When Gaby Moreno got a notification on her phone about the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting last week, her first thought was: “Oh my God, here we go again.”
It’s a response many people had when news broke that a gunman had opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde — a small, predominantly Hispanic city West of San Antonio — killing 19 children and two teachers.
“I started seeing the number of people killed going higher and higher with 19 kids murdered, it’s just really heartbreaking,” says the Guatemalan singer-songwriter over a phone interview. “And then you start reading the stories about the families and these little kids that were just so beautiful. It’s absolutely devastating. I felt outraged like most people.”
Moreno is turning that outrage into action. Her upcoming show in L.A. on Saturday (June 4), which was planned a celebratory show in honor of her recently released album Alegoría, has now turned into a tribute concert with 100% of the proceeds going toward the victims’ families. It’s a decision that was made jointly with her musicians and special guests Watkins Family Hour days after the tragedy.
“My friend David Garza, who will be performing with me that night, suggested it and I was like, absolutely yes, this is what we need to do,” she says, explaining that the money raised via ticket sales will be directly donated to the GoFundMe page set up for the families. “I knew I had to do something about it. I just couldn’t sit … My heart was breaking and it still is. I’m also thankful to all the musicians who will be part of this concert and they’re donating their time and fees.”
Furthermore, Moreno has also made a “pretty big” personal decision. After living in the U.S. for 20 years as a resident, she’s applying for citizenship. “My decision was directly related to what happened with this attack. I want to vote. I want to have a say. Enough is enough! I’ve lived in this country for way too long and what’s happening is now affecting all of us. In this case, directly affecting my Latino community.”
Saturday’s show will be a night of healing, Moreno says. “We’re coming together to enjoy some music with friends, with our community knowing we’re doing it to help others. I’ll be playing a lot of songs from my new album, older songs, a big band on stage with horns. I’m really excited to share all this music and to have an uplifting evening.”
Moreno adds that artists should feel a sense of responsibility when it comes to taking action and speaking up after events like this one. “You should feel grateful that you have your art and do really good things with it. But we should all be taking action. We should all be on our phones calling our representatives and demanding action. A lot of people are outraged the first week but then it dies down and we can’t let that happen. We need to keep putting pressure. That’s going to be what really brings some change.”
Ticket purchases or donations can be made here.
