An INNER VIEW with Broadway Actress and Entertainer, Gabrielle Lee
BIO
Gabrielle is at home in Theater, TV/Film, Live Concert & Cabaret performance, and Commercial Modeling. She has held title roles in Broadway, National, and European tours, Off-Broadway, and regional productions. Select favorites include: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (as Billie Holiday), Intimate Apparel, Once On This Island, Smokey Joe’s Café, Ain’t Misbehavin’, All Night Strut, Showboat, Dreamgirls, among others. Gabrielle is especially proud of her work (and ongoing development), portraying the legendary Ada “Bricktop” Smith, doyenne of Parisian cabaret, where she starred in the world premiere of Bricktop: Legend of the Jazz Age (Co-creator). On-screen Guest Star favorite roles include Chicago P.D., Blue Bloods, FBI, Bull, Madam Secretary, Law & Order, and the HBO Max–nominated short 27 Candles. She makes her feature film debut in the supernatural thriller The Block, to be released in theaters in 2026, directed by Craig Singer and starring alongside Jack Falahee and Chris Noth. Concert appearances with: New York Pops, Cab Calloway, and Ray Charles Orchestras. Gabrielle has provided backing vocal appearances with Aloe Blacc, Angelique Kidjo, Steely Dan, Common, Marvin Hamlisch, Natalie Cole, and served as a lead backing vocalist for Harry Belafonte. As a writer/producer, her Blackbirds Legends concert series has enjoyed national and international success, earning rave reviews at Feinstein’s 54/Below. She serves as the Sr. Artist Advisor and Creative Developer for her Artists’ Digital Press Kits. Gabrielle is a recurring performer with Sing For Your Seniors (SFYS), a committee member of the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project. and has contributed book-reads for organizations such as Scholastic Inc., SAG-AFTRA’s Storyline Online, and Book Pals. She enjoys volunteer work as an International Ambassador, granting wishes with Make-A-Wish Foundation Int’l, and is delighted to be a part of the Influence Women family. Member: AEA | SAG-AFTRA | Dramatist Guild East
INNER VIEW
Kathleen Cooke: Working in the media, entertainment, music, and the arts industry, staying focused is required, but it is often difficult for creatives. Can you share with us how you stay focused?
Gabrielle Lee: God has been teaching me the importance of focus—what’s really important and what’s not. More specifically, what or who am I giving my attention to, and for how long? In a world saturated with “influence,” (especially as a performer here in NY), it’s easy to get caught up and find yourself paying more attention to other things, to others in general—(how they’re shining, i.e. what they’ve won, what they’re wearing; this issue or that headline) —without realizing how much time and energy has been diverted from our own God-given assignments. You look up and realize, “Oye, where did the time go?” especially when deadlines are approaching, projects are unfinished, and even more, the presence of insurmountable stress has come upon you. That “other” thing— whatever it is—has subtly taken first place. In the midst of juggling auditions, learning music, script memorization, working contracts -I’ve had to pause sometimes and examine: Who, what is influencing me, my mind and attention the most right now? Is it God—or is it the noise around me? Am I letting outside voices shape my thoughts more than the Word of God? God’s been reminding me to be still. Be still enough to listen—not just hear, but really listen. The Holy Spirit often nudges us: “That’s enough time spent there.” If you sense the Holy Spirit nudging you to stop and you delay or ignore it, that’s a signal: you’re spending too much time and energy with it. Your response time serves as an indicator—how long did it take to shift your focus back to doing what you need to be doing? God points the way back to intimacy, to focus, to peace. He wants to be “First.” So, ask yourself: What are you focusing your attention on most? Recognize, if it’s serving you forward, in that moment, or is it a distraction? God will always gently reveal where our focus has drifted—not to shame us, but to lovingly realign us. To pull us close again. To remind us: Keep Me first. (more…)