Georgia: 'I guess I just didn’t want to have any regrets'

“I think definitely with this record, given the situation we all went through with Covid and two years of being locked down physically but also mentally, I think all of us were quite beaten by it, and I just felt like I needed an adventure,” says the Londoner.

“I just wanted to experience something new, and see where that would take my songwriting. I don’t know why but I’ve always tried to stay clear of being branded as an artist because sometimes when people call you an artist it’s in a derogatory fashion, but I couldn’t help but think about the way Joni Mitchell wrote Blue, how she travelled to Europe and tried to write from experiences and the heart, and see if that would relate to the listener.

“Part of me was like, there must be a reason why people make really good music out of chance and risk and a bit of something new.”

Hence this time she left behind the comforting environment of her studio in London and took a flight to Los Angeles to work with Rostam Batmanglij, the American producer who is also a member of Vampire Weekend. He’d been turned onto her music by a demo of the track Live Like We’re Dancing, which she made with Mura Masa in 2019, and messaged her on Instagram.

“I guess I just didn’t want to have any regrets,” she says of the decision. “I spoke to my dad (Neil Barnes of electronic duo Leftfield) about it when Rostam and I were in contact and I said to him, ‘I think I might have this opportunity to go and make a record in a completely new environment but I’m a bit scared about it’, and he said, ‘If you’re scared about it, do it. It sounds like a great idea, and sometimes putting yourself out of your comfort zone into a new experience brings either really positive things or you learn what not to do, but that’s good too’. So I guess it was a life lesson making this record and as I’m getting older, you start to appreciate that a bit more. Certainly I was so glad that I took this risk and did this record the way that I wanted to, and I’m so glad that I worked with Rostam. It was a life-changing experience, this record, and hey, what’s music if it doesn’t affect you like that?”

Although the subject matter of songs such as Some Things You’ll Never Know, Give It Up For Love and The Dream might be more reflective, they remain decidely danceable. As a drummer, she admits, her fascination with rhythm is never too far from the surface. “Part of the reason I think Rostam wanted to work with me was he’d never made a dance record before,” she explains.

“He was very excited by my knowledge of dance music and he shares a love for it, so we were kind of like, let’s make a dance record but let’s experiment within the realms of that and see where it takes us. Some Things You’ll Never Know was born out of a real dance number that Rostam and I did, and we turned it into a pop song. I think that side to the music I didn’t want to let go of as such, I wanted to feel like some of this record you could put on a dancefloor and have a great, euphoric time to. But how I describe this record is it’s clubby but rather than being inside the club, we’re outdoors this time, partying outdoors.”

Being able to trust Rostam’s production instincts enabled Georgia to concentrate on other facets of the record. “I knew he would implant some of his take on drum programming so I thought I’m just going to write some lyrics and concentrate on the vocal – that was a really new thing for me because on the previous two albums, I was always producing first and the melody and the lyrics would come last, and I was a bit furstrated with that, so I’m pleased with this record that I’ve pushed myself to go a bit more traditional with songwriting, and that was definitely Rostam’s influence. He was like, ‘Before we even go into the production let’s make sure we’ve got the song’. It was a totaly collaborative experience as well, I think that’s why I felt so comfortable. It wasn’t like he’s the producer, I’m the singer. We were both collaborating. He was very sensitive to the fact that he didn’t want to make that atmosphere because he knew that I was a producer too, and I think he was interested in learning off me too. So there was this perfect give-and-take relationship. I think as a result what you’re hearing is my first unique Georgia sound. It’s not nostalgic of the 80s or trying to sound like Chicago house, it’s kind of its own thing, which I really love in pop music. That’s the pop music I still think really stands out and is the best. ”

After a run of summer festivals, Georgia is looking forward to a UK tour in November.

“The aim is next year doing a big UK run,” she says. “I’m really excited to play this music out to all the audiences because I’ve really worked on a new live show, so I’m really excited about people seeing that and spreading the music a bit more.”

Euphoric is out now. Georgia plays at Leeds Festival on August 27 and the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on November 26.