When going through hardships; perseverance is key. It’s a coping mechanism that helped Georgia Mae through some very difficult moments in her life where she felt alone, and stuck in her ways. Through embracing her inner strength, she was able to push through the negativity and resurface stronger and with a new-found confidence.
The Brisbane based singer-songwriter has just released her debut EP ‘Gigi & The Dragonfly’ which boldly asserts her confidence at the forefront of her music. She doesn’t hold back from being as candidly honest as she can be as she details the toxic relationship and situations she found herself being drained in. The hopeful six track collection embodies finding herself again on the other side, and she hopes it will be an inspirational listen for anyone who needs to hear what it’s like to make it to the other side when you currently feel like you’re stuck in a loop.
I recently chatted with Georgia Mae about how perseverance played a major role in her debut EP ‘Gigi & The Dragonfly’, explored the impact nature has had on her writing and aesthetic, and discussed the creative processes behind songs like ‘Bad People 2’ and ‘Blue Flowers’. Check out the full chat BELOW;
THOMAS BLEACH: Your debut EP ‘Gigi & The Dragonfly’ feels like a coming-of-age collection that hears you reflecting on some key foundational moments in your relationships that have shaped who you are now. From articulating those thoughts through these songs, what is the biggest thing you learnt about how you dealt with these varying situations?
GEORGIA MAE: To persevere during hard times. This EP is a collection of moments in my life from the past few years that were difficult and saw me learning how to get through that. I’ve tried to instill hope in every single song even though I’ve been through some rough stuff recently. I’ve tried to use that as a tool to grow, develop, and get closer to myself.
TB: What were the first and last songs you wrote for the EP?
GM: The first song was ‘Bad People’, because I’ve actually released that song before, but I wanted to re-do it and call it ‘Bad People 2’ as it was speaking about a different relationship in a similar situation. And the last one was ‘Blue Flowers’, which felt like a happy ending as it summarises everything that has happened in me while all of this stuff happened.
TB: Now thinking of those two songs, are there any parallels or growth to the way your mind shifted in this growing process between them?
GM: I think ‘Blue Flowers’ is the best song I’ve ever written. It comes from a very deep personal place where I’m acknowledging things I haven’t before. It tells the story of where I’m at right now, and where I wanna go.
TB: Flowers and nature were really important symbols for this EP in connecting the music and visuals together. What was it about these songs that had a deep connection perennially for you?
GM: ‘Gentle’ was a first for me as it was a song that was about our world and the impact of climate change. That has inspired me aesthetically, and also with my writing now as I’m allowing that subject to come up more in my writing, whereas before I didn’t feel like I should be writing about climate change. So yeah, I think it’s drawn me closer to nature, and given me permission to use nature as inspiration not just for me, but also aesthetically with how I want to position myself as an artist.
TB: Isn’t it interesting thinking about the fact you felt like you weren’t allowed to write about climate change as an artist. What do you think it was inside you that said no?
GM: I think there were some confidence issues for me. But also because I felt like I wasn’t qualified to speak on something scientific.
TB: But are you qualified to talk about a breakup?
GM: Exactly! I think artists are exactly the right people who should be commenting on climate change. It got to the point where I was not being true to myself by not writing about it, and then I was like, “no, I need to write about this”.
TB: ‘Blue Flowers’ is a really beautiful and dreamy track that truly feels like the EP’s centre piece moment. Can you explain the creative process of this track?
GM: I was in a very personally tumultuous time, and in a funny way I think my subconscious was writing something for my future self. If you listen to the lyrics, I wasn’t actually quite there yet. This has happened before where I write things for my future self, and then I look back and I’m like “oh, I’m finally there now!”. Anyways, I had this idea, and I was writing with Chris Collins, and he heard me playing a bit of it and he was like “can we flesh that out?”. And then yeah, In a day it was done. It felt like it wrote itself. It all just came out of me.
Chris made me feel like I was in the safest place possible to allow myself to lock into the deepest and most authentic part of me which I haven’t had before with any collaborator or musician, which is why I usually only write by myself.
TB: “I am changing inside and outside” feels like a very empowering and important lyric for you to sing during the closing track of the EP, later followed by the line “look at me now”. Does it feel personally important for you to sing?
GM: It really does! That’s why I think it’s my favourite song I’ve ever written as I’m sort of unashamedly having high regard for myself, and lifting myself up which is something I hadn’t ever done before. And I wasn’t even doing that at the time I wrote it. But a few months later I learnt how to do that, and I’m still in that learning phase now. This song feels really inspirational for me.
TB: ‘Bad People 2’ is a song that very honestly reflects on a toxic relationship, and it’s the sort of candid representation we need as I feel like a lot of media still romanticises toxic relationships. When you were on your own journey of realising that this person was a narcissist, what media was helping you through it?
GM: Gosh, that’s a really good question! All I can think of is that I was listening to a podcast at the time by a life coach called Kara Loewentheil, who was epic. It was all about self love, and self confidence, and she goes through relationships a lot in her episodes. I must’ve just caught on at some point that what I was putting up with wasn’t love. But honestly I think I really just had to learn the hard way, and it got to the point where I just needed to end that relationship and walk away.
TB: You’ve written and recorded music for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which is such a crazy job to have on the resume. So if you could select any of these songs from the EP to insert into an episode of KUWTK, what would it be?
GM: I think with all the Kanye BS that is happening right now, ‘Bad People 2’ would be great. Or something like ‘One Night’ could be great over a montage of the gals getting ready for a night out would be cute as well.
TB: Let’s play a quick game of rapid fire questions about the EP. Are you ready?
GM: Yes!
TB: The emoji that best describes my debut EP ‘Gigi & The Dragonfly’’ is…
GM: The wizard.
TB: The song that nearly didn’t make the EP was…
GM: ‘Bad People 2’.
TB: The song I’m most looking forward to performing live would be…
GM: ‘Blue Flowers’.
TB: The song that went through the most versions to get it to where it is now was…
GM: ‘Emma’.
TB: Another name for the EP we played with was…
GM: I went through many different iterations of “Gigi And The…”. But there was nothing that was competing with “Dragonfly”.
TB: The first song I’d want you to play to your friends from the EP if they haven’t heard of me yet would be…
GM: ‘Blue Flowers’, I can’t not say that song. It means so much to me.
‘Gigi & The Dragonfly’ is out now!