Photo courtesy Georgi Kay
Trans, non-binary singer-songwriter Georgi Kay recently released their single, “Porno” a track from their forthcoming long player, Into Oblivion, which follows their 2018 debut album, Where I Go to Disappear.
Kay broke through to the big time with the release of “In My Mind” with Ivan Gough, Feenixpawl, and Axwell (Swedish House Mafia). Since its release, “In My Mind” has received over one billion streams on Spotify alone. Kay has shared the stage with Ed Sheeran, Tash Sultana, INXS, Tokio Hotel, and LP.
They have written and performed original theme songs for several international works including JD Dillard’s feature films SLEIGHT and SWEETHEART, Alex Garcia’s mini-TV series Residue, and Jane Campion’s multi-Emmy Award winning TV series Top Of The Lake, which Kay also starred in alongside Holly Hunter and Lis Moss.
Tattoo.com spoke with Georgi Kay to discover the inspiration behind “Porno,” how they got started in music, and more about their upcoming album.
How would you describe your own music?
A combo of singer/songwriter meets dark and ethereal bedroom pop.A bit dreamy, and a bit raw n’ real at the same time.
Tell us more about “Porno.” What was your experience of making it?
I had a lot of fun making this one.
I think it may have been the last song I wrote off the upcoming record, every other song had been written and locked away at that point. I’ve noticed a pattern where the last song I write for an album tends to be the last song listed on the album, too. It’s like writing the final chapter of a book. It’s gotta be grandiose and poignant, but also allude to what may come next down the evolutionary chain. It’s a lot of self-made pressure, but also, I think as an artist you owe it to that last piece of the big picture, to really put your all (and then some) into it.
End it with a bang, you know.
So, I had the idea of writing a song that had a suggestive title, and ‘Porno’ came to mind pretty quick. Then it was a matter of creating the soundscape around it, to really find the essence and voice this song was meant to carry. I knew it was going to be the opposite of its title, something unexpected perhaps, like a real ‘bare all’ bittersweet dreamscape anthem.
And as I experimented with different synth sounds and sonic layers, it all kind of just bubbled up to the surface, naturally. It became a song that I felt really embodied the end of my journey within this new album process.
It was like a journal entry, just thoughts to paper, stating my inner thoughts and feelings about very real and very human experiences I’ve had (and was undergoing at the time). Things like grief, depression, loneliness, feelings of disconnectedness and detachment from myself and a loss of purpose in life, anxiety, shift in priorities…the list goes on.
To me, ‘Porno’ feels like a statement piece. A very matter of fact way of being as honest and transparent about who I am, who I was, and where I feel I am going.
Can you share the inspiration behind the track and the creative process involved in bringing it to life?
Like I said above, the inspiration really came from observing my own life experiences, both from my past and at that present moment in time.
Some of the big themes in ‘Porno’ are grief, time, and change. My view on my past has always felt different than how I hear others reflect on their own. I say that because I feel like my past is not really mine. It feels like someone else’s. Like I’m reading a book about a character I really relate to and resonate with, but it’s their past experiences and memories, not mine.
I think there is certainly an element of disassociation to that, but I also think that’s just how your perception of the past gets when you are a very forward and future-driven person. The future fascinates me far more than the past, in that there is so much wonder and awe to it. Anything is possible in the future, and that’s equally scary as it is exciting. Then again, I have always been the type of person to try my best to move on and move through things in life.
I don’t get stuck in the past and I don’t regret anything. I simply learn from my mistakes and aspire to grow and become a greater version of myself. But with that shedding of oneself comes a heavy amount of grief, too. You will never be that version of you, ever again. 10-year-old you is gone, and will never return. Teenage you, young adult you, any previous version of you – they’re all gone. Along with those experiences and memories you had.
So, I think this song felt like a big acknowledgement to all those versions of me, and all that they’ve gone through, whilst feeling this bittersweet romanticism towards the future and what it may bring.
With “Porno” what was your main focus? What did you want to try and achieve with this track?
I wanted it to be a big sound. The lyrical content is so personal and private to me in many ways, so I wanted to match that vulnerability with a sound equally as grandiose and overwhelming as what I was feeling inside.
A quiet intensity building into a great release of big drums, big bass, big guitar, big synths, and big feelings. An anthemic yet melancholic and thought-provoking ballad about what I believe it truly means to be human.
Photo courtesy Georgi Kay
How did you get started in music? What’s the back story there?
Oof. Long time ago. I’ve been making music for over 15 years now. I started when I was I teenager, in our school rock band. Then I branched off and played open mic nights with my acoustic guitar. That soon turned into a bigger indie rock sound with a backing band, and eventually I went solo again after early collaborations blew up and became international successes. At that point I was leaning more towards dark electronic pop.
My dad actually played a huge part in my career. He grew up playing in punk bands and even went to art school with some of the Bauhaus boys. He hung out with them and the Echo and the Bunnymen lads, too. He had such an eclectic taste in music and would always shuffle his playlists on the weekends during family breakfasts. I feel like his passion for music bled into my life too.
After I blew up and made a name for myself with my dance collab ‘In My Mind’ (with Ivan Gough, Feenixpawl, and Axwell of Swedish House Mafia), I got signed to a major label in the UK and I moved there to work with them. I learnt a lot, mostly what not to do and what I don’t want, and then I left the label due to creative differences and lack of autonomy.
Then came LA, where I lived for around 5-6 years. I played a ton of shows, hopped on a few big tours, and wrote and released my debut album ‘Where I Go To Disappear.’
Then the pandemic happened, and I moved to Salt Lake City. I went through a lot, we all did, and I came out the other end with a sophomore album, ‘Into Oblivion.’ A record I’m very, very proud of. And one which means a lot to me.
You will release your new long player, ‘Into Oblivion,’ later this year. What can you share about it?
There’s a lot to this record. It holds so much of myself and my experiences in it, probably an actual piece of me is in there somewhere, too.
There’s some easter eggs in there for my die-hard fans, there’s elements of old GK mixed in with new GK, and there’s a lot of decisions I made that led to riskier and perhaps unexpected creative choices. Less about appeasing others, and more about getting back to the whole reason why I started making music in the first place. For the pure joy and love of it. So, I hope fans (old and new), will be able to hear that when they listen to it.
What can you share about your writing process?
Whilst it does vary from song to song, I usually stick to a specific blueprint. I’ll create a soundscape, something to springboard off of, like a moody bass line coupled with a few melodic synth elements and maybe even a simple beat pattern. Just enough to inspire a feeling.
Then I start singing melodies and/or words out loud, until something feels strong enough to stick. Then I start writing, fleshing out the lyrics more until an overall theme begins to reveal itself. That’s when writing the rest of the song becomes much easier, once everything feels tied together.
I record the vocals, then I work on the production in greater detail, until I feel I’ve done the best (and most) I can. Then it’s off to my mixer and mastering engineer for the finishing touches.
Do you have any ink? If so, how many, and which is your favorite?
Yes, about 50 or so, with more to come this month. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think it’s between the Fenrir wolf head with Tyr’s armored hand clasped in his jaws (a nod to one of my favorite Norse mythology tales), and the giant centipede I have running up my entire shin. Both just stand out and spark a lot of conversation, but I honestly love all my tatts equally.
Now, I do want to ask as well, what’s been the highlight of your career so far? Maybe touring or who you’ve played with, something that’s really stood out.
I’ve done a lot over the years, so there’s been many a milestone, for sure. I think a big highlight has been the various awards I’ve won for my work. There are some APRA awards (for songwriting), an ARIA award (Australian Grammy equivalent), and a Grammy nomination. Whilst I don’t believe winning awards makes you a great artist, I do feel the gratitude and honor of being acknowledged for my work is pretty special, especially by peers I look up to and admire in the industry.
Photo courtesy Georgi Kay
Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practicing, or playing live?
Writing and recording, 100. I love making, building, and creating things. I’m definitely more of abehind the scenes type of creative, not too phased about the performance or the looks aspect of things.
Based on your own experiences and lessons learned, what guiding principles or words of wisdom would you share with aspiring artists looking to carve out their path in music?
1. Work on your craft every day. Whether that’s learning new chords, trial and erroring production techniques, sharpening your songwriting skills, or learning a new instrument or cover of a song you love.
2. Don’t be precious about your work. Learn to differentiate between what feels like ‘your sound’ vs what sounds good but may be a better fit to pitch to another producer/artist/publisher/label/project, etc. Keep what works for you, and what doesn’t, offer to others.
3. Collaborate with people. Don’t be afraid to branch out of your comfort zone and explore different genres with different artists. You’ll learn a lot about yourself in the process.
4. Have a ‘Year of Yes.’ Say yes to everything and anything. You never know what may happen, and what may happen may surprise you, in good and unexpected ways.
What’s next for you?
Aside from releasing ‘Into Oblivion’ later this year, I’m getting ready to move with my partner back to my home country of Australia. I’ve spent the better part of my 20’s in the US, and whilst I am sad to leave my life here behind, I am also equally excited to start anew.
I have a few novels in the works, and another album or few to get out of my system, so there’ll be plenty to witness from my corner of the world!
