While some of us may be selecting the most riotous tunes we can find in order to get in the mood for the weekend, others may be looking for a more relaxed approach and if you’re the latter, then look no further than the multi-faceted Gavin Leatherwood. Revealing his dreamy new offering “Driftwood Mermaid” today, the artist intimately ushers us into his world filled with calming guitar arrangements and warming vocals.

“I got the idea for the song title from a hungover walk in the empty streets of San Diego the morning after a wedding I attended,” the artist revealed when discussing the track. “Bummed I was without a date the night before, I jokingly began to flirt through the window of an art exhibit with this sculpture of a mermaid made of driftwood and thought ‘Driftwood Mermaid’ is a cool couple of words. And then the boozy, slow build of ‘Driftwood Mermaid’ was born.”

Best known for his acting roles, the artist has been steadily building up his music catalog over the years, before exploding onto the scene during the pandemic with his single “Just for Tonight”. With a four million-strong fanbase and a debut EP in the works we caught up with the Maui-born artist talking the switch from acting to music and how he discovered his sound.

Check out the interview below now…

How has the last year been for you?
Strange, eventful, cathartic, one of the best and hardest years to date.

When did you first get into music?
Grew up performing in musical theater. Grabbed a guitar when I was 15 and tried to explain my very confusing teenager feelings through songwriting.

Do you remember what inspired you to pursue this career?
I love to create, always have. And lately I’ve been fortunate to be able to create for a living. Music has always been one of those creations and I’m excited to be able to share it with everyone.

You are also a seasoned actor! How are you finding juggling both careers?
Yeah. So far so good. They both satisfy different parts of the same desire to create. And I’ve noticed one kind of fuels the other and vice versa.

Do you have a particular moment that you cite as a career highlight?
I’m usually always looking forward to “that moment” not that I haven’t enjoyed all the ups and downs I’ve had thus far but I’m very much a future-thinking person.

Congratulations on the release of “Driftwood Mermaid”! Talk us through the name of the song! And, can you describe its sound?
I got the idea for the song title from a hungover walk in the empty streets of San Diego the morning after a wedding I attended. Bummed I was without a date the night before, I jokingly began to flirt through the window of an art exhibit with this sculpture of a mermaid made of driftwood and thought “Driftwood Mermaid” is a cool couple of words. And then the boozy, slow build of Driftwood Mermaid was born.

This track also comes from your upcoming debut project! Can you tell us what fans can expect from it? Is there anything in particular that inspired it?
The new EP will be 6 tracks. There’s a love song on there, a lullaby, a cover of a zombies song, some folk vibes. I never know which way a song might turn out when I start writing it. Songwriting is just an exercise in making sense of that which is hard to make sense of

How are you feeling about dropping your first musical project?
Generally pretty good. Excited to share a different creative side. Nervous that people won’t like it. It’s hard to not be slightly fearful when you don’t have a character or a script to hide behind.

Do you have any artists that you’d love to collaborate with?
Gregory Alan Isakov, Big Thief, SYML, Roo Panes, The Staves

What is next for you? Do you have any other projects that you are currently working on?
I’ll continue to write music and putting new songs out. I was in the tv show Sex Lives of College Girls which will be streaming on HBO max Nov. 18th