In this interview spotlight, I chat with AKA George about the music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I don’t even know what genre means. I play drums, bass, guitar and piano and when I sit down at those instruments I never think, “what genre do I want to make?” I just think about the song. It seems that despite everyone and their mother declaring ‘genre is dead’, the entire music world is preoccupied with it. I’m not attracted to any genre or style. That’s got me into trouble in the past because people like to put a label on things.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I’ve been making music ever since I was a kid. I lived in the middle of nowhere and I didn’t go to school so reading books and playing music was all I had. There are songs of mine that have been online since 2007/2008 I think. But I am part of that first generation to have grown up with the internet. I never really saw it as a big deal to put everything I did up for everyone to see, just seemed natural. I never thought about it being there forever…
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I don’t listen to much new music. I don’t find anything that inspirational or exciting at that moment. I liked the Tame Impala album and I listen to a lot of older stuff. I find that when I listen to older music or watch older films I can listen without judgement because it was made in a different time. What motivates me to keep going is that I like what I do, I like being a musician and I don’t think I can be anything else. It’s very challenging and I like to challenge myself. But I think I would be the same if I did something different – if I worked in a bank I would challenge myself. I don’t value things that are very easy… so I often make life difficult for myself. The harder this gets for me the more I want to do it!
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Yes. I forced myself to be much clearer about what the songs meant. There was pressure to recreate the last EP, Bad For You, which was more indie rock. But I couldn’t do that because I’d be bored. I wanted this EP to be more nuanced, sharper, more focussed, darker, more interesting. I wanted to throw genre out of the window. There are some RnB elements in this EP (I’ve been told) but I was never conscious of them when I made it. There’s a cover of The Who on it. I guess what I’m trying to say is… this is not designed. I am not a brand. There’s a trend, not only in music, but also in everything to move away from the individual – and I happen to believe the individual is sacred. Once you start to involve a lot of people and make music by committee you lose a lot of what made you unique in the first place.
What was the last song you listened to?
Love Will Tear us apart by Joy Division. It’s so raw. I’ve also been listening to some old Kings Of Leon – when their jeans were still tight. I’ve been trying to get my brother Henry into them but he’s not having it.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
MP3s I am sorry to say. Because I love going out walking or running and listening to music on headphones and I just can’t do that on vinyl or cd. I did love having CDs and looking at the artwork while I listened to the record but I do most of my listening when I am on a walk now.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I did release once on Bandcamp. I made the most money I have ever made. I don’t have a preference – they all do the job. I still like to buy an album and listen to it on repeat on my ipod. I get weird looks when I am out because people can’t believe I’m listening on an ipod.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
That’s a really good question. The biggest challenge is not to slip through the cracks. Pre internet the music industry thrived on championing people who didn’t always fit – David Bowie, Kate Bush, Prince etc… I don’t think that’s the case now. The algorithm rewards more of the same.
The creative Utopia projected when the internet became a thing was that anything could happen creatively. It was a dismantling of the establishment… but we’ve just rebuilt the same thing again. There are some great voices that don’t get heard if they don’t play the streaming game… they slip through the cracks and never get exposure.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
Everything I do is about performing live. When I write a song, for me, if I can imagine it being performed live then I end up finishing the song. Obviously, with lockdown, that hasn’t been possible and won’t be for some time to come. I was playing gigs around London and started doing some of the smaller festivals last year and it was great. I’ve missed that. In fact I have just been asked to play a virtual festival – that’s going to be interesting. Meantime, I have been doing live streams. They’re all there on my insta @akageorgex It’s not the same as having my band and giving a full on gig but I really enjoy the community of it and it’s a brilliant way to just have a human exchange with people who’ve been supportive.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Here are my socials.
Insta: @akageorgex
FB: http://facebook.com/akageorgex
Youtube: http://youtube.com/akageorge
Instagram is the one, that’s where I post the most. I never go on twitter – it does my head in. And of course Spotify AKA George , Amazon/ Apple music and YT for videos of me prancing around.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
I just really want to talk about genre again…no I’m only joking!
But..I am going to just say: Music is rated like a utility now and the dsps have helped that. So when you go on holiday it’s like, have you got the books, have you got the clothes, have you got the weed and have you got the music? It’s a utilitarian object. When I make music I don’t want to take such a back seat approach to it. I don’t want to be playing in the background. I want it to jump out at you, I want to take a more aggressive approach and I hope that when people listen they feel something.
