Ali Gatie Talks New Album, Collaborating With Kehlani & More

Ali Gatie is fresh off the release of his new album, Who Hurt You?, and ahead of embarking on tour to support his new music, he sat down with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly to talk creativity, his collaboration with Kehlani and more.

“There’s always that pressure of trying to beat yourself,” he said of making music after having two hits — “It’s You” and “What If I Told You That I Love You” on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sometimes, it’s numbers-wise but also creative-wise. ‘It’s You’ is one of my favorite songs, and there’s times in the studio where you’re trying to beat that song, but that’s always the wrong mentality. It clouds your judgement. I try to write songs without worrying about how it’s going to do numbers-wise. I write it from my heart. The fans choose the hits, and the universe will choose the hits when the time is right.”

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As for his “The Look” collaboration with Kehlani, Gatie can thank his manager for hooking it up. “I had the song and it was missing a verse,” he recalled. “Then, it was like, ‘Who do you want on it?’ Kehlani was my manager’s idea […] He reached out, she was very supportive and killed it. We did the video together and it was fun.”

Watch Ali Gatie’s full conversation with Billboard above.

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