Born Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson on January 26, 1996 in the Bay Area of Northern California, Gabrielle began modelling when she was five years old and was a member of the Oakland School for the Arts theatre program (Kehlani and Zendaya are fellow alumni). After high school she attended the women's HBCU Spelman College, where she majored in drama and French. Her first roles were on the Nickelodeon show The Thundermans and the Disney Channel sitcom KC Undercover.