On his new single “That’s Not Me,” he said, “I have been friends with Diane Warren for a long time. She wrote on The Wanted’s album back in 2010. We’ve always kept in contact. She called me and told me that she had a song for me. She sent it over and she allowed me to work on the production of it. We both felt that it fit my voice and that was it. We went for it. We are really excited for it to come out on Friday.”
Regarding his songwriting and musical inspirations, he said, “I am completely open to any music. It is driven by my emotions during the day. If I had a difficult day, I would write something that correlates to that. If I am in a great mood or on holiday, then I would write more of a dance song. How I am feeling emotionally definitely impacts how I write.”
On being an artist in the digital age, George shared that it took some adjusting. “Obviously, now I am on my own and it’s really different. What is nice is that I have the creative freedom to make my own decisions and my own songs. The creative freedom is the most enjoyable part,” he said.
He noted that lately there is a resurgence of vinyl. “Vinyl has always been my favorite,” he admitted, prior to noting that he loves the warmth and nostalgia of vinyl records.
George listed Dua Lipa as his dream duet choice in music. “It would be cool to do something with Dua Lipa. She’s awesome,” he said.
For young and aspiring musicians, he encouraged them to “not suffer the first hurdle, especially these days since there are more opportunities to get into the industry.”
He acknowledged that the last eight years for him were quite chaotic. “Looking back in a rearview mirror, it has been madness,” he said. “It has been a whirlwind. There were a lot of things going on. It’s crazy since it has gone really fast. I can’t believe it. We did our last show with The Wanted in 2014. Then, I moved to America for four years, I’ve lived in Los Angels and Las Vegas and I was on Glee for one year. It is crazy how things just change. Every day is different.”
George has one very defining moment in his music early on that made all of this possible for him. “Before I actually got into the industry, I was about to go on the train, and I got off the train since I didn’t really want to do this. I had never tried it before and I probably was a bit scared. My dad told me to get on the train, and I had expected him to tell me not to do that. I made a decision not to let myself or anybody down and I got on the train that day. None of this would have ever happened if I didn’t get on the train that day,” he said.
Growing up, he was influenced musically by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Oasis, and Elvis Presley. “I like all kinds of music. My influences were a huge mix,” he said.
He also opened up about nutrition and staying in top-notch physical shape. “I don’t really eat badly. I don’t eat fast food very often. I have a gym at the house so I try to do that five times a week. Now, I have a dog so he keeps me fit,” he said. George shared that he also enjoyed swimming. “I find it difficult to keep swimming. I got a little bit bored of it,” he said, prior to listing the “front crawl,” or freestyle, as his favorite stroke.
In his spare time, George enjoys relaxing, as well as spending time with his new puppy. “My puppy keeps me really busy so I enjoy spending time with him,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, George said, “A new beginning.” “I perform differently and I am singing differently,” he explained. “I am living differently so it’s a new beginning.”
The heartthrob singer defined the word success as “feeling happy with what you’ve done.” “I always feel that a song is successful when I am really happy with it,” he said. “Success is being pleased with what you did and having peace of mind.”
For his fans, George concluded, “First of all, I hope they enjoy it. Sorry that it has taken a while. There is a lot of emotion on the song ‘That’s Not Me,’ and all the people can relate to that.”
Max George’s music is available on Apple Music and on Spotify.
To learn more about British singing sensation Max George, follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
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