KWXY Presents ● The Music of Ali Gatie

Ali Gatie is a pop/R&B singer whose breakout hit, “It’s You,” was released in 2019.  The R&B ballad was written in fifteen minutes about his feelings for a girl, going viral on Instagram Live.  This paved the way for the successful release of the song with its official YouTube video getting more than 122 million views in two years. 

He was born to Iraqi parents in Aden, Yemen on May 31, 1997.  His family lived in Abu Dhabi, UAE before settling in Mississauga, Ontario where he was raised.  Gatie cites singer Ed Sheeran and rappers J. Cole and Frank Ocean as influences.  In a 2019 interview with Billboard’s Michael Saponara, Gatie is quoted as wanting to be “the perfect mixture of Ed Sheeran and J.Cole.”

At age eighteen, Gatie began producing his own music.  He made the decision at that time to drop out of college after one semester where he was studying business in order to pursue a full-time music career.  His big break came in 2017 as the $3000 winner of an online contest sponsored by RhymeStars and judged by rapper-turned-online personality, Joe Budden.  This led to a string of independently-released singles and, in 2018, he was signed to Warner Records.  “Moonlight,” his 2018 debut single, went RIAA Gold but it wasn’t until the following year when the release of “It’s You” became his mainstream breakout hit.  “It’s You” went RIAA Double Platinum and exceeded 650 million streams as of December 2019.

His debut EP, You, was also released in 2019 and peaked at number six on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.  A brief sample of the single “What If I Told You That I Love You” was uploaded to TikTok in 2020 where it went viral.  The single would go on to peak at number 36 in Canada.  

Ali Gatie’s second EP, The Idea of Her, was released in 2021 in digital formats and peaked at number fourteen.  This led to three 2021 Juno Award nominations for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Juno Fan Choice.

KWXY Music Radio supports musicians and artists performing in the Coachella Valley, as well as independent music labels, and emerging talent all over the country. Today’s featured artist, Ali Gatie is scheduled to perform at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 17th and 14rd.  

Listen to the music of Ali Gatie on KWXY Presents tonight at 7pm hosted by Louie Comella on KWXY Music Radio 92.3 FM ● 1340 AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com