George Ezra talks ahead of Forest Live gig at Cannock Chase
The hit album Staying at Tamara’s returned George Ezra to the top of the UK chart. Released in March, it followed in the wake of George’s debut, Wanted on Voyage, which racked up four platinum discs and was a hit around the world.
George is back on the road in support of his new record and will headline Forestry Live at Cannock Chase on Sunday, with support from Dan Caplen.
Ezra became a household name in March 2014 with the release of his hit single, Budapest, which reached No. 1 in several countries. His debut studio album, Wanted on Voyage was released three months later, reaching number one in the UK and the top 10 in seven other countries as it became the UK’s third best-selling album of 2014. Staying at Tamara’s reached number one in the UK and top 10 in eight other countries.
George found it hard to come to terms with the level of success he enjoyed from his debut record. He took time off to decompress.
“That combination of not having commitments anymore, or a reason, and just different things going on around me like all of us in the world. I thought I don’t know what this is, why I feel the way I do – part of me is probably decompressing from coming off tour and putting that first record to bed, but there was something more to it than that.”
George’s articulated his anxiety in his record, with tracks like Get Away explaining the emotions he went through. He took time off and went to Barcelona, a move that shaped his second record and also gave him the chance to retake control. “It was really important that I did that. The good thing about spending time on your own and taking yourself out of your comfort zone is that you force yourself to think in a way you wouldn’t normally think.
“On the first record, I would write and stay at promoter’s houses or at a student’s house after I’d play, but I’d never done it properly and there was a lot less need for me to do it this time. I could have started in a hotel or an apartment, but my thinking was . . . well, my thinking was, to hell with it. If it’s crazy in a bad way, I can leave, but there’s also the element of it being amazing. Even if they just live normal lives and are able to point me in the right direction for where’s good to eat and where’s not, that’s a nice touch.”
He moved in with a stranger, Tamara, who had vinyl on every floor and plenty of friends who were musicians, artists and designers.
“When I told her I was naming the album after her, she wasn’t that excited if I’m being honest. It was more like, ‘Yeah, go for it.’ She’s a cool customer.”
