Feature: Gabriel Munoz Shares His Newest Track “Afraid to Forget You”
FROM POPPY AND CATCHY TO DARK AND SOMBER — East LA–based pop singer-songwriter Gabriel Munoz’s music has experienced quite an evolution over the years. Starting his recording artist career in 2021 with “Sayonara,” he went on to release the EP Ride in the same year and the single trio “Don’t Want Me,” “12 Meny,” and “Fake Highs” in 2022.
Now, with his latest track, “Afraid to Forget You,” he describes the song as his “most personal, heartfelt song … yet.” The song was written last year and produced by John Caviness last summer, and soon he’ll release his next single and EP in the new year.
Munoz’s influences range from pop and R&B powerhouses such as Brandy, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, 2000s acts who surrounded him as a kid. His tracks are somber and dark, a result of a lot of “heartbreak trial and error” the artist has experienced within the past two years. Top that all off with the fact that he also grew up in church, which added a slower pace to his writing.
But Munoz’s work hasn’t always been sad and melancholic — his early music was fun and upbeat, not rooted in any deep scenarios.
A pop lover, Munoz is metaphorically attracted to “songs that make you feel good and catch your attention by hearing chords or a melody that you haven't before, but somehow feel instantly familiar.”
Deciding to slow down his experimentations for a while, he intends to become more vocally focused in his next round of material.
Released after “Don’t Want Me” and “Fake Highs,” “Afraid to Forget You” is a song about loss, heartbreak, and the fear of embracing the moment — which feels like you’re losing yourself, someone else, or the world around you in general.
“[It’s] a subconscious telling of my parent's separation after years together,” Munoz shares. “When I sat down to write it, my mother just came to my mind, so the song is me giving her a voice at that moment in her life.”
To produce his tracks, Munoz has been working with North Hollywood’s own De’la and Colorado native John Caviness, who were able to bring his vision to life and tell the stories he wanted to tell.
Stepping away from more demanding corporate work, Munoz currently works a part-time day job while continuing to make his music on his own time. As he claims, he loves the flexibility of part-time because it allows him to be himself, have a schedule that allows him to dedicate himself to his craft and, of course, pay the bills.
As he moves into the new year, Munoz’s goal — besides making music his full-time job — is to perform a few shows next year after the release of his next song off of his homonymous EP.
