Galianna Steps In Front Of The Mic

Galianna Erazo-Hernández often spends her days behind the scenes, working as an artist development specialist at recording studio Factory Underground in Norwalk. On Saturday night, Erazo-Hernández stepped away from the desk and into the spotlight for her first official performance as just Galianna (one name, like Cher) in New Haven’s Upper State Street district — in her words, ​“sucking it up” and calling herself a recording artist.

Shiny bangs reflecting the magenta lights above, black-painted nails strumming a guitar, Galianna laid out her emo acoustic singer-songwriter sound as part of a two-artist evening show at East Rock café Spruce. It was a debut performance not just for Galianna, but also for indie singer Galaxy Rose.

The two switched off in four sections throughout the night, each artist playing two sets in total. It seemed the two had coordinated on their outfits; they both wore sweaters, long skirts, and converse. As Galaxy sang, Galianna sat on the ground near her, eyes transfixed, mouthing the heartfelt lyrics. Galaxy’s clear, gentle voice and soft vocal runs enchanted the full café, telling stories of how the ​“the wind is screaming ​‘cause it can’t catch me” and why ​“dreams will never keep me from growing old.”

When it was Galianna’s turn at the mic, she made a special point to shout out Galaxy’s music and her promise as an up-and-coming, talented young singer-songwriter. Even off the clock, Galianna pointed her supportive energy toward others.

“My goal is to help other people,” Galianna told me after the show. She went on to describe a future career working at a record label, continuing to make things happen behind the scenes. She never saw herself as a performer, she said, but fell into it because she wanted people to hear the messages in her music.

Once she got going about her top influence and favorite singer — Hayley Williams from the rock/pop band Paramore — Galianna identified another goal, this one as a recording artist: to ​“be as malleable as” Williams, who often departs from the band’s sound in her solo projects. For example, two days before Galianna’s performance, Williams released a song with Moses Sumney, prompting fans to celebrate and speculate on her entrance into R&B.

Indeed, Galianna’s vocal quality and singing style showcased a desire to cross genres, to create something new. At times, her voice split into a light yodel, reminiscent of Irish alt rock band The Cranberries. She enriched her sound with a moody, goth rock Evanescence‑y undertone and emo/punk whine, sliding up to a note rather than hitting it dead-on as she sang to the crowd, ​“Who am I if I’m not chasing broken things?” The whole time, she maintained a singer-songwriter vibe with her simple acoustic guitar backing.

Kareme Ray, a friend of Galianna who was in the front row Saturday, told me, ​“I always liked her voice.” He urged her to be more confident in her obvious talent.

At 25 years old, Galianna already has years of music industry experience under her belt. She holds a degree in music industry from the University of New Haven, where, thanks to a few recording classes in her major, she ​“was able to learn how to do really rough demos at home.” At her job at Factory Underground, she’s supported artists and booked shows. Though she just has one official release on her artist platforms so far, her two sets Saturday night evidenced a rich library of unreleased music.

Galianna is working on her first EP, which she hopes to drop on the first day of summer, in the form of a ​“waterfall release” with a few singles dropping early. It’ll lean more into her singer-songwriter side, she said, but it seems the future holds an abundance of possibilities for experimentation.

Galianna’s willingness to explore the other side of her day job was the spark that helped this particular bill come together. Factory Underground holds open mics every month.

On Saturday night, that shared comfort was clear to see. Galaxy and Galianna helped each other at the soundboard, giggled together during set transitions, and made sure to tell the crowd how proud they were of each other.

“It felt nice,” Galianna said. ​“It made it easier knowing Galaxy was there.”