Hit producer’s debut solo album set to release in March

Hit-maker and emerging solo artist GAWVI is set to release his debut full-length album, We Belong, on March 31.

“What I do is just an extension of who I am,” GAWVI said. “We Belong is my heartbeat. It’s my declaration that everyone has a unique purpose and plan.”

Born to an El Salvadorian father and a Dominican mother, GAWVI is a first-generation American who works hard to keep connected with his Latin roots. He embraces his Latin heritage in his music and sees his identity and upbringing as a source of his creative approach. “It’s so important for people to understand their identity,” GAWVI said. “There’s a lot of power that comes from knowing who you are. Only then can you start making an impact in your world. That’s what this album is about.”

GAWVI worked for nearly a decade as a DOVE award-winning hip-hop producer, creating chart-topping tracks with industry heavyweights like Rodney Jerkins and Pharrell. However, he chose to shift his music course to a more EDM pop style and began marketing himself as his own recording artist. “In my core, I’ve always been drawn to be more experimental,” he said. “I want to show people they can control their own narrative.”

In 2016, GAWVI dropped two EPs – Lost in Hue and Holding Hue. Lost in Hue hit #2 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic charts, with multiple singles from the EP peaking at #1 on the Hot CHR Top 40 chart. Garnering over 2.4 million views on YouTube and 2.5 million Spotify streams, GAWVI has already established himself as a rising visionary in the EDM and CCM scenes, a stylistic combination in which he is the main pioneer.

In anticipation of We Belong’s arrival, GAWVI released “Closer” as the album’s lead single on Feb. 24. The song features Julissa Leilani and Robbie Lee, and quickly and successfully establishes GAWVI’s vision of fusing EDM with CCM. “I wrote this song thinking about how a shadow is always by your side, even when you don’t notice it. I wanted to make an anthem that people can sing about their desire to be closer to God the way He desires to be closer with us,” GAWVI said. The bubbly, synthetic-pop bounce of the track pulls listeners in, proving that GAWVI knows exactly what people want and what the industry needs.