When Gayle was around 7 years old, a teacher introduced her to scatting and played videos of Ella Fitzgerald in her element. Gayle instantly fell in love and brought her newfound passion for music home, where her mom doubled up on her music knowledge by feeding her the sultry sounds of Joss Stone and Nina Simone.
Eventually, Gayle discovered the works of Aretha Franklin, who remains her biggest musical inspiration to this day. "Aretha has this soul and intensity that I find really inspiring and impactful, and in that moment, I felt this thing that I could honestly live in forever," she tells POPSUGAR. "I was like, 'That's it. That's what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be making music the way that Aretha Franklin is.'"