George Barnett is a talented artist that first drew my attention with his covers, and kept my attention with his addictingly catchy pop tunes and personal music visuals. We at EARMILK get a lot of opportunities to interview the biggest up-and-comers out there, but I for one, definitely jumped at the opportunity of interviewing this young man.
Download his latest single "3 Statues" for free here, and check out his interview below!
EARMILK: Hello George! Thank you for taking the time to us! First off, can we get a brief musical background? From your videos it seems that you’re an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist, when did it all begin?
George Barnett: Hey, nice to meet you. Well, when I was young I always loved the drums…. things grew and I picked up piano and guitar – my mum encouraged me.
EM: Was singing always a part of it, or did that come before/after?
GB: Yeah singing was always a thing, and I always used to write songs. I had a karaoke machine for Christmas one year – never used it as a karaoke, the coolest thing about it was that it had 2 tape decks so I could do really primitive multi tracking on it. AWESOME. that's basically how I still work now.
EM: Who are your biggest influences musically? What are your goals ultimately with your projects?
GB: I've got way too many influences to mention…. films too. directors like Scorsese & Tarantino make me want to make videos with style, which in turn makes me want to write music to fit around that. My goal for my music is to make something that reflects me exactly 100%, then have as many people in the world hear it.
EM: In my mind, you’re definitely an artist that rose from the incredible Youtube videos you had been releasing, with the Daft Punk and Kendrick Lamar covers coming into mind specifically. How did those covers get started? What do you think of the reception you’ve gotten for it?
Well, I just decided to record and put them up and people seem to like them.
EM: Along with those covers, you’ve been consistently releasing fun pop-influenced original tracks that get my feet tapping every time. It’s obvious from all the videos you are involved with every part of the track, but what does a live performance of yours entail? (Do you bring a live band with you?)
GB: Thanks. Yeah, I play with my own band for live gigs – I try and make it as huge and impressive as possible… I sing, play keys & guitar and jam on percussion with the others. We smash it every time, but the last time we came to the US (for SXSW) it was particularly great.
EM: Where do you get the ideas for your videos?
GB: I don't know really…… sometimes I feel like I have no ideas, but I start on something anyway – and then it grows into the best thing I've ever done. It's weird, stuff like that.
EM: What else can we expect from you in 2014, and any chance of a visit to the US for your fans out here?
GB: More songs, more music videos, a youtube series, festivals, a drum solo and a haircut. And yes, I would LOVE to come back out to America again – say the word and I'll be there. Fank Yuuu. X
Thanks George! We can't wait to see more from this young man.
