At 18, indie-pop musician Georgi Kay owns a sincerity and wisdom that is beyond her years. While many contemporary indie-pop/folk musicians carry themselves with a cursory swagger, the Perth-based singer songwriter remains relaxed about her recent successes including WA Song of the Year.
Her persona is reminiscent of her musical idol, Sarah Blasko who seems forever calm but playful and captivating. Don’t let the cool veneer fool you though; Kay admits the nerves kick in every time she steps onto a stage.
OUTinPerth spoke to the up-and-coming songstress about her short but blossoming career in indie-pop.
‘I’ve been playing for a few years, this is my third year in it now,’ Kay said.
‘Since I was 13 I’ve been writing songs and singing them. I had the whole issue about singing in front of people; I couldn’t tell if my voice was good or whatever.’
So Kay resigned to her bedroom during her early teen years, creating songs including award-winning song You and Me. For her first gig, she jumped in the music scene head-first, playing solo in the beer garden at the Rosemount Hotel for Rocktober in 2009 at the eager age of 16.
Now at the legal age to vote and buy alcohol, Kay has the EP ‘Strange Things’ out and feels confident in her own sound.
‘While lots of music flows like one song flows into the other, I think mine has different sounds. There are little tinkery bits that are a little bit different. It’s like a broken sort of sound but it’s interesting to listen to.’
‘Sarah Blasko is a pretty big influence; I’ve seen her play a few times.
‘She is just an amazing performer and all her songs are insightful and inspiring. Her performance on stage; how she sings and how she connects with the audience is something I aspire to.’
Kay has the sensibility of a seasoned artist; a confidence that foreshadows her age and musical experience.
However, last year when Kay won the school age category of the WAM Awards and was still nominated for the Song of the Year, she believed her chances for the title were very unlikely.
‘We were planning to leave,’ she said ‘we thought that was it. I didn’t have a chance with all the other Perth local bands since there were so many good bands there.’
‘It was a bit surreal… I wasn’t really sure what was going on.’
While Kay seems to have carved her niche in the indie-pop/folk arena, she is now keen to experiment within different genres and break away to new projects. For her latest collaboration, Kay signed on with local electronic hip-hop outfit, the Stoops and has since released Free. The track has received some significant air time on the radio and Foxtel has used it in their recent TV promotions. Kay first checked out the Stoop at the WAM Awards last year and was instantly impressed with the group.
‘These guys looked like they were having heaps of fun on stage and they’ve got a cool sound. It’s not the whole violent thing, you know ‘I got diamonds and cars’ kind of thing.’
As well as her new projects, the teenager is now in the running for song of the year in the worldwide Independent Music Awards for her track, Back To Bedlam.
With four other bands from Queensland to New York in her Indie/Alternative/Hard Rock category, Kay is remaining cautiously optimistic.
‘I’d just be happy to go back with a nomination… because that is a great achievement in itself. We’ll see how it pans out, if it gets better, it gets better.’
As humble as that may be, what would happen if she did win, I hear you ask?
‘I’d probably lose my voice. I’d lose the will to speak and move, I’d shake my head in disbelief.’
Check out more of Georgi Kay on www.georgikay.com
