Georgie Najar On the Making Of “Skin and Bone”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Skin and Bone" and the story it tells?
I wrote “skin and bones” when I was processing the reality of what my relationship with a boy in treatment really was. We were very close, as treatment does to most people and we unfortunately got close in a way that isn't productive in a treatment center but as two older teenagers we didn't care to listen to anyone else. When our relationship took a turn, I was blamed by the treatment center for the whole situation which blinded my view of what actually happened because I was surrounded by people telling me it was my fault. “Skin and bones” was the product of untangling my strong love and loathing towards this boy.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this song?
When recording this song, I actually had bronchitis, so it was a long haul for everyone. I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do it that day and a lot of negative voices were playing on repeat each time I messed up a note. As you can see from the finished product, I was able to finish the whole song with the emotion and integrity I envisioned it with. The most memorable moment of that session ended up being when we listened back to the whole song at 8:30 at night and heard my idea become a reality despite my prior belief that day.
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
My favorite moment recording my music video was definitely singing the whole song through on Randal's island with no interruptions so I could really feel the song in my whole body. Those clips also ended up being my favorite because they were so honest and raw.
How did you get started in music, and what inspired you to become a singer-songwriter?
Music has been part of my life since my earliest memories. Any alone time I had as a kid was spent singing and my only dream was to sing for the whole world. I picked up voice lessons around the age of 7, where we focused mainly on songs and styles in the genre of musical theatre because the craft of acting is also very important to me. I was also a very emotionally complex child, seeing how cruel the world can be to so many people. All of the traumatic memories of my childhood created a very angst teenager with a full roster of mental health issues that no one knew about because I would never talk about my struggles under any circumstances. I could lie myself out of any situation that questioned my mental stability and although I prided myself on that at the time, it ended up being my biggest downfall. I got to a point where there was so much pent up emotion that I had to get it out in some way. I took a mental health day in the fall of my 8th grade year and grabbed my ukulele and just started writing what I felt. 3 hours later, I had a rough draft of my first song, "Maze in my Mind.” After everyone realized I had a knack for song writing I never wanted to stop. I wrote and sang and wrote and sang in every free moment I had until eventually I met people who actually knew what they were doing and helped me get to where I am now.
What is your songwriting process like? How do you usually start crafting a new song?
My songwriting process has changed a lot since my middle school music. Then, I would grab my ukulele and play around with chord progressions I liked and then write about what I was thinking at that time. I would also usually sit there until I finished the whole song, even if I knew it wasn't very good which then would create a lot of back editing. Now I usually have a thought and I immediately start humming it into my voice recordings, add some lyrics to it and send it to Justin. When we meet up, he will play out my progressions on the guitar and play around with arrangements as I continue writing to what the music is saying to me if that makes any sense. This ends up being a longer process but I like the final product better this way.
