The first night on the pig farm was completely terrifying. There were no lights
Budapest singer songwriter George Ezra tells MARION MCMULLEN how his forthcoming album was inspired by staying in some strange places, and falling in love
GEORGE Ezra has opened for Sam Smith in America and acting legend Sir Ian McKellen has appeared in one of his music videos. His rise to the top in the music world has been stellar, but the quadruple-platinum-selling, multi-Brit nominee took time off last year and escaped from it all to start work on his eagerly awaited new album.
He spent two weeks at an isolated pig farm in Norfolk with no electricity as part of his break away from the limelight and remembers: “The first night was completely terrifying. There were no lights, so once the sun went down I relied on torches. The sky would stay this beautiful blue. It was amazing.
“I had no phone signal. I took a guitar and some books and stayed for two weeks. I had an icebox with my vegetables in, which I cooked on a little gas stove.”
Other trips to the Isle of Skye and a converted cow shed in North Wales also helped to inspire George’s forthcoming album, Staying At Tamara’s.
“What often happens with these trips is I never actually write any songs on them but the notepads are filled with what will become the songs once I dig back through them,” he says.
The Hertford-born singer, whose parents are both teachers, says his new music and latest single, Paradise, is also inspired by falling in love.
He has even dedicated the song to his girlfriend and says it focuses on his emotions during the early days of their relationship.
George says he was “very much in a relationship” when he wrote the song and adds of the track: “Instead of a particular story it’s more of a feeling that takes over when you’ve fallen in love which is just quite heady, isn’t it?”
The album also explores themes of escapism in the face of rolling news and “strange times” and the 24-year-old says he was motivated by receiving an overwhelming number of “breaking news alerts” on his phone.
“I’d hear about something going on in rural Germany and now whilst that it is important and something bad might be happening somewhere I am not necessarily living, I don’t need to know about it before it’s really happened. These news alerts are a headline before anyone knows who, what, where or why.”
He adds: “I’m still trying to work out is this because I’m 24 and every 24-year-old before me has thought they live in the hardest times or are we living in strange times... I think there’s a mixture of both.”
George points out: “We live in abundance of comfort, there’s not a war in our country, there’s not rations.”
He reveals the new album’s title was drawn from a period of time he spent in a Barcelona apartment owned by a woman named Tamara with a group of fashion students, designers, artists and fellow musicians which allowed him to feel like a student.
George’s debut album Wanted On Voyage was the third top selling single of 2014 and his songs Budapest and Blame It On Me became major hits.
Sir Ian McKellen featured in his 2014 music video for Listen To The Man and George said at the time: “It was nerve-racking trying to act beside him. I’m not an actor and he’s phenomenal.”
George himself has been called one of the biggest-selling male artists of the decade and he has cited Bob Dylan and American folk singer Woody Guthrie as musical influences.
In little more than 18 months, he went from virtually unknown to one of the international breakthrough artists of recent times, taking in a top 10 album in 10 countries, three sold-out UK tours, nominations for four BRITs, one BBC Music Award and an Ivor Novello.
George has gone on to tour all over the world and made his mark on American TV on Saturday Night Live and The Late Show With James Corden.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the latest music offering from the cool music maker and the new album also features Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit on a track titled Saviour.
But George says he felt no pressure writing the follow-up to his 2014 number one hit Wanted On Voyage – even though it was in the charts for a total of 122 weeks and enjoyed multi-platinum sales in the UK alone.
The songwriter, born George Barnett, says: “The most important part for me is that I can tour... that’s the bit I love and I love the record and I just hope it’s given a fair shot and people enjoy it.”
■ THE single Paradise is out now and new album Staying At Tamara’s is released on March 23. Go to georgeezra.com for more information.