Lonely Eyes
Niles Gregory aka Lonely Eyes is a singer/songwriter/musician and photographer based in Los Angeles.
Gregory started as a musician and back-up vocalist and toured around the world for numerous artists like Sum 41, The Used, Circa Survive, Nothing Nowhere, Real Friends and more.
After touring with Andy Black, Gregory decided to release his original music under the name Lonely Eyes. Titled “Novocaine”, the debut single was co-written and produced by NYIKO.
“Novocaine is about the abrupt end of a relationship and the feeling of numbness that immediately follows,” says Gregory.
Influenced by the likes of The 1975, Coheed & Cambria and Halsey, Lonely Eyes introduces himself as a promising artist and songwriter.
Released via Trailing Twelve, “Novocaine” is now available worldwide.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hello! My name is Niles Gregory Gibbs. I’m a multi-talented creative born of Upstate New York and now living in Los Angeles, CA.
Could you describe to us your childhood a little bit?
Well, the short version is..I grew up in a very small town in Upstate New York. There’s really not a lot to do for an artistic type. It’s mostly just hunting, riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes and that’s about it. I spent a lot of my time indoors learning how to play guitar and daydreaming of being in a touring band.
If you could say something to your younger self, what would you say?
If I could, I’d go back and tell my younger self that it’s okay that I didn’t have a lot of friends and that practicing guitar every day will absolutely pay off and your dreams will come true. Though, I doubt young me would believe that haha.
How would you describe yourself today?
I would describe myself as a very hardworking multi-faceted creative. I not only play guitar and tour often, but I’m also a photographer who has been slowly dipping his toes into the world of video as well. I’m definitely a busy body kind of person (I get it from my dad). I always have to be working on something and improving one, if not all, of my skills.
You got to play with numerous artists throughout the years. What did your experiences as a musician teach you as a performer and artist?
I think a big thing it’s taught me over the years is that you absolutely cannot control every situation. Sometimes things are just going to be out of your hands and you have to just breathe, let it go and roll with the punches. It’s taught me to be more patient, for sure.
You’ve spent a lot on time on the road. Any favorite memories?
Oh man, There’s so many it’s hard to choose from. If I had to pick though...I’d say last year when I was on tour with Andy Black playing bass. We were doing a week or so of headline shows in the UK and I got to spend my 30th birthday in one of my favorite cities there, in Manchester. I met up with some friends who lived there that I had toured with a few years prior and they took me to this really dope vegan restaurant as well as a sick underground barcade.
What's the hardest part about touring? And what is the best part?
It’s obviously hard being away from home, friends, family and loved ones for extended periods of time. For me it’s staying healthy, I always manage to get sick on the road and it’s the most miserable time of my life when it happens. The best though, definitely seeing new places all the time, meeting so many new people and making countless new friends and of course performing.
What gave you the confidence to become an artist and release your original music?
Honestly, A lot of my friends and my girlfriend had been pushing me to release the song I did with NYIKO. I think one day it finally hit me that I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t release it. Because in all honesty, the song is for me. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages and I just really need to see it through,
How would you define Lonely Eyes, the artist?
Lonely Eyes is just purely about creating. It’s about creating whatever I want that makes me happy. A project solely for me where I can experiment without restrictions.
"Novocaine" is your debut single. How does it feel like to release your first single?
It’s honestly a bit overwhelming and kind of scary, haha. But, at the same time, it’s incredibly exciting. It’s almost like being on a rollercoaster.
What's the inspiration behind the song?
Essentially it’s about that numb feeling you get when you and a significant other split up. There’s always that period of time where you don’t know what to do or how to function on your own anymore.
How's it like to collaborate with NYIKO?
NYIKO and I are always collaborating on one thing or another and it’s always such a good time. NYIKO’s one of the few people where I feel we just artistically *click*. It’s just so easy to work with him in regards to anything.
What do you like the most about this particular song?
I think what I like the most is the raw 80’s pop vibe of the track. It’s something I’ve been wanting to dabble in for a long time.
What made you want to release "Novocaine" as your first single?
It just personally feels like the right song to release before anything else.
You are also a photographer. What do you want people to feel when looking at your photos?
That changes from photo to photo really. I really love to hone in on the mood of a photo. So if it’s a shot that looks really sad, I want to do my best to convey that and make the viewer feel that sadness when they look at it and vice versa with any other mood really. As with any artist, I just want my art to speak to people and make them feel anything.
What advice would you give to young photographers?
Don’t worry about the rules. Break them, go crazy! Try as many things as you can. The only way you’re going to learn and grow is to constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone. Even if you fail, fail forward. Learn from your mistakes and you’ll eventually get to where you want to be.
Besides music and photography, what are you passionate about?
Hmm, I’d probably have to say coffee and anime. Those are two things I don’t know if I could live without, haha.
As a human being, what do you want to accomplish?
As of right now I would like to get to the point in my career where I can be financially stable doing both music and photography. That, I would say would be the ultimate goal for me right now.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Less hate. You see so much hate all over the news and social media, and although there is good, it feels like the bad is almost always outweighing it. I wish more people could step back and try to see life through other’s eyes. We all have one life and one planet and instead of being at each other's throats we should all be working together as one to help keep this earth and ourselves alive.
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