Today we’d like to introduce you to Giselle And Erik
Hi Giselle and Erik, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We met playing in the University of Florida jazz big band together. We joke that we started big with the big band, downsized to a smaller jazz combo, then it was just the two of us, and well…who’s next on the chopping block? Haha! In all seriousness, the more we played together, the more we wanted to combine our strengths and develop our sound as a duo. And somewhere in those years, we fell in love, but that’s another story.
After graduation, we performed as a music duo for Disney Cruise Line, and then our journey took us to Nashville where we’ve been recording, releasing, and performing our original music. We released our debut EP, “Healing” in 2023, and are gearing up to release our sophomore EP this fall.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our debut EP, “Healing,” reflects our experiences through Erik’s open heart surgery and recovery in 2021-22. It’s a time capsule for us of an incredibly challenging and life changing season of our lives. The songs reflect a range of emotions like fear, guilt, faith, and ultimately, hope and perseverance. We feel a responsibility to do our part to tell our story – to hopefully help others through our music, as well as collaborate to expand and amplify its impact.
Erik’s heart disease is congenital, meaning that he’s had it since birth, and while this music had a release date, it’s something that will always be in our lives. Since the release, we’ve partnered with the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) and Vanderbilt School of Medicine. It’s been so special to share our music and connect with other CHD patients and families.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We’re a husband-and-wife music duo, and our style melds our roots in folk and jazz. Our songs pair Giselle’s warm, lyrical voice and mellow piano with Erik’s expertise in colorful harmony, improvisation, and jazz, classical, and Brazilian guitar.
We have complementary skill sets and wear a lot of hats to make our music happen – from being multi-instrumentalists to producing to audio engineering (all the home studio things!) – and we’re proud of that. We’re looking forward to continuing to build our team, but think we’ll look back on this period and be proud of how persistent and resourceful we were.
What sets us apart is best conveyed in a live setting. Our music, and especially our live performances, have a deep emotional flavor because, in spite of our relative youth, we’ve already experienced a lot of life together. It’s our banter, humor, vulnerability – the things you can’t manufacture…when it’s paired with our music, it creates the “humanness” that lingers.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Some fun facts!
My (Erik) paternal side of the family has lived in Murfreesboro, TN for eight generations. Growing up, we were the “Florida-nathy’s” and I remember a lot of our visits to Tennessee. Living here now, I’m enjoying revisiting the places I loved as a kid and also exploring new ones.
I (Giselle) grew up as a child singer for the TV show, “Barney & Friends.” It’s fun looking back at it now because I still use a lot of the recording skills I learned from that experience!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.giselleanderik.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giselleanderik/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giselleanderik/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giselleanderik?si=BrV_-qOgUDCS6MHK
