Chris DeStefano, Gizzle, & GALE Set To Appear on Thursday, August 20, at ASCAP Presents SPF With Exclusive Virtual Performance Playlist Series

ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) announced its eclectic music lineup for its first-ever ASCAP Presents SPF (Summer Performance Festival). The summer festival-inspired playlists of new, never-before-seen performances premiered the first week of August, and concludes with this week's third and final installment.

Throughout the month of August, ASCAP will release exclusive performances at www.ascap.com/spf, on YouTube and @ASCAP on social media with the hashtag #ASCAPSPF, showcasing a dynamic mix of established and emerging ASCAP songwriters and artists from top publishers including Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group and Warner Chappell Music.

The lineup brings daily music discovery playlists to life, spotlighting writers and artists such as Grammy-winning Nashville hitmaker Chris DeStefano ("Something in the Water" by Carrie Underwood), Grammy-nominated songwriter and rapper Gizzle ("Real Friends" by Kanye West, "Get Loud For Me"), and rising Puerto Rican singer-songwriter GALE ("Levántate").

This week's performers include:

Chris DeStefano

Chris DeStefano is a singer-songwriter, producer-mixer and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, TN. He is a 3x CMA Triple Play Award winner and has co-penned over 20 hit songs for artists like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chase Rice, Rascal Flatts, Billy Currington, Dan + Shay, Miranda Lambert, Chris Young and Morgan Evans. Chris is also the President and CEO of Winsongs Music, focused on developing songwriters and artists. instagram.com/chrisdestefano

Gizzle

Gizzle is a Los Angeles-born artist and Grammy-nominated songwriter who got her start under the tutelage of legendary producer Teddy Riley. Gizzle has gone on to work with many multi-platinum producers, artists and writers including - but not limited to - Puff Daddy, Timbaland, Pharrell, Ozuna, DJ Snake, Nelly, T.I., Trey Songz, Kid Ink, Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Ty$ and more. She is also currently garnering much interest as a solo artist with her unique sound, trance-like tone, and one-of-a-kind perspective while proving to be a force in the television and film synch world with more than 100 different licenses. instagram.com/imgizzle

GALE

Originally from Puerto Rico, in the quest to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer and professional songwriter, GALE decided to leave everything behind and move to Miami officially launching her career as an independent artist. It was more than a "big step" - it was a leap into the unknown and it proved a great decision. After years of posting cover songs on YouTube, GALE self-released, wrote and co-produced her debut album Espirales Sin Sentido (Senseless Spirals) under her own label Blue Madness Records. To pay for the production costs of making the album, she sold her 10-year-old SUV and created a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Nothing was going to keep her from pursuing her career. "You have to face your fears and make the tough decisions that are going to take you to the next step. There are costs and sacrifices in everything we do. I've worked hard to jumpstart my career and want people to know that nothing can stop them from pursuing their dreams and be happy."

Another major step in GALE's career came shortly after the release. An album track, "Levántate" (Stand Up), was selected by the largest Spanish-language media company in the US as the theme song of the broadcast of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a world renowned international soccer event. GALE describes this inspiring dance track as one about fighting for your dreams regardless of the obstacles and fears we face in our path...a song which she takes to heart and describes her journey as she makes her dreams come true.

A natural-born musician and songwriter, influenced by the "boleros" and the '80s songs she constantly heard growing up and her influences from Julia Michaels, Rihanna, Nelly Furtado, Selena and Shakira, she has developed a musical style that is unique both melodically and harmonically. Her songwriting is profound, yet still casual and conversational, full of emotion, empowering and honest.

GALE wrote her first song when she was seven years old. She graduated from La Libre de Música, a music specialized school where she studied classical singing. She won a Berklee scholarship which she used for the Writing Hit Songs Online course, and has developed her songwriting ever since. As a songwriter, she has worked with artists like Anitta, Pharrell Williams, Ryan Tedder, Natti Natasha, David Bisbal, Sebastián Yatra, CNCO and Stargate among other artists and producers. She recently spoke as a panelist at the She Is The Music (the global nonprofit organization founded by Alicia Keys) event in partnership with ASCAP with the purpose to increase opportunities for women in the music industry.

GALE is currently working on her new music and writing with other artists. "I want to inspire people to be happy, love and be who they want to be no matter what people say. I can't wait to share my new music and who I am with the world." instagram.com/gale_oficial

About the Series

In August, ASCAP released exclusive performances at www.ascap.com/spf, on YouTube and @ASCAP on social media with the hashtag #ASCAPSPF, this session being the last of the series.