A Conversation with Gretsch Drum Powerhouse Giulliana Merello

How a 12-year-old Argentina girl had her life changed by watching Cindy Blackman play Gretsch drums on TV.

Driven. Explosive. Fearless. Powerhouse. These are just a few words used by music journalists and fellow musicians to describe one of today’s top female drummers and composers, Giulliana Merello. A Gretsch-endorsed artist since 2024, Giulliana has over 20 years of experience in the music industry and has made quite a name for herself as an in-demand touring and session drummer. And it all started years ago in Argentina when a 12-year-old Giulliana happened to see Lenny Kravitz on TV and was blown away by his drummer, the legendary Cindy Blackman. Once she saw Cindy playing her Gretsch drum kit, Giulliana knew that’s what she wanted to do with her life. And fortunately for music lovers, she had the drive and determination to chase her dream and make it happen.

Giulliana’s resume is nothing short of impressive. In 2019, she was the drummer for Spanish singer Concha Buika and performed at several renowned jazz festivals across the globe. From 2020 to 2024, Giulliana was the drummer for Latin superstar, Karol G, playing in major arenas and stadiums worldwide. Other artists she has performed with include Gary Numan, Computer Magic, and the Argentina electropop rock band, Siames.

Giulliana featured on the cover of the June 2022 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

She’s also no stranger to high-profile television shows. In 2022, she appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers as the featured drummer for the show’s “guest week,” and has also played on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, and The Latin Grammy Awards Show, just to name a few. Other accolades include winning the 2022 Drumeo Award for the R&B/Hip Hop Drummer of the Year and being interviewed and featured on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine.

Giulliana is also seen as a leader in helping to raise awareness of female musicians in the industry. Fifteen years ago, she formed Top Queens, an all-female funk and soul band that started out as a Tower of Power tribute band before evolving into creating their own original music. Most recently, Giulliana teamed up with another exceptional drummer, Helen De La Rosa, for the groundbreaking Gretsch-sponsored Back to Backbeat Tour. (Helen and Giulliana performed together onstage–sitting back-to-back–and played Gretsch Renown drum kits!) And, in 2025, Giulliana released her first solo album, M.I.M. (More Is More), which she is most proud of.

We caught up with the busy Giulliana by phone to talk about her inspiring journey of becoming a top touring and session drummer, the all-female funk band she started in Argentina, how female drummers are faring in today’s music scene, her first solo album, and more. Enjoy!

You were born in Argentina but now live in Brooklyn where the Gretsch Company was founded way back in 1883. What brought you to Brooklyn?

I mainly wanted the opportunity to play with different musicians. I talked with several musician friends of mine who encouraged me to visit New York City and to consider playing there. So, nine years ago, I visited New York City for the first time. And one year later, I arranged to have all my stuff moved from Argentina to where I’m living now in Brooklyn. And I moved here without knowing a word of English!

For readers not familiar with you, how would you describe yourself? Who is Giulliana Merello?

Well, she’s a little bit crazy–but in a good way. I guess you could call me a musician who is trying to learn something new every day. I also really enjoy traveling and moving around–playing drums in a lot of countries with so many different musicians and artists. I’m lucky to be in the position to learn from so many different artists and from all the experiences I’m having both from touring and being a session musician.

When did you know you wanted to be a drummer?

When I was twelve years old, I saw Lenny Kravitz on TV in Argentina. Cindy Blackman was playing drums and when I saw her, I said, “Wow!,” I knew right then that I wanted to do the same thing. I told my dad that I wanted to do that, to be a drummer, and he said he didn’t understand all of what Cindy was doing, but he supported me and told me that I should do whatever I want. He said that to me.

Did you get any comments about being a girl drummer?

Yeah, there was some of that, but I’m a person who doesn’t care anything about what people say about me. Because I’m a person that lives their own life and creates their own story, you know?

Did you take drum lessons and play in bands when you were a teenager?

Yes, I took some lessons and played in school, but I learned the most by playing at our church in Argentina. As a teenager, I didn’t have my own drums, but if a band invited me to play with them and they had drums, I would say, “Yes! I’m your drummer.” I was lucky. I got to play with a lot of different bands as a teenager and learned a lot. Believe it or not, I didn’t get my first drum kit until I was, like, 19 or 20.

You’re also a very talented composer. What is your process?

Thanks, I really like composing music. I started out trying to compose songs on the guitar, but I’m not a very good guitar player. Lucky for me, I play with some amazing musicians. I can tell them what I want and what I’m looking for in the music I want to play or on the tracks I want to record. It can be funk, fusion, disco, or rock music. We really connect and it makes composing music easier for me. But I’m not a lyrics person, that’s not my part.

Tell us about your all-female band, Top Queens.

It’s a funk music band I started in Argentina about fifteen years ago. Top Queens is an eleven-piece all-female band with a horn section, saxophones, keyboards, guitars, background singers, and drums, of course. I had a lot of fun playing with them for many years. We are not playing together now, but I’m thinking of starting again with them.

Why did you go the funk music route?

Because it’s the music I grew up with. Every day my dad played Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Tower of Power, Chaka Khan, Donna Summers, Chic, and others in our home. That’s the music I grew up listening to and was influenced by.

And Top Queens was heavily influenced by Tower of Power?

Oh, yes. I started a funk band because I wanted to study one of my big influences, David Garibaldi, the great funk drummer from Tower of Power. Top Queens started out playing only Tower of Power covers so we could learn their songs. We also made some videos and, lucky for us, Larry Braggs, the former lead singer from Tower of Power, saw them and emailed me asking if we wanted to go on tour. Of course, we said “yes!”  We started out as a Tower of Power tribute band and ended up playing with the lead singer of the band. How crazy is that?

Giulliana and Helen De La Rosa performing together during the groundbreaking Back To Backbeat Tour.

You also did the unique Back to Backbeat Tour with another exceptional drummer, Helen De La Rosa. How did that come together?

Helen is such a great, great drummer. She’s from the Dominican Republic and the drummer for Alejandro Sanz, who is a superstar and the most successful Spanish singer of all time. For Helen to play for a star like Alejandro Sanz was a big thing for the female drumming community, you know? Helen and I became friends through Instagram. We started talking and really seemed to connect. So, the next thing, we’re saying, “Hey, let’s meet, let’s have a coffee, let’s play, let’s jam.” She was playing with Alejandro in New York and invited me to the show, and I invited her to my show when I was playing for Karol G. Then we started jamming together and found that we were a good match and started talking about this idea of performing together onstage. Not competing against each other but playing together onstage so we could complement each other’s style of drumming.

And you and Helen took your Back to Backbeat Show on the road?

Yes, we had an amazing tour around Europe. We did shows and master classes in Germany, Italy, Poland, and some other countries. We had so much fun being onstage together, sitting back-to-back and both playing Gretsch Renown drum kits for the tour.

You just released your first solo album, M.I.M. (More Is More). What can you tell us about it?

Well, starting with the album’s title, people are always saying, “less is more,” but that’s not always true. Especially in music. There’s nothing wrong with less is more, but at times, it just sounds better with more. Sometimes I’ll say why are you playing a solo? Why aren’t you playing a groove instead with other musicians? More Is More was a very personal album for me. It’s almost like having your own baby. It’s all yours, it’s all your creation, you know? For me, it’s one of the most important things I have done in my life. As a session drummer and touring drummer, you can always be replaced. But when you have your own project, when you’re making your own album, it’s yours and nobody can take that away from you or replace you. Like I said, it’s my baby.

How did you become a Gretsch endorsed artist and what do you think of your USA Custom kits?

I’ve played other brands, but to me, Gretsch makes the best drum kits in the world. They really do. They don’t make bad drums. I mean, they’re not going to put the Gretsch name on a bad sounding drum. And as far as the endorsement, Paul Cooper at Gretsch is the one who convinced me to play Gretsch drums. We spoke at NAMM in 2023 and he just said the right words to me. He was in the Gretsch booth, and he pointed to photos of other Gretsch drummers and said, “See them? That could be you.” That’s all it took. Paul definitely said the right words to me. And it’s such an honor to be a Gretsch artist. It’s pretty amazing to be a part of all that music history.

How are female drummers faring in today’s music scene?

Good, because people are more accepting of women playing drums today. They’re more supporting of female drummers. Personally, I don’t like to think of men drummers and women drummers, we should just all be called drummers. And if someone needs a drummer, it shouldn’t be about whether you’re a woman or a man–it should be about how you play and how good you are.

If you could hang out and get tips and lessons from any drummer past or present, who would you choose?

Cindy Blackman, of course. She is my biggest inspiration. I’m one of many, many women that she has influenced over the years. I never dreamed I’d be where I am today when I first saw her play on TV back in Argentina when I was twelve years old. And it’s so amazing that we’re both Gretsch endorsed artists. It’s unbelievable.

Interview By Guest Contributor, Ron Denny.

Follow Giulliana on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and enjoy the below videos!

Giulliana gleefully unboxing and playing her Gretsch Drums USA Custom kit and sharing what being a Gretsch artist means to her.

Giulliana and Helen De La Rosa playing their Gretsch Renown drum kits together onstage during their European Back To Backbeat Tour.