We had a chat with prodigious rising New York artist Georgie Najar following the release of her compelling debut single ‘Skin and Bone’
Armed with a compelling and powerful sound that showcases a wisdom and maturity far beyond her years, rising 16-year-old artist Georgie Najar is somebody who has this really powerful tendency to turn her life experiences and stories into compelling and moving sounds, as evidenced most recently by her incredible debut single ‘Skin and Bone’.
The track delves into details like complex emotions, eating disorders and a destructive relationship to make for a deeply personal and engrossing listening experience that has a sense of catharsis that extends both from the artist and to everybody who comes into contact with it. Her distinctively candid writing style and the forthright nature of her approach is more than capable of stopping you in your tracks, making for some of the most gripping and memorable work that you’re likely to hear anytime soon. We had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about the person behind the sound and narratives and what else she has planned for the future.
Who TF is Georgie Najar?
I like to think of myself as just an average teenage girl who’s gone through more than someone her age usually would, and having processed all of the things that I’ve seen sharing that through music is a big part of who I am.
How long have you been making music?
I wrote my first song when I was 13 in the eighth grade on a sick day. I was really tired with everything going on in my life (especially the pandemic). I had picked up ukulele a few months before and I just started writing and sat there for three hours and at the end of it I had a song. I wrote it around this time of year so that would mean I’ve been writing and creating music for about three years now.
Why do you make music?
I make music for two reasons: for me and for everyone else. I do it for me because it’s how I process everything going on in my life and how I expressed to others what I’m feeling when words feel too scary. Every song I’ve written is a certain trauma that’s gone on in my life. It’s a way to understand the words going on in my head that almost feel like a different language. I do it for other people because music by some of my favorite artists helped me to feel when I was too scared to or didn’t know how to and I really want my music to be able to do that for other people because it’s helped me move through and get through some of the hardest times in my life.
What are your biggest influences?
I would say my biggest influence in music at least would be Lizzy McAlpine because she’s so unapologetically authentically herself and I think that’s so rare to find in this world. During this tour she said “I tried the whole pop girly thing and going on stage interacting with the crowd bunch and it didn’t feel authentic to me”. Watching her sitting on the stage with her band in a living room setting was so authentic and it was beautiful to watch. As an artist, I never wanna feel like I’m forced to go in a certain direction I would rather share the truth, or my truth, and be authentic instead of being fake and doing what people are asking me to do. I really admire her for that.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
My career as an artist basically just started now so I don’t have many moments to choose from yet, but I think my first concert performing on stage singing my own lyrics for the first time in front of an audience was a really formative experience for me. My close friends all in the front and watching them saying my lyrics. To see them really just show me the love that they have for me and how proud they are was really amazing because all my friends are athletes and are really smart or something more. I never really have space to talk about my music every day, so that was really special moment.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
Honestly, I don’t really know. It definitely has some like indie rock alternative flares, but when I’m writing I don’t really think about where it fits. I think about who it speaks to so it’s really up to interpretation I think.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
My dream I’ve made it moment would have to be playing in a venue. It doesn’t really matter the size, but it’s filled with fans. Not people who feel obligated to be there because they know me, but fans of what I’m doing and my music and what I’m trying to share and having them know the lyrics and sing parts of the songs and I could stop singing the concert keep going kind of feel the room. It’s magical just talking about it. I can’t imagine how amazing it would feel.
We love your new single ‘Skin and Bone’, what more can you tell us about it?
Skin and Bone was the last song that I wrote for this EP. I had just experienced a really long and severe writers block for months on end. I just didn’t know what to talk about because my life had been so eventful and scary and intense and I haven’t processed anything yet. I just didn’t know what to say because it all felt too scary and too new. So after months of dealing with lots of stuff, I remember sitting in front of the piano and I was just like I’m just gonna feel and see what comes out. So everything that had been sitting in my mind every day for months, that’s what came out. It was like I was working through my internal dialogue that had been stuck for what felt like forever.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I have lots of songs written that I’ve been very, very excited to share. A lot of them are recorded already, and I plan to be dropping some singles throughout the next few months!
