Spokane’s Brittany O’Neal recaps time at the Grammys

This year, Brittany O’Neal’s birthday turned into a multi-day celebration thanks to the 61st Grammy Awards.

O’Neal flew to California on Feb. 8 in advance of the Feb. 10 ceremony, three days ahead of her birthday.

O’Neal, who performs as Sub Teal, was at the ceremony to see “Only Road,” which she co-wrote and recorded with electronic music duo Gabriel & Dresden.

The song appeared on the duo’s 2017 album of the same name.

Cosmic Gate, the German duo of DJs Claus Terhoeven and Stefan Bossem, remixed “Only Road” in 2018. The duo’s remix was nominated for best remixed recording.

O’Neal had an early start Sunday in order to get ready and arrive at the Microsoft Theater for the Premiere Ceremony, during which a majority of the awards were handed out.

She was dressed head to toe in vintage pieces, a shoutout to the Living Room Vintage, the vintage clothing shop, located at 1816 E. Sprague Ave., she co-owns with a close friend.

Once at the ceremony, O’Neal enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the passion projects of so many creative people.

“You see all these different creative people’s personal projects having a moment to shine,” she said. “I love seeing people having that moment with their creative baby. That was the most beautiful thing was to feel that emotional reaction.”

Seeing her name on the screen when the Best Remixed Recording category was announced was a big honor for O’Neal, as was seeing “Only Road” recognized in such a big way in the first place.

The Mura Masa remix of Haim’s “Walking Away” ultimately took home the Grammy, but it wasn’t about winning for O’Neal.

“For me, just knowing that something I was a part of creating got to a place that resonated with enough people and moved enough audiences to reach the point of being up there for a nomination, it was inspiring for me,” she said.

After the Premiere Ceremony, O’Neal headed across the street to the Staples Center to watch the televised portion of the Grammys.

O’Neal said she’d never before seen so many top-of-the-line performers in one place and was amazed by the level of production that went into each performance.

She especially enjoyed the tribute to Dolly Parton, who she’s listened to since she was a child, and was touched by Lady Gaga’s acceptance speech for best pop duo or group performance.

“I appreciated that she acknowledged sometimes the role mental health can play in a creative person’s life and really anyone’s life,” she said. “To me, those are the real moments and so I appreciate when somebody takes time on television that’s designated for a show and a performance to say something real and meaningful.”

After the ceremony, O’Neal, Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden rubbed shoulders with artists like Diplo and Fisher at an after party hosted by producer/DJ Paul Oakenfold.

“It was a good opportunity for everybody to get together and celebrate, enjoy that moment of relief after all that build up,” she said. “It was a very beautiful experience.”

Now that she’s back in Spokane, O’Neal’s thoughts have returned to current projects.

O’Neal, Gabriel and Dresden will release their next album, “Remedy,” this summer. The trio is currently planning a tour in support of the album that will feature live vocal performances from O’Neal.

The nomination and the Grammy experience as a whole have given O’Neal hope and a positive feeling about the direction of and intention behind her music.

“It gives me inspiration to write more, really,” she said. “I want to keep creating.”