HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES: George Ezra’s voice now attracts nothing but admiration.
By Geoffrey Rowlands
“A young man with the voice of a 50-year-old.” This was how BBC Radio Bristol presenter Richard Pitt described the then 19-year-old George Ezra to his listeners on BBC Introducing in the West.
Two years later, George’s vocal prowess is known to music fans throughout the UK and Europe. His single, Budapest, reached No. 1 on the Austrian chart, became a top 10 hit in numerous countries and peaked at No. 4 in Britain. As a child though, George was embarrassed by his unusual voice.
“I’d always sung and played guitar since I was really little. I also started writing songs at a very young age. But I kept things under wraps. I only ever performed for my family. My voice was so different from all the other kids. I didn’t want them to laugh at me.”
George’s voice now attracts nothing but admiration. The same is true of his songs with critics acclaiming the Hertford-born but Bristol-based singer/songwriter’s newly released debut album, Wanted on Voyage. The boy who wouldn’t sing in public has also become a man who loves performing live.
“It was actually moving to Bristol which effectively helped me to find my voice. Being that much older also helped but I was away from my old friends in a place where no-one knew me. I’d always enjoyed performing for my family and wanted to be a singer so I thought I’d give it a go.
“I started playing at open mic nights around Bristol. Anyone could get up and play. Some people were good, some weren’t. But I found the audiences didn’t laugh at my voice. I actually got a good response. This gave me confidence and I quickly grew to love being on stage.”
George’s live performances and the songs posted on his SoundCloud page attracted the kind of interest which led to his appearance on BBC Introducing in the West. This exposure resulted in a spot on the ‘Introducing’ stage at the Glastonbury Music Festival. Playing here was the first time George realised he had a genuine fan following.
“I’d only ever played small venues so just being at Glastonbury was an amazing experience. But to see so many people coming to hear me on the ‘Introducing’ stage and then hearing them all singing along with my songs, I can’t put into words how great that felt. That was when I truly believed I could have a successful music career.”
“I really wanted to visit Budapest because I’d always thought it was such a beautiful city. I wanted to see the sights in person rather than just in photographs. But unexpected things happened and the plan had to be changed. My regret at this sparked a song idea about loving someone so much that you’d not just give up what you already had for them but also give up everything you wanted to have.”
Many of George’s songs stem from partly overheard conversations. “I might hear just a few words and develop these into a story for a song. I actually carry a notepad with me to jot down anything like this. I record any melody ideas I might have on my mobile phone. I’ll sometimes be walking down a street pretending to talk on my phone but I’m actually singing a melody into the recording function.”
With a smash hit single and successful album to his name, what are George’s plans for the near future?
“I’ll be playing loads of music festivals and touring the album around Europe. Budapest will definitely be on the schedule. I have actually visited and performed in the city since missing out first time round. Yes, it was just as beautiful as I’d imagined.”
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Sir Elton John/ Guns N’ Roses
Las Vegas residencies obviously provide perfect material for DVD releases. Both Sir Elton John and Guns N’ Roses have just issued DVD and Blu-ray products featuring performances from their time in Vegas.
Elton’s DVD, The Million Dollar Piano, was filmed over several nights in 2012 at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace. It contains 18 songs in concert plus Song For Guy played over the closing credits. Extras include a Making of documentary plus four tracks from a 2012 show in Kiev, Ukraine.
The Guns N’ Roses DVD is Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live At The Hard Rock Casino — Las Vegas. This is the first official Guns N’ Roses concert movie since 1992’s Use Your Illusion. Filmed on November 21, 2012, the band perform classic songs from four of their albums, Appetite For Destruction, both Use Your Illusion LPs and Chinese Democracy.
Busta Rhymes/Eminem
Rapper Busta Rhymes will release his 10th studio album, E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event), later this year. But he is already making news with the newly issued album track, Calm Down, which sees Busta collaborating with Eminem. The song is an old school hip hop track based upon a cut up sample from House of Pain’s 1992 smash hit, Jump Around. It sees Busta and Eminem perform alternate verses in the style of a rap battle.
No video is available as yet but an official audio posting of Calm Down can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cklwGaNKMCo. As with so many rap songs, the track carries a parental advisory warning.
Samsaya
Most people might believe Norwegian singer and actress Samsaya is new to the music scene. In fact, she released her debut album, Shedding Skin, as long ago as 2004.
Born Sampda Sharma in northern India, Samsaya’s family moved to the Ellingsrud area of Norway when she was just 11 months old. An interest in hip hop took her into music but her big break came through a role in the movie, Folk Flest Bor i Kina. This was quickly followed by the thriller, Villmark.
Samsaya’s acting credits were under her real name but she decided to adopt a stage name for the music side of her career. Popularity in Norway did not translate into international success though her 2008 song, Dodge It, was used on the soundtrack of Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-nominated film, The Wrestler.
A new push for world-wide recognition has seen Samsaya record a self-titled four-song EP. Lead single, Stereotype, can be downloaded for free. Visit www.samsaya.com and click on ‘music.’ This gives access to the video for “Stereotype” and the free download link.
Several more Samsaya songs and videos are posted on YouTube. They can be found by typing her name in the website search box.
Death From Above 1979
September will see the release of The Physical World, the sophomore album from Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979. This may initially seem like no big deal but their fans will have waited one month short of 10 years to hear new music from Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F Keeler.
To be fair, the boys had split up for five of those years. Despite the success of their debut album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, creative differences led to their disbanding in August, 2006. The last three years have seen Sebastien and Jesse working together again though not always in perfect harmony.
None of the new songs are online as yet but their first album can be heard in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=So-yZjdHnK8&list=ALBTKoXRg38BAoC1boTTtE5xMpPT5r5P5G.