“Oh my gosh, there is the biggest bird on the roof,” exclaimed Georgia Lines. After clarifying that the New Zealand fauna is far less deadly than their Australian counterparts, the Kiwi artist shifted her laptop to show what was indeed a large bird perched on the neighbor’s roof outside her window. Lines never misses a chance to appreciate her present moment. Personal enjoyment is a major motivation for her; she doesn’t want to risk missing anything that might lead to it, like acknowledging the presence of oversized animals through her window.
Coming out of a pandemic, this mindset makes Lines a perfect artist to take notes from when it comes to appreciating what can be an overwhelming music scene and post-pandemic life. Lines is living in the here and now and her demeanor is a prime example of why everyone else should too.
Georgia Lines’ music career began, like many others, in the living room of her childhood home, where she’d put on small performances to rave reviews from her parents. As she grew older, Lines’ seriousness towards her singing developed in middle school (Also known as intermediate to anyone from New Zealand). Lines remembers the exact moment she and everyone else noticed her voice’s potential. “For my school talent school, [my friends and I] decided to reenact the Troy and Gabriella ‘Breaking Free’ scene [from High School Musical]…That was the moment I remember in terms of starting to sing.” Later, in high school, Lines would go on to not only improve her vocal abilities but also begin to write songs and delve into her music career.
Georgia Lines has come a long way since her school days. She’s no longer a High School Musical tribute act. Instead, she’s now a woman who makes music with a personal and unique perspective. After talking to Lines, it became quickly evident she was a woman with high standards, however, her high standards should not be conflated with anything pompous; she is the farthest thing from pretentious or stuck-up. In fact, Lines is refreshingly cool and collected. This is an artist who cares deeply for her craft. And it is this attitude that can be felt so strongly in her music and her aesthetic.
The artist describes her sound as “pop, 90’s and R&B together.” Her blanket of sounds make perfect sense considering her musical influences: Michael Jackson, Solange, and the Kiwi artist Kimbra, who is of “Somebody That I Used to Know” fame. Her aesthetic matches her sound. Lines is a lover of vintage, designer labels and casualness. “I Love the idea someone else wore [my clothes]… I love being able to wear a designer dress and also wearing Converses. I’m one AND the other.” Lines collects her various references and creates something fresh, current, and most importantly, enjoyable for herself and her listeners. Her efforts resulted in the EP Georgia Lines, released right as the pandemic hit.
Releasing at a more agreeable time, Georgia Lines’ newest song, “Call Me By My Name,” is a perfect example of her aesthetic and mindset. Coming out of New Zealand’s first lockdown, she’s had a lot of time to think and reassess herself and her relationships. All of these thoughts culminated into this piece. “When you’re in a relationship, you understand there’s a need to compromise, but then there’s that tension being yourself. There’s a frustration. Call be my name! Take me as I am.”
For Lines, her self worth is not determined by what she doesn’t have but rather who she already is. This sentiment is reflected in the song’s music video, which she also directed. The music video uses candid footage taken at a promotional photoshoot and depicts Lines enjoying her moment and enjoying being herself. The rest of the video features stunning visuals of her own creation.
What makes Lines such a breath air is that she is an international artist who has no interest in pandering to a foreign/American audience, nor does she covet any American sense of celebrity. It’s not about millions of fans, luxury, or opulence. She doesn’t want an American dream; she’s interested in the Georgia Lines one. She’s interested in her art.
Talking on one of her first in-person shows after the lockdown, she said “I did a really intimate show in Auckland. It was this small room, it was fifty people and just me and a piano. The craziest thing for me was that these people were dead silent…Everybody was so focused and attentive. They were Present. It wasn’t like that before hand.” For Georgia Lines, coming out of the pandemic isn’t great because of the ability to return to what once was. Life post-pandemic extends the opportunity to exist in one present together and to enjoy a collective moment through music.
When asked about her musical aspirations, Lines explained how she rejects this notion of having clear-cut goals, instead opting for something more personal and present. “I want to have a career that I enjoy. Regardless of what that looks like, I want to enjoy all the little moments and if I’m still doing this in twenty years times I’m still having as much fun. I guess my goal is longevity. How do I make this sustainable and how can I be in this for the long haul and still be vibrant and excited for all those little moments?”
There is something freshly satisfying about Georgia Lines and her point of view. In an American society that often focuses on what’s next—next album, next tour, next era, next person— the New Zealand artist brings a welcome changed of pace. In a world of too much, Lines emphasizes the need to focus on what’s directly in front. Georgia Lines is evidently happy and content. If her method of recognizing the present to achieve personal enjoyment so clearly works for her, what’s the harm, as everyone races to return to once busy lives, to slow down and awe at big birds perched on roofs?
Listen to Georgia Lines on Spotify.
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