GEORGIE O’BRIEN

Georgie O’Brien is one of the most talented vocalists I have come across. Her voice stopped me absolutely dead in my tracks when I heard her on ‘Jaded’ which you can listen to on this page while reading below.

I wanted to speak with her because her voice has such a wide range of melancholia, nostalgia, vulnerability, and a touch of sass. Her vocal runs, falsetto, and moody lower register make me believe her to be the next big vocalist in EDM music - from indie pop to drum and bass hits.

SS: Georgie! Tell us where and how you first came into contact with music - I know you started playing guitar at age 7.  

GO: The guitar was definitely a gateway into writing consistently. I started singing from a young age, and started writing little songs from about age 12/13? I’ve always known deep down music was where I’d end up, and I’m so grateful to be here now! I think when something sets your entire heart and soul on fire you should follow that! 

SS: How did you land on the unique electronic music/drum and bass sound and beautiful vocals you have now? Was it hard picking a genre, or do you find yourself open to exploring other genres in the future?  

GO: Thank you! I never saw myself getting into electronic music as an artist, but top-lining over electronic tracks is just soooo fulfilling. I really enjoy the combo of my voice on those heavier tracks, it's so fun haha. My core musical loves are split between electronic music and indie rock music.

I think in music there is potential to feel that we need to stick to one lane to create familiarity and consistency, but creativity is so fluid, and I don't see myself limiting myself to electronic music.

I’m so excited to share different sides of my art over the next year!  

SS: You and I both! How did you discover you could sing? Did you have a moment where you said to yourself - holy crap I can sing?  

GO: I genuinely have always just loved singing; pretty sure I came out of the womb singing some Coldplay haha. I grew up singing/acting and music was always heavily intertwined with my everyday existence. I just love to sing, it just feels good! 

SS: How did the collaborations with Indigo Eyes come about? If I had to choose only one thing you guys do well it is consistency - which I think is the key to all you’ve done this far.   

GO: We connected on instagram! I saw him on SG Lewis’ live stream during lockdown and just knew we were going to work together and make something cool. He sent me the instrumental for ‘Jaded’, I sent him back the top-line and that was that, the rest is history! He’s a legend and a good friend.  It’s been wicked to watch each other grow from 0 music released to now. And thank you! I appreciate that! 

SS: Of course! I am so glad you two found each other. What are your top tracks done by him and tracks you have done together?  

GO: ‘Jaded’ has statistically done really well for us, that track opened so many doors and self belief. I think my favourite song we have done together is ‘All Eyes On You’. Such a fun session, I love the chill vibes of the song, it feels like ‘Jaded’s’ older sister haha. 

SS: Your voice is so phenomenal it is used like an instrument in the end chorus of ‘All Eyes on You’, ‘What We Had’ with Player Dave, your voice is a backing instrument in a perfect dance with the low end of the track.  

SS: ‘Butterflies’ with Daniel Allan, the intro is your voice in a beautiful back and forth and is just binaural and hypnotic.  Do producers hear your voice and just get carried away with possibilities or is it something you hear opportunity for and suggest afterwards? Are you ever blown away by what you can do?  

GO: Wow thank you!!
You're so kind to me, always! 
I think this is why I adore the electronic world I’ve entered into, the way vocals are used is so interesting to me, ‘What We Had’ had me in a choke hold when I got the master back. Player Dave just went on a journey with the vocals, he's super talented, I love that track.

My involvement with each track is different every time, but I stay focused on the melodies first, then the lyrics will either just come out with the melodies or get written in after. I’ve learnt a lot about production from working in sessions, and I get ideas, but it's hard to translate them technically without just making weird noise and following up by saying “you know what I mean right?!” haha. So I leave that up to the professionals haha. 

SS: That is hilarious and so accurately put. I just learned what an 808 drum is after repeating a bass-line melody to a producer friend of mine for my first single. How much of the lyric writing do you contribute to and what part of the creative process is your favourite? How do you want people to feel when they hear your voice?  

GO: It depends on who I'm working with! I normally hear lyrics scattered in the phonetics of the melodies I sing, but every session is different, a couple I’ve written all of it and others I've written much much less, that’s how it goes. I think melodies are easier for me. If I have to think too hard about lyrics they never slap as much. I think as artists we are just a vessel for divine inspiration, and sometimes you just gotta stop thinking and feel it.  Hmmm how do I want them to feel? I guess lighter haha. I’d like to think people can feel the emotion, and maybe get a little healing from listening, even if it's just “I feel okay in this moment”. Hope the good vibes translate! 

SS: I can’t even begin to describe how accurate “lighter” is when it comes to your voice and melodies. I feel lighter when I hear even a song about being ‘Jaded’ - tired of waiting and walking out the door, but in the delivery of the chorus, you take us up octaves like a hot air balloon so elegantly you forget you’re singing a song that should carry a sad theme. Even ‘Like That’ which in an upbeat song there is this air of: “I hope you will be able to love me the way that I deserve and if you can’t, that’s okay.“

GO: Sometimes I have moments where I surprise myself! Like a lot of creatives we are way too harsh on ourselves and - with full transparency - perfectionism is definitely a thing that plays into that for me. And yes, to live off art it has to be digestible and relatable, but art is so personal and the act of creation is such a privilegeeee, we shouldn't beat ourselves up for the ideas we have even if some are ‘bad’.  

I have worked/met such wonderful people last year and their belief in me ignited my own self belief again for sure. I don't think external validation should be a source of motivation, but sometimes, you need that and when the right person says something, it can be a nice reminder you do have a place in industry, and you do deserve to be there! 

SS: I can relate to you more than you would ever imagine. You are so wise! It shouldn’t be the sole source of motivation, but does it help! Especially whenever I feel a slight imposter syndrome! How do you refine and practice your unique talent set? Is there a particular set of exercises or warmups you do before recording or performing?   

GO: In all honesty I don't practice, I just kinda ‘do’. I don't have any routines as such? I’m not sure, I probably would benefit from some guitar drills and vocal exercises haha, but the more you do the better you get and I kinda just live by that? I think if I told my ADHD brain I had to “practice” I'd run a mile, but if I see it as creative play, the practice part is naturally integrated every time you “do.”Just play what you love and you will find your way! I’ve learned a lot about vocals over the last few years, so I try to be conscious when I’m singing to keep my vocals healthy. I only get one voice so I try to look after it! 
  

SS: That is a great philosophy. Fun in moderation sounds like a healthy creative process. How do you deal with self-doubt? What is a time you had to be extra patient with yourself and give yourself grace?   

GO: I guess I touched on this earlier, but I'd say I’m working on it! I think I could have gotten a lot further in my career if I hadn't had so much self doubt and fear, it held me back a lot from being seen and believing my writing. I am learning to give myself more grace and chill tf out, I used to be WAY too harsh on everything I wrote, but self-compassion/confidence is so necessary, and yeah, it's hard to cultivate quickly, but it's all part of the process. Writing music teaches you a lot about your relationship to self haha! 

SS: Do you believe in everything happening for a reason? Are there any career times that a collaboration or project hasn't worked out that you're grateful for?  

GO: Yep, without a doubt, life is so divinely orchestrated. You can't join the dots looking forward, you can only do so looking back. And yeah, for sure, I wouldn't change anything.  

SS: I love that analogy. Never heard that one before. Biggest advice to new singers? Do you think being classically trained vs self-taught has advantages or disadvantages?  

GO: Just sing what you love, sing what makes you happy, and sing what feels good to sing. I think learning vocal technique can be huge for some people in unlocking vocal potential/learning to keep your voice healthy, but there are so many amazing vocal coaches you can see or watch on Tik Tok/Youtube etc, so it’s super accessible to learn technique if you wanted! Most importantly sing for you! 

SS: First places you’d go on tour?   

GO: Honestly a full house in London would feel wicked. There are so many places, hopefully one day I can hit a few off the list! 

SS: What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed with your success? Does it motivate you to work harder?  

GO: Last year opened up everything for me a lot, but I still feel like I’ve hardly started, so to be here in my career, now, is really exciting. It's definitely got the fire in me burning more. 

SS: How do you celebrate your victories? What is the biggest change that came with success?   

 
GO: I think the change it’s brought is a lot of amazing people into my life, and I'm so grateful for that, music has connected me to so many wonderful souls. I don't really celebrate them to be fair! But I have little moments to myself of pure excitement and gratitude and it's in those moments I really connected to that feeling of joy/celebration. 

SS: How do you expect your continued success to impact your presence in the industry? Will we see you mainly on tour often or continuing to put out fresh and clean collaborations or both? Any exciting projects coming up you'd like to share?  

GO: I have so many producers/artists I’d love to collaborate with so making enough of an impact that those collaborations are possible would be crazy. The future is just one big mystery and I'm definitely still exploring, but I'm super excited to collaborate with some cool dudes this year so I'm buzzing.  

SS: I wanted to thank you so much for your time and for agreeing to sit down with me and answer these questions. Not only am I a huge fan, but so many others deserve to hear your voice. You are a true talent who has already perfected her skills and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you.  

Check out Georgie’s SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music & follow her on Instagram below: