Georgia Ray On the Making Of ‘No One's Calling’
Is there a person/event that stimulated the creation of 'No One's Calling?'
Each song is actually about a different person and event from different times of my life, but I realised eventually that the songs are all connected, they all have that sense of loneliness, heartbreak and longing in common. So I guess it’s just a collection of my experiences of love and loss, as typical as that sounds, but also the varying perspectives – from anger and blame, to grief and longing, to guilt and regret.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for 'No One's Calling?'
Most of the songs luckily came quite quickly and naturally to me, both the music and the lyrics – except for ‘Miss You Now’, which technically took me about four years to write. I wrote the chorus back in 2018 and it has stuck with me since, but I couldn’t seem to find the right verses for it. Then eventually in 2022 I really put my mind to it for a while and it all finally came to me, that was what I’d say was the breakthrough moment. I’d cracked the code!
What did you enjoy most about making 'No One's Calling?'
I had such a fun time going into Aviary Studios and recording parts of “Hypnotherapy” and “Regret It” with my brother/producer Kyle and our friend Alex. We spent a whole day there and it was a great experience. The rest of the EP we recorded in Kyle’s home studio which is always heaps of fun too. Just the feeling of hearing my songs come to life for the first time is super exciting, and I have so much fun collaborating and exploring new ideas for each song.
How did you get started in music, and what inspired you to become a singer-songwriter?
I was lucky enough to have a piano at home when I was growing up, so I played around on that a lot and started writing bits and pieces of songs from the age of about six or seven. I would play in front of my classmates at school talent shows, then eventually I picked up a bass and started playing in a band in high school, then I somehow ended up being the synth player. High school was definitely a huge part of what fuelled my passion for music, because we had an awesome music teacher who was super encouraging, and I had a bunch of classmates who loved playing and jamming and performing together. The band didn’t last very long out of high school unfortunately so that’s when I started doing my own thing. I’d been writing my own stuff on and off for years, but deciding to actually record and play gigs alone was a bit terrifying at first. I was (and still am) really inspired by singer-songwriters like Avril Lavigne, Tegan and Sara and Taylor Swift. I can’t seem to stop writing songs, so I figure I might as well put them out there in case anyone happens to like them or relate to them.
Is there a specific song that holds a particularly special meaning to you? Can you share the story behind it?
“Tulips of September” is a song that is very close to my heart, I wrote it for my friend who lost her dad in September a few years ago. We grew up together and we spent a lot of time together with her dad, he was the kindest, funniest, most lovable guy, and his favourite flowers were tulips. I was so devastated and shocked when I found out what had happened, but I couldn’t even begin to imagine how my friend was feeling losing her dad. So this song is a promise to her, and to him, that he’ll never ever be forgotten.
