Five Minutes With… Singer Georgie
At the age of just 21, singer/songwriter Georgie Rose has been snapped up by Columbia Records, joining the likes of Beyonce and Bob Dylan, and looks set to take the charts by storm. Her debut single Company Of Thieves was released last month and she has just embarked on a nationwide tour supporting singer Jake Bugg. We caught up for five minutes with Georgie as she and Jake launched the tour in their hometown of Nottingham last week.
Are you looking forward to playing in your home city and supporting Jake as part of the tour?
Yes definitely. Rock City is always a special venue to anyone who’s from Nottingham so to be playing there with Jake Bugg is incredible! I can’t wait.
And are you looking forward to coming to London next week?
I love playing in London, it’s always a great show. There are so many different vibes and feels in London which I really love. There’s so much music history too, it’s a great place to explore. I think it’s one of those places that when you’re growing up in Nottingham you dream of travelling to and playing.
When did you start performing?
I was about 14 when I started playing and I’d just go to open mics in the local area. Luckily everything grew from there.
Which female artists have influenced you?
Definitely strong females who fronted bands or broke through as solo artists, so women like PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin and recently Christina and the Queens. I love how they got up there and did their thing and you can see that their passion lies with music and what they have to say.
How easy was it gaining exposure on the circuit?
As soon as I started those open mics I soon got asked to play shows at bars and clubs around Nottingham. Local support can really help an artist.
Do you feel it is harder for women to break into the the music business? What advice would you give to others trying to break into the music scene?
I think it’s harder for women in the way that there aren’t as many women surrounding you on tour, but it’s never really a problem. I guess it sometimes feels you have to work a bit harder for people to take you seriously, but if you are committed to what you believe in and sing about it with truth and confidence it will shine through. I don’t want someone to say to me you make great music for a lady I want someone to just be like ‘yeah, that sounds great’, especially touring with male counterparts like Jake And Blossoms. Advice wise I’d say believe in yourself and just give it to ’em!
What are your memories of growing up in England? It must be a little different to Virginia where you have been working with producer Mathew E White?
Yes, it was very different to my experience in Virginia! I was out most the time playing football or up to mischief with my friends. But I was also playing a lot of music as a teenager so that’s not really changed. So much is different over there really, like the weather, the vibe, it’s great to be doing what I love and seeing these different places.
Where did Mathew get to hear you?
He was on tour over here and he listened to a few demos of mine and then we got talking on the phone and it went from there really we shared a very similar music interest and had the same picture for the album.
The new track, Company of Thieves is great. What can we expect from the other three tracks you have recorded over there?
Thanks, I think that same kind of vibe like classic songs with a modern twist. Hopefully you can hear my inspirations in there too but I always wanted to make my own kind of songs and records, and Matthew was great at helping me find that and getting to that point with these tunes. I just wanted to make some real music with a rock and roll sensibility.
The video has quite a gritty northern feel to it. Where was it filmed?
It was filmed in East London It was a great day actually, I really enjoyed it! I love that part of London.
The track is also being released by Mathew’s Spacebomb label in the US. What would it mean to you to crack the US market?
I guess the same it would to crack any market it would mean I can keep putting records out I suppose which is important. I mean it would be pretty cool. Touring America is a huge dream of mine and I’m so inspired by a lot of things over there like music and film so that would be cool.
You’ve already performed at Glastonbury. What other festivals or gigs are on Georgie’s musical bucket list?
Glastonbury again! Hmmm Jools Holland is pretty high too, and maybe some cool whisky bar in LA too – I’d like that.
You return to Spacebomb in the New Year to finish your debut album. Have you finished writing it? Or will there be any tales from the road still to be written to go on there?
I’ve got a lot of songs that I’m happy with but as a songwriter I’m always writing and I’m sure touring with Blossoms and Jake Bugg will inspire me further to write more songs that could be album contenders.
* WATCH THE VIDEO: Georgie – Company of Thieves (Official Video)
