RISING STAR
Aussie singer and drummer G Flip, 24, aka Georgia Flip, tells Attitude how she won back her ex- girlfriend — by devoting an entire debut album to her
G Flip
How would you describe your music?
The lyrical content is like an open diary. I never shy away from the details, and I write lyrics like how I talk – so [ be warned] I might drop an F bomb here and there. It’s pop music but dirtier and rough around the edges.
Do you have any weird writing quirks?
I always carry golden [ coloured] books with me. They hold all my past and future lyrics, and I don’t like writing my lyrics anywhere else.
Can you remember when you first discovered music?
I was nine years old and my uncle had bought me my first drum kit. It was this mini blue kit and I was obsessed with it. I started lessons and have been a crazy drum lady ever since!
Does your drum kit have a name?
Jeromo. He has an LED kick skin built into the front of him and comes to life during my shows. His face changes in line with the emotions he feels during the songs.
What is your new song Stupid about?
It’s about a stage in a relationship I had with a girl. We were up, we were down, we would have crazy fights, then we’d kiss and make up.
When was the last time you did something really stupid?
The other day I ate two whole large bags of Cheetos Puffs. We don’t have them in Australia and they’re fucking amazing. I got very sick. It
was worth it though. In fact, I might do it again tomorrow… Your debut album About Us documents your on- off- on- again relationship with your girlfriend. What was the writing process like?
A lot of the songs were written before anyone knew who I was, when I was holed up and heartbroken in my bedroom studio. I cried while writing some of them. I even cried tears of happiness a couple of times because I felt that what I was making was gonna give me a future. It was the start of something magical.
Has your girlfriend listened to the record, and if so, what was her response?
We hadn’t seen or talked to each other in a year, then she rocked up at my house and we hung out. She asked me what I had been doing and if I was still drumming in bands, and I told her that I’d decided to go solo and had written and produced a heap of songs in my bedroom.
She wanted to hear them. I was very reluctant to reveal that every song was about us but she twisted my arm and ended up hearing everything. It was very emotional for both of us. We hugged, we cried, we talked, we made out and I asked her a very important question: “Would you mind if I released these songs?” She said she didn’t mind at all. We’ve been together ever since.
Which song on the album is a particularly tough listen for you?
Waking Up Tomorrow. That was written at the rock bottom of my heartbreak. I was even crying in the vocal takes.
Has your queerness ever been a hurdle while trying to make it in the music business?
It actually hasn’t. When meeting with music business people, I would show them my demos which are full of female pronouns and details of my personal relationships but it was never something that was discussed. Everyone seemed to [ just] dig the music.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Create the things you wish existed.” I read it on Pinterest.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you on stage?
Back in my drummer days, I had a pretty chopped- up drum stick and my long blonde hair got tangled around it mid- song. I had no choice but to rip [ my hair] out and keep playing.
How many tattoos do you have, and which has the most interesting story behind it?
More than 20. I have a tattoo of my old school motto, “Deeds not words.” I went to a reunion a few years back, got drunk and somehow lost a bet where I had to get the tat.
G Flip’s debut album About Us is out now
“My hair got tangled round a drum stick. I had to rip my hair out and keep playing”