With over 19 billion streams and a catalogue that includes anthems by Beyoncé, John Legend, and Fergie, Toby Gad has shaped the soundtrack of the past two decades. Now, he’s flipping the script—reimagining his greatest hits through stripped-back, emotional piano versions and collaborating on purpose-driven projects like “Wimbo Wetu” for World Refugee Day. His recent work blends legacy, intimacy, and global impact like never before. We caught up with Toby Gad to talk Donna Summer, Piano Diaries, and his upcoming concert in London on 15th of July at the 72nd floor of the Shard.
Your songwriting career has defined pop for decades. What drew you to strip it all back with the Piano Diaries project?
Recently I was a judge on German Idol and to my surprise, many of the contestants auditioned with my songs like All Of Me (John Legend) or If I Were A Boy (Beyonce) or Who You Are (Jessie J) and they also wanted to hear the stories how the songs were written. That prompted me to embark on the Piano Diaries journey of re-recording 16 of my greatest hits with 17 upcoming artists with a minimalist Boesendorfer Piano and live-string arrangement. The PIANO DIARIES – THE HITS album has been very well received and is available everywhere for streaming, already having streamed more than twelve million times on Spotify/Apple/Amazon/Deezer….
From Beyoncé to Donna Summer, your catalogue spans generations. How does it feel to revisit those hits in such an intimate form?
In my career I never touched samples or themes from other pre-existing songs, everything I wrote had to be 100% original. So it was a strange experience to record 16 covers, even though these are covers of my own songs. In a funny way I am now retroactively claiming ownership of songs that I wrote/produced but that were solely associated with the artists who sang them.
“RUN (Piano Diaries)” with the late Donna Summer is both moving and powerful. What was it like completing that track posthumously?
Serendipitously the lyric we wrote in 2007 starts with “Imagine, 20 years from now you’re standing there, staring yourself in the mirror, alone, all is gone, thinking you lost the one you loved the most…” This is now almost 20 years later and we have lost Donna. Donna’s husband Bruce Sudano has been very supportive with this release and it is a very emotional record.
You’ve collaborated with legends—and now rising stars. How do you approach working with artists across such a wide creative spectrum?
It’s the same process regardless of the fame-level of the artist. It all boils down to a recognizable voice, an authentic and emotive performance and a song that makes you feel something. A song that you want to hear again and share with your friends. My work has always been collaborative, I feed off the feelings and experiences of the artists I work with and that usually turns into a song.
Your new track “Wimbo Wetu” highlights global issues and amplifies refugee voices. How did that collaboration come about?
I was introduced to Somali-American supermodel Halima through a friend and we thought about writing a song for World Refugee Day because Halima was raised in a refugee camp in Kenya. We released the song in conjunction with Refu-SHE and all profits from the record go to helping young Refugee women.
What can audiences expect from your SHARD – SUNSET CONCERT in London this July?
July 15th I am performing my greatest hits on the 72nd floor of the Shard, the highest stage in Europe! I will tell stories of the songs and perform on the piano with world class singers like Paloma Faith, Megan Mc Kenna, Ruth Anne Cunningham and many more, together with the Morassi String quartet. The show sold out in two days but live streaming tickets are on sale via lounges.tv It will be an amazing evening!
You’re also diving into podcasting with Songs You Know. What stories or surprises have caught even you off guard so far?
The SONGS YOU KNOW podcast has very grown so quick! Only six months out we have 20k YouTube subscribers and 57M views across all formats. Jessie J, Josh Groban, Justin Tranter and many heavyweights behind the scenes are telling incredible stories that have lead to the creating of the songs we know. Upcoming episodes include Danny from the Script, Matteo Boccelli and many more.
You’ve reinvented your greatest hits for 2024. How do you keep evolving creatively while honouring such an iconic legacy?
Music is my first love and such a source of happiness and joy. Sharing music is my life. I am so proud to share my Donna Summer collaboration RUN with the world now. The music video is out on YouTube and it features the 13 year old dance London interpreting Donna with a beautiful choreography in a theater in Los Angeles with the projection of Donna Summer, footage from her family, and me on the piano. A very emotional music video. We have three remixes of RUN coming out, the Trance RUN- TOMORROWLAND mix on July 14th, the EDM RUN-LOLLAPALOOZA mix on July 29th and the House RUN- IBIZA mix coming out August 11th. But the piano diaries version of Run is already out and you can listen to it on all streaming platforms.