Great Minds Think Different 2019 - Our Acts and their Stories
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In advance of our celebratory evening, we thought we’d provide you with a bit more information on each of our performers and panel members. This week we’ll be looking at those performing on the night and what exciting things you can expect!
If you haven’t got your tickets yet, we hope this will convince you – get your free tickets here!
Great Minds Think Different 2019 – The Acts
British singer and songwriter Gabriela Eva grew up in Essex, inspired by stronger female singers and her mother, who encouraged her to express herself creatively.
At a young age, Gabriela Eva taught herself to play guitar and has since produced a wide range of music – pop, alternative soul and funk being just some of the genres associated with her music - and has gone on to play at ‘HEY!’ with Riverfish Records on September 13 2019.
This follows her 2018 EP ‘Rise Up.’ One of her tracks on the EP, ‘Sailing Over the City’, has been featured on BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and a Live BBC London Session with Robert Elms.
In an interview on April 20 2018, Gabriela Eva spoke to the ‘I was just thinking…’ blog about her dyslexia and her career. She said:
“I only accepted being dyslexic three months ago [Jan 2018]. I swept it under the rug for ages. I found it hard to keep a job. People never fully understood me because I wouldn’t always speak about it. If I did, they saw it as a disadvantage…
“Dyslexia is not something to be embarrassed about…the more I accepted it and reached out, the better my life got. It’s quite a journey.
“I only learn creatively. Pretty much everything I learned I’ve taught myself. I studied music but I didn’t absorb any of the theory. I took it on myself to adapt and use my ear. I had a drive to be really accomplished. I hibernated and chipped away until something sounded good.”
You can read her full interview here.
Kaiya Stone is a theatremaker, filmmaker and author of an upcoming memoir ‘Everything is going to be KO’ which she will be reading from at Great Minds Think Different 2019.
On the project website it states: “’Everything is Going to be K.O.’ is a call-to-arms for a movement that questions the way we are ‘supposed’ to think, and demands that we do better for everyone.”
Kaiya has also previously done shows on the same topic, which debuted in 2018 at Gerry’s Theatre Royal Stratford East, and ran during the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has also written for Huffington Post about her dyslexia and dyspraxia – read her article here.
Luke is a 28-year-old comedian from Essex. He was the winner of Essex Comedian of the Year in 2019, where nine young comics had just five minutes to outshine their competitors. The judges said that Luke is “a huge talent and certainly one to watch.”
His comedy often features stories about his autism, and on the Open Comedy website, it says: “[He] finds a way to self-deprecate on problems he’s had in life and jokes about things no one else cares to talk about.”
On his Twitter, Luke also points out that he is a vegan, enjoys watching a lot of films, and makes videos on YouTube.
