With 2023 EP ‘Empty Pockets’ already in his catalogue George VILLA is maybe not new to fans of his mellow-as surf rock through-to psychedelic pop sounds, but the artist is taking a new, self-determined indie path these days. His latest single Keep It All Together wouldn’t have been out of place on Beck’s masterpiece ‘Oderlay’, and the old school-styled video makes it plain why the song was chosen for inclusion on NZ On Air Music’s April NewTracks compilation.

What is your given name, where are you from and what instruments do you play?

George Woolston. I’m from Hamilton but have been living in Auckland for the last three years. I’m trying to learn the basics for whatever I can get my hands on, but guitar feels most comfortable for sure.

Any other projects that we might we know you from?

I’m also a frontman for indie 4-piece band Casper. We released our debut album ‘Wake Up’ about a year ago, but a couple of the members are living overseas so it’s on a bit of a pause for now.

What’s the background of how George VILLA came to be as an artist? Is anyone else is directly involved?

I’ve been releasing music solo and with Casper since about 2018 but towards the end of high school I started jumping in a bunch of writing sessions up in Auckland through Universal, and my manager at the time. I jumped on a development deal and experimented for a while with different sounds and things trying to figure out where I wanted to be as an artist. I started releasing under George VILLA in 2023 followed by a run of shows. I was very lucky to have some great people around me in this process and definitely learnt a lot. I’ve spent the last year or so mostly working alone writing and refining my music. Hoping to have lots more stuff out this year.

How and when did you come up with that name for the project? 

I was definitely stuck on the name for a while. It was pretty last minute but I saw ‘VILLA’ up on a building near me and thought it looked pretty cool, so ran with George VILLA.  Haha!

You were recording & releasing music with UMNZ for some years. What happened to that?

Yeah. I started working with Universal maybe 2019/2020 through to early 2024. Which was such a cool experience. Alongside my manager we worked closely together on the EP, and a bunch of cool shows and bits. I’ve got a lot of love for everyone involved there and it was a massive help guiding me through a bunch of stuff I couldn’t have done alone. I had a new turn of direction musically and started writing a lot of different stuff over the last year or so. I really wanted the freedom to start new side projects and release more consistently under GV on my own time.

How has your music evolved from your earliest songwriting to now?

I started when I was pretty young. I think for a long part in the middle I was overcomplicating things and trying to have cool weird chords and whatnot, haha. I’ve been trying to develop my productions skills a lot more over the last few years, which has sort of shaped my way of writing and I was doing a lot more piece by piece on the computer. I’ve tried to step away from this recently, and just sit with the guitar and find a cool groove with just two chords or so. Definitely trying to strip it back a bit and just create a nice feeling.

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

I played my first shows in Australia last year with the band, which was awesome and very eye opening. The live shows have been so much fun and so great to meet everyone. Just building friends and connections along the way has been the highlight for sure!

What makes Keep It All Together stand out for you as a single choice?

Keep It All Together was just a very refreshing track for me when I made it. Something different to anything I’d made before and had me stepping out of my comfort zone. I think it marks a good shift in the music for what’s to follow and sets a good middle ground for the sound.

What’s the story behind Keep It All Together?

I believe the next day after the Aus tour I started writing KIAT, which began with the bass/drum groove, followed by the chords and a rough idea of the melody. My friend Bobby Chungsuvanich who’s a musical wizard was visiting from Thailand and had a little listen. He added the guitar solo and some other smooth bits. The song is sort of about just trying to keep cool when you have a lot of things piling up.

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the single?

I love the groove. It’s so simple but makes me wanna move, haha.

Who did you record/produce the single with?

I had the song structured out and demoed at home with the original plan to be finishing it myself. However I was blessed with funding from NZ On Air which gave me the opportunity to head around to Benjamin’s studio and live track the drums and a few other bits. Then we unfortunately lost the project haha. So a couple months later we re-pieced it together and mixed it up. After many Wild Wheat pies and Ben’s lovely home-cooked meals we had it ready for master. Shout outs to Downbeat Mastering for this!

What would you like listeners to take away from this song?

Hopefully people can chuck it on and have a good time!

Who else is in your team now?

At the moment it’s just me sussing the admin and that. But I’m super fortunate to have my good mates Harry Kidman and Jett Scott helping with video and content. I’m trying to tackle as much of the production as I can myself, but have been working closely with my good friends Benjamin Mack and Josiah Ioane to get it over the line.

Are there any other musical endeavours you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for?

Expect lots more VILLA stuff over the next year. I’ve got a new single coming early May and hopefully some live shows. Working slowly on a couple other projects with friends to release eventually too 🙂

Can you please name three other local  tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

So much good kiwi music out there, hard to choose three, but gotta show love to these beautiful friends making beautiful music. Definitely check them out if you haven’t!

Frank on tap: Rush
JosiahXVI: the hearts timeline
Benjamin Mack: Dunes

Have any of your previous single releases been included on NewTracks? 

I believe this is the first one! And thanks so much, such a cool thing you guys are doing for NZ music 🙂

Have you received any NZOA funding before? 

I was lucky to receive funding for a producer grant a few years ago which we wrote/recorded an old single of mine, Love Don’t Grow On Trees. That was a massive help. For single funding this song was a first. We applied a bunch with Casper and a couple other GV songs but didn’t make the cut. I think more the commercial/radio side of things took us a while to get the ticks up, haha.

Have you got any advice around seeking funding for others starting out? 

It’s definitely good to have the criteria in the back of your mind, and see what you can do to tick them off one by one. But sticking at it and being consistent and applying. Eventually those ticks will come themselves.

How can we find you on social media?

I’m trying to stay active on insta so follow along there for shows/new music
instagram.com/georgevillanz/

Who did you make the video with? Any good stories about the experience?

My friends Harry and Jett shot and edited the video. They’re crazy, super stoked with how it came out. A few other mates rocked the bunny suit for it too, which I’m very thankful for, it was a hot and sweaty job, haha.

Any last words?

Thanks heaps for your time!