Jacqueline RomanoWatching Georgi Kay on stage is meditative. You get lost in her entrancing sound and calculated movements. As a down-to-earth artist and performer, she remains true to her own original sound. When we sat down to chat with Georgi Kay recently, she shared with us how she cultivated this sound over the years and the impact her music has had on building community.
Georgi Kay // Photo by Alan Krespan
At 15, Georgi began to combine her interests of playing guitar and writing poetry into songwriting. At times, she feels like a vessel or conduit for a particular message when writing songs. One way she writes is by sifting through her custom synth sounds, creating a pallet to paint a picture from. Within this method, she feels the building of the synth sounds and electronic sounds provoke a feeling from the listener. The other way she writes is by using her acoustic guitar where she builds a story, sharing with us that this often has a more organic feel to her. She enjoys experimenting with her sound, embracing the process as a form of therapy in its rawest form. When she starts to write there is a lot of symbolism and ambiguity in her writing so a listener could interpret it in a completely different way than she did. She doesn’t like explaining the meaning behind her songs because she enjoys hearing the interpretations of others and watching the discussions of her songs create connections and community.
Georgi Kay // Photo by Alan Krespan
Georgi feels that the performance aspect of her music is what really brings people together. “Technology is great, but it’s a double edged sword as well. It takes us away from the present moment and genuine conversations with people.” Live concerts are a way for listeners to come together and discuss the impact the music is having on them in that moment. She only began performing in front of people when her high school rock band lost their lead singer. In an effort to fill the role, she played pick up sticks with the other members of her band to decide who would take over. Because of this, her confidence grew in singing and songwriting. She decided to start saying “yes” to all opportunities that came to her door that year and eventually, one of her songs that she had written, “In My Mind”, was picked up by Swedish House Mafia and Axwell. Seven years after its original release, she feels grateful for the doors to other collaborations that its success opened for her, and for the monetary gain that gave her leverage to fund her solo projects.
Today, as Georgi has evolved in her creative journey, her idea of success is being happy, making enough to live off of and writing great music that people can enjoy and interpret in their own way. When performing, she feels that the bigger the crowd, the more relaxed she is. There is a strong energy in a large crowd that she is able to exchange with the audience in a synergetic loop. Georgi is grateful to have that connection with her fans. She interacts with them on a daily basis and feels bonded to them. One interaction in particular which stood out in her mind was when a concertgoer told her how her music was therapeutic for him. She realized that her gift is not for her, it’s for “us”. The idea of being put on a pedestal as an artist doesn’t appeal to Georgi. She is more concerned about staying level headed and down to earth in her role.
Georgi Kay // Photo by Alan Krespan
When thinking about her future, Georgi shared that her younger self would have been focused on playing huge stadiums around the world. However, she is more centered these days on playing quality shows in different countries where she hasn’t yet been able to play for those fans. She also hopes to make more music videos that are intricate and delve into the more artistic and personal side of things. When choosing directors for her music videos, she likes to prioritize hiring female filmmakers, however, she considers all creatives who have a vision she vibes with. She believes the future is not female, but rather all-inclusive with fairness to all genders.
Georgi Kay // Photo by Alan Krespan
To Georgi Kay, the goal for her as an artist is to continue evolving. She gives advice to other musicians, “Keep an open mind about things, you never know what may come from something. You will get hit with curve balls, but if you remain true to yourself and trust your gut, you will survive.”
Watch Georgi Kay’s newest music video American Psycho on Youtube.
Find out when and where you can see her perform live on her website georgikay.com.