SBG 161: Gabriela (by Katseye)

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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is once again making an entire episode based on a single song. You’re welcome.

This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out and talk about why the hit Katseye song, Gabriela, Should’ve Been Gay. Personally, we have not stopped singing this song on a loop since it came out (of a closet made of air). Gabriela is basically an even queerer, more Gen-Z version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene. With two out of six members of the group being openly queer, it was only a matter of time before they released the gayest song we’ve ever heard. We’re honestly not sure what they could’ve been going for with Gabriela if not a bisexual anthem. 

We can’t talk about Gabriela without addressing the sapphic fever dream that is the music video. Katseye may spend the chorus singing “back off of my fella, Gabriela”, but there is not one fella to be seen anywhere on the screen. In fact, they go to extremes to use absolutely anything but a fella, casting a mannequin and a self-driving taxi as placeholders for men. The decision to cast Jessica Alba and zero men feels deliberately gay, especially when paired with the least subtle lesbian imagery we’ve ever seen. These girls are literally spitting up flower petals and stroking cats while singing about how much they want to climb Gabriela like a tree. 

The lyrics for Gabriela are equally as gay as the music video, even leaving in the “fella” rhyme. As we did with our Jolene episode, we pick the lyrics apart line by line looking for the gay subtext. In this case, we’re not sure it counts as subtext. It’s just the text at this point. The line, “Skin amaretto / I bet you taste just like the summer / Under the covers” transitioning into a fantasy about a threesome with Gabriela pretty much speaks for itself. This girl is so down bad for Gabriela that she literally passes away with her “heart in the casket” when she sees her. There is perhaps no experience more relatable to lesbians than seeing a woman that is so hot that you just die on the spot. 

We know one thing for sure, Gabriela Should’ve Been Gay.

Give us your own answers to our Q & Gay on Instagram and follow along on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and BlueSky @lezhangoutpod. Email us @lezhangoutpod@gmail.com. Connect with us individually: Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster).

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