personal to us. But that’s the thing. We all have personal reasons as to why this idea works better in our minds than that. We’ve always been able to move through it but not this last year. The separation was awful.
So, I started to write BNS because I was heartbroken by what was happening. We do better together! It was a simple as needing a Brand-New Start- everyone! So, I’m happy that it’s resonating the way it is and on so many levels now. However, in our political climate people have told me it’s helped them get through a breakup, personal goals, and life issues.That’s the beauty of life within every minute you can start anew.
I truly believe that and have used time in a positive way to better myself or get over a situation. I can create career goals, better my friendships and love myself more. Every day is a fresh start on anything you want, and I think the song makes you believe and feel that. Well, I hope it does.”
With that said if you’re having a bad day or want an uplifting song to start the day right then check out Gina Cutillio’s new single ‘Brand New Start’ and head to YouTube to see the fantastic video.
