Warner Music Artist Ali Gatie Talks New Single “The Look” Featuring R&B Star Kehlani

Two years ago, Ali Gatie was all ready for his first world tour. The Canadian-Iraqi musical artist had lined up gigs, and some shows were already sold out. The plan was for loyal listeners to get pumped to hear his music, along with new fans coming aboard to discover his unique sound.

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic disrupted these plans, and the tour was scrapped. Though disappointed, the cancellation gave Ali Gatie opportunities to get back to writing and recording new material. Now, he’s ready to resume where he left off, with a new tour planned this fall.

“I’m excited and a little stressed at the same time since this is my first real tour,” he said. “I know it can be both very physical and mentally draining. But keeping a strong mindset, reminding myself why I do what I do, and being grateful, helps the fatigue and the long hours on the road.” The tour starts November 2nd in San Francisco and includes stops through the U.S. and Canada, wrapping up in Portland on December 17th, 2022.

In the last few years, Ali Gatie has worked hard on individual songs and entire albums at his home base in Toronto. “You” came out in 2019, followed by “The Idea of Here” in 2021. “Who Hurt You?” was released earlier this year. He said, “Who Hurt You?” is just the start of some very emotional and heartfelt music that listeners can get into. He hopes his music is enjoyable and relatable too.

“There’s definitely a side that the world hasn’t completely seen yet and am very excited to show,” Ali Gatie said. “You will definitely be seeing more hip/hop, urban style music from me, and I really want to start collaborating with more artists and producers in the future.”

Nothing is official yet, but he does have his dream list of people he’d love to perform with or work with, especially some of the artists he’s been listening to all his life, such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, Drake or The Weekend.

He’s proud of the musical accomplishments he’s already made, including generating more than 4 billion streams with all of his music. Ali Gatie sometimes enjoys tackling complex, emotionally charged topics in his lyrics but putting strong music behind them, like his singles “Crying in the Rain” or “The Look.”

When writing songs, I usually let the music speak to me and notice how the music makes me feel,” he said. “I never force an idea – for some weird reason, my brain just creates them. In “Crying In The Rain,” my good friend and co-writer Aldae said that phrase, and I was instantly intrigued, so we built the song around that metaphor.”

Along with this tour, he hopes to continue creating more music and encourage others to follow their creative dreams. “It’s crucial to be innovative in how you approach things, even creatively. It’s important to be different. You are different; embrace that.”

To keep up with Ali Gatie, follow him on social media @aligatie or visit aligatie.com.