Georgia Gets By on her latest EP ‘Split Lip’
New music about falling in love with a woman for the first time. Being a self-proclaimed catastrophic thinker. Evolving her sound into being more assertive. Trusting her capability and playing more instruments. Not letting the idea of a result ruin the present moment. Long Island Ice Teas & Bloody Marys with bacon in them (and how more cocktails should come with snacks - we agree). Going on tour with Ruby Waters and more.
Fuzzer: So you’re living in LA now? How long have you been there for now?
Georgia: Yeah on and off for about 9 years. Moved over here when I was 21, a little baby.
Fuzzer: Wow, amazing! And I was talking to Rita Mae the other day and she was saying you guys just did a concert together and it went really well and there was a lot of kiwis in the crowd and that.
Georgia: Oh sick! Yeah! Her first LA gig. Oh they just loved her, she's a pretty likeable person. She's such a talented songwriter - I think she’s amazing.
Fuzzer: Yes! So I'd love to start off with how you got started in music and writing your own songs and all that. Where did it all begin?
Georgia: I feel like I've always played music or like at least sang and then I started to play guitar when my mum started teaching me around like eight years old. She taught a lot of the kids at my school for a while. Then I think it was like actually like a Shakira record that we had and my dad was like really obsessed with reading up on every artist and he really loved to delve into the backstory. He was like “you know, Shakira started writing songs when she was 11” or whatever and he was like “so you could do that”. So I was like “okay here I go!” (laughs)
Fuzzer: (Laughs) I love the encouragement from him!
Georgia: Yeah I mean my parents have always been like so, so encouraging and I think they kinda saw that it was who I was and wanted to be at my most pure version of myself I guess. And I think they didn’t really let me give up on the dream. They were very much like “no, it’s gonna happen for you. You just need to work hard” which is kinda nice (laughs).
Fuzzer: Love that! As a kid, that’s definitely the encouragement you need and obviously they were right.
Georgia: Yeah, feed the delusion you know? (laughs)
Fuzzer: Yeah, you really got to! And who were your musical and creative influences growing up?
Georgia: I listened to a LOT of Brooke Fraser (laughs). So much Brooke Fraser. I mean you just kind of end up listening to the kind of music that your parents listen to so it was a lot if like Cat Stevens in the car and Neil Diamond (laughs). We had these compilation CD’s of 70’s soft rock that we would just absolutely rinse on road trips and I feel like that kind of songwriting is really burned into me (laughs).
Fuzzer: I love that! All great inspirations. And congrats on your new EP ‘Split Lip’ - it sounds so amazing! Can you tell us a bit about how that project came about and the themes you delve into with that one?
Georgia: Aww thank you! I feel like ‘Split Lip’ was written really fast actually. It was just a super potent time in my life - coming out for the first time to my family and falling in love with a woman for the first time and breaking up with somebody at the same time. It was really chaotic! (laughs). My life was just kinda collapsing but coming together and it was a very weird time. I think ‘Split Lip’ kinda symbolises literally ‘split’ in so many ways but also just being beat up by that time. I write from a place of being stressed or uncertain or grieving or whatever. I don’t really know how to write happy songs (laughs). When I’m happy, I kind of just live my life. It was a necessary outlet for around that time so it came together really ridiculously quick and is so angsty (laughs). It’s fun to be dramatic.
Fuzzer: I love it! And I’m sure it’s so great when it comes to you so naturally. And how do you feel like your sound has evolved from your first EP “Fish Bird Baby Boy”?
Georgia: I feel like it’s maybe leaned into the maybe more grungy energy. I think the first EP was like very tender, like really quite soft and I think I was still kinda a little bit timid maybe about having a new project. Even just the way I was singing, I was a little bit quieter too (laughs). A lot of falsetto and it was definitely rummaging around trying to find who I was and this time I didn’t really have the capacity to question anything (laughs). I was just like “I need to sing these songs!”. So it just kinda came out a little bit more confident, even though it’s about the most confusing time, I think I built in a little bit more of a triumph and energy. Maybe aggressive isn’t the right word but it’s definitely a bit more assertive.
Fuzzer: Yeah, I think assertive is the right word! It’s so great to hear that it came so purposefully I guess, and the intention behind it was really strong.
Georgia: Yeah, it was a real charge (laughs).
Fuzzer: (Laughs) And one of our favourites is “Some Kind of Angel” - it’s just absolutely stunning. What was the inspiration behind that one?
Georgia: Thank you. “Some Kind of Angel” is about being just super in awe of somebody but also being a little scared that you can’t handle the timing of it or some part of you is not ready. Some part of you has got one foot out the door, and you’re just kind of wishing that you could just keep it together (laughs) for this person that you think is just so amazing. It goes back and forth between “this is so great and I totally feel so good here” and being like “but I just feel like I’m already scared of the end” or scared of being hurt or hurting somebody. Just being a catastrophic thinker (laughs).
Fuzzer: I love that, I feel like a lot of people will be able to connect to that with a similar experience. And then ‘Split Lip’ the song - another favourite of ours! Can you tell us about how this song came about and what the songwriting and production process was like for this one?
Georgia: Thank you! Usually I write like on guitar first and then I delve into production but this one was the opposite. I was just tired about thinking about my feelings I guess, and so my friend John, who I wrote most of the EP with, him and I were just in the studio and were like “let’s just smoke a bunch of weed and jam” (laughs). We played around on this drum machine and I played that slide guitar thing and then built up this track that felt really vibey. And I was sitting with it and trying to think about what I heard for the topline and the only thing I heard was something that I’d never really tried before - that kind of half spoken, half sung energy. And I was really nervous actually to go there because I was so used to thinking that I was just supposed to have a “beautiful voice” all the time, and that was who I was and I couldn’t really break out of that box for fear of not being what people wanted or anything anymore. So it was really fun to just let go of that for a bit and actually whisper into the microphone. It was a really intimate session (laughs) like “don’t look at me John!”.
Fuzzer: (Laughs) Yeah I guess with those creative things, you’ve just got to experiment and try things out sometimes even if they don’t seem conventional.
Georgia: Yeah it’s good! I think it was definitely a good exercise for me and then it turned out that we loved the songs so much and it felt like it was still super relevant on the record and ended up being a title track. It was fun that it actually amounted to something good.
Fuzzer: Yeah, absolutely! And what were your main highlights working across the EP?
Georgia: I think learning about how I can be really assertive in the studio. And my friend John, we work together all the time and we’re best mates and he’s super encouraging and I think he’s one of the first producers I’ve worked with that really just says “you do it because you know how you hear it”. So it was fun because I got to play a lot more instruments and we would do this thing for most of the songs we’d be like “okay you play bass in the verse and I’ll play bass in the chorus” (laughs). Passing around different instruments and playing, and trying to make it into a process that we both just end up being really happy about and playful about. Because I think you do have to be really playful to balance out how vulnerable you’re being. It was really nice and I think was really good for me to just remember that I’m capable (laughs).
Fuzzer: Yeah for sure! And one thing we’re doing for each of our interviews is we’re going to customise a cocktail recipe in relation to the project we’re talking about. So if the “Split Lip” EP was a cocktail, what kind of flavours do you think it would have? What kind of liquor do you think it would be?
Georgia: Oh I feel like it would be potent (laughs). I really wish it was a martini but it’s so not. I love a dirty martini but I feel like it’s one of those drinks that’s got too many types of liqour in it. Like you take 3 sips and you’re wasted. Like a Long Island Iced Tea. You’re like “oooh so lovely, just need a little pick me up” and then “woah!” (laughs). Or a Bloody Mary, just with a huge strip of bacon in it.
Fuzzer: I’ve never had a Bloody Mary like that before!
Georgia: I once had a Bloody Mary that literally came with so many snacks, it was so good. It came with like a pickle, a pickled onion, olives, a strip of bacon, like a huge thing of celery. I was like “great, dinner and a drink!”.
Fuzzer: Wow, that’s so perfect! We need to do more drinks like that I think with the snacks.
Georgia: Yeah more drinks with snacks please, inside the drink.
Fuzzer: So good! And you’ve obviously had an extensive career with BROODS and now you’re stepping away for a bit with your solo artist project. What has that journey been like, transitioning from BROODS into flying solo?
Georgia: It was a bit scary at the beginning. BROODS is just like me and my brother so we’re never going to really break up (laughs). But it was strange you know, when we really made the decision, we were like “okay, we’re really going to take a break from this. We’ve been doing this for 10 years and we’ve really gone hard and maybe we really need to do some stuff on our own”. I remember the last show we played, I just got hit with so many emo feelings (laughs). I just cried so hard and was like “I just feel like it’s all flashing before my eyes”. I think I really depended on him to make music with and also emotionally. We went through so much together and definitely had some really amazing and really, really hard times. And so it felt very significant to step away but I think it’s been really good for both of us. I think learning who we are as individuals has been really cool and like I said, learning how capable I am because I relied on him for a lot of the production side and just playing guitar and bass and instruments and stuff. I think him not being a part of this project has made me step up a lot which has been fun. I needed that challenge.
Fuzzer: Yeah, it’s always good to take yourself out of your comfort zone a bit and take the reins a little bit more, and learn and upskill and grow as a music producer and songwriter.
Georgia: It gets a bit boring otherwise! (laughs)
Fuzzer: For sure! And what’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far or what’s one of the best pieces of advice you’ve been given over the years?
Georgia: I think the biggest lesson I’ve learnt it is maybe not letting the idea of a result ruin the present and the process that I’m in. When we first started, touring and stuff was really hard because I just worried about whether I was going to be good enough or whether I was doing a good job or taking on all these external worries basically from management and label. For the first few years, I feel like I didn’t even really get a chance to enjoy it and my anxiety just ruined everything. I just really don’t ever want to waste the opportunity by being scared of the future anymore.
Fuzzer. Absolutely, that’s such a great piece of advice.
Georgia: Stay present! (laughs)
Fuzzer: Yeah, staying present is so important. And what music are you listening to at the moment? Are there any new artists that you’ve found that you recommend?
Georgia: I just found this artist Sara Devoe, I think she’s from New York. Her first EP “scared of the dark”, it is so cool. She’s really great. I’m the biggest fan of Womb from New Zealand, and Vera Ellen. Just those real tender little queer kids (laughs).
Fuzzer: Love it! That’s a great list. And then what’s next for you in 2024? I see that you’re going to be joining Ruby Waters for her tour?
Georgia: Yeah I’m going to do a few dates, October is the Ruby Waters stuff. I think I’m just gonna try play more shows. I’m trying not to be scared about making a full length album, it’s a bit daunting (laughs). But it’ll happen, just trust (laughs).
Fuzzer: In time! Yeah I guess with that thought of thing, you don’t want to have to rush it or feel pressured to put it out.
Georgia: Yeah I’ve definitely written music from that place, like trying to rush it and putting heaps of pressure on myself, and it just doesn’t really ever end up sounding how I want. So I’m just gonna live my life, focus on live stuff for a bit and then hopefully I’ll just wake up one day and I’ll realise that I’ve got an album (laughs).
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