George Bone
What made you become a musician?
I – subconsciously – must have decided from a very young age that money was not the goal of my life. If that was not the case, then I have taken some decisions that go against my better judgement! I’m taking a solo trip to Köln next week not for work, nor – clearly – for my wallet’s health, but for the enjoyment of seeing a new place & being in a different environment; to be inspired, and to – if I get the chance – inspire back. I also hope I can do the same with my art.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
My influences have changed dramatically over the course of the last few years. Before university, I listen to a lot of stadium country music (Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker etc); during university, Tom Misch’s “geography” was released, and changed my perspective on harmony and harmonic structure in my music. After uni (during Covid), I took solace and listening to a lot of introspective artists to drive my country storytelling further (Bruno Major, Lizzie McAlpine, proto-Gracie Abrams). I have tried my best to encompass them into the writing that you hear today, and I look forward to – while not necessarily popular music – new music that reflect and ever-changing artist in an ever-changing artistic environment.
Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Lizzie McAlpine: Not necessarily because it would be a productive session, but I think on the scale of “Productive” to “Let’s-Make-This-A-Therapy-Session” would be skewed HARD to the latter, and I think all musicians need days like that!
Your latest release “Go On Without Me” is a slow and soulful ballad, what is the story behind this song?
In my final year of university, I sadly ended up on the business end of bullying from a lot of people who I thought were my peers. Four years after that ordeal, and the scars have not yet properly healed. On the way to work in September ’23, I reminisced about the situation, and recalled the Batman quote of “You die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. Thinking of it from that perspective, I started thinking of similes around the situation, stacked them together, and “Go On Without Me” is the result.
What, in your opinion, makes the perfect ballad?
Like with songwriting in general, I do not believe that there is such a thing as a “perfect ballad”. No matter how much you spend on a song, no matter what team you have behind it: as long as those thoughts are genuine, and I hear them in a performance, then I’m SOLD. I compare the quality in vocals of “Someone Like You” by Adele to “Cold as the Sea” by Eloise. One was recorded on a very expensive microphone. The other? On an iPhone.
What are your plans for the future? (Gigs, releases, projects etc?)
I have four releases that I plan to get out by the end of the year, with the final one being a Christmas track that’s synched to TV already! My first headline show will be June 12th in London, and I plan to write so much more than I did last year (already writing some good ones so far)!
What artists are you listening to lately?
I listen to a lot more of my friends’ music than mainstream pop, so this gives me a chance to hype them up now! Victoria Marie with “More Than Friends” and “ghosts” is brilliant. Sam Fraser (Southend-based) doing The Lord’s work not to make my cry, and Alex Hopkins’ voice makes me sad I never had structured vocal lessons when I was younger. That said, my hype-track currently is “Spectra Ocean Dream Circuit” by Starjunk 95. This takes up too much time in my head, but for all the right reasons.
