GEORGIA ALEXANDRA TALKS WRECK ME

Behind the Coastline

You are reading an independently published interview-series published and carefully curated by Swedish pop-culture journalist Daniel John. Ever since its start in 2015, the core curiosity remains the same, surfing the creative currents of music, film, fashion and everything else on the pop-radar, catching the waves of culture as creative

Culture Coast TalksDaniel John

How early were you set on singing and writing songs. What was the first phase, of exploring your voice in music?

My love for music started at an early age, at around seven, when I was really into 'Hannah Montana' and 'High School Musical'. From then onwards, the feeling of wanting to become a music artist just grew stronger every year, and at about fifteen I think I decided I was sure I wanted a career in music and started learning to play the guitar and piano, as well as writing songs. Throughout all those years, and still to this day, I’ve been developing my voice technique and tone too.

You were born in the UK but moved to Spain early on in life, growing up there?

I was born in Durham, UK and moved to Spain when I was a child and have grown up in Spain. My roots musically, and I think personally too, are British. A huge part of who I am is tied to my British background, although Spain has played an important role in shaping who I am as a person.

What has it meant for you having two different music-scenes to call your home, opportunity-wise?

The music scenes in both places are extremely different, as the Spanish countryside does not really offer many opportunities like the UK does. That’s where the internet comes in, and it works quite well.

When did you write this new song. What is 'Wreck Me' about?

I wrote 'Wreck Me' on July 7th, last year. I was able to find the date in the original voice memo. And I wrote it in one sitting. It was one of those songs that just poured out. It’s a piano-led ballad about losing yourself in love. I wrote it about the feeling of giving your all to someone and coming to the realisation that they are not doing the same.

There is something about the way the song's minimalistic production wraps together with the lyrics that really brings you close to the words in a raw, intimate way. Did the song come out sounding like this from the start or how did it become the way we hear it now?

The song was originally written at the piano with just vocal and keys, and I knew it was meant to be a ballad. No doubt. When it came to producing it, I knew I wanted it to be quite raw and personal. So I didn’t want to add too much. It ended up having piano, synth and vocal which is quite close to the way I wrote it, so that felt right to me.

Vulnerability often build and clutter up. What does writing songs mean for you in that. Can writing songs be a way of “untangling” things?

At fifteen, songwriting for me was an “if you want to become an artist you’re going to have to start writing your own songs”, because I saw how the music industry was changing and growing and I knew I needed to have the tools myself. I didn’t like it at first, and looking back I think it was maybe a mix of youth and not knowing how to start. I then got very into it and for a long time, and still to this day, I try to write a song every day, no matter how good or bad. It’s now a way of putting all my feelings into a work of art, and even a way to write stories about things that haven’t happened. Most of all though, the thing I love most about songwriting is how you can create something that hadn’t existed before, that could potentially become something that the world hears. I reckon songwriting is a great way of facing thoughts and feelings in a way that is not too vulnerable and scary, as it can be viewed as just art, so there’s a certain liberty in what you can say.

You really try to write a song every single day?

For quite a few years now, I’ve tried to write at least one song every day. Although some days it does come easier than others! I often write down words, sentences or specific topics I want to write about. When I sit down to write, it’s usually at the piano or with my guitar and I play some chords first and then see what melody I can come up with and after that I start adding lyrics, although a lot of times the lyrics just come out when I’m playing. I have noticed that there are certain moments when I feel more of a need to write in comparison to others when I kind of make myself do it, even though I don’t consider it a chore.

Being your third single already this year this is also a larger body of work that's taking form?

A larger body of work is definitely taking form, yes! I’m working on my debut album! And these three releases from this year will be on it. The songs on said album are a bit of a mix genre-wise and theme-wise, but I do feel like they fit very well together and allow me to show my artistry in a larger way. It will include a mix between pop, indie and country, and love, life, and stories will be told in them. I love that all of the songs together can show more of me as an artist and all the different avenues I like and want to go down. It’s just the beginning as I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.

How far are we from having that full picture now?

We’re getting close to seeing who Georgia Alexandra is as an artist, but there is still so so much that I have to make, to show, to share. This debut album is just the very start, and even though I’m working on it right now, I’m also working on another EP or album, that I want to release in the near future too, as well as writing new music. I have so many songs ready to be recorded and released, and so many ideas, so needless to say, there is a lot coming this year. I would love to start doing some shows too, to connect with people in real time, so that’s another goal of mine, amongst many others.