By Nigel Pitman

If you have ever spent any time in the bars and hotels of Huatulco, you will almost certainly have heard the unique singing voice of Gabrielle Guzmán. For the last five years “Gabz” has been one of the most popular singers in town as a solo artist, duet or with the bands Criminal Minds and the Funking Bros. Renowned for both her powerful singing voice and energetic performance, she has often been dubbed “tiny Tina Turner.” It is a well-deserved epithet and people seeing her perform for the first time are often amazed that such a voice can come from a diminutive frame. 

Gabz says that she is “not a natural singer” and that her voice is an instrument that has been trained by years of practice, study and professional vocal techniques, which she has applied both to herself and to her many clients when she worked as a vocal coach for Sony in the recording studios of Mexico City. Many of her students went on to become household names in music and TV.

Gabz was born in Oaxaca City, the youngest of ten children.  From an early age, she wanted to pursue a career in music and this path led her to the Escuela Superior de Música in Mexico City, where she obtained her professional teaching qualifications. With this knowledge and her experience in live performance, studio recording and techniques developed over 20 years of singing live, Gabz is a strong believer that anyone can be taught to sing. Now settled in Huatulco, Gabz has decided to return to vocal coaching and from January will be offering lessons in her home studio. The lessons will be individually tailored to the level of the trainee and are available to complete novices, amateur singers who would like to improve and even professional musicians. 

“Singing is not about just learning a song or imitation, it is about training yourself to recognise the body positions that create the best voice,” Gabz said. “And anyone can learn this with practice and a little dedication.” 

Gabz´s love and appreciation of all things musical comes from being a part of a traditional Oaxacan family in which food, mescal and music are incredibly important. At a family gathering, from abuelos to grandchildren, everyone can sing along to traditional songs and the hits of the big Latin stars such as Luis Miguel. This heritage, combined with study and experience, has given Gabz an unbelievable understanding of rhythm, beat, timing and expression and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Latin, European and North American music, which is what makes her such an outstanding performer and teacher. 

For anyone interested in singing lessons, they can be conducted in English or Spanish and can be booked Sundays – Tuesdays throughout the year.

Gabz can be contacted at cell: 958 118 8895