Aotearoa singer-songwriter Georgia Lines has released her powerful new single and video ‘Leave Behind’, out now.
With delicate synths, emotive vocals, soaring strings and cinematic rhythm sections, ‘Leave Behind’ is a ballad of big emotion. Themes of reflection and grief are central to the track, as Georgia explores the process of experiencing loss, after losing someone you love deeply.
“‘Leave Behind’ is a song I wrote about losing my Grandfather suddenly two years ago,” explains Georgia. “Growing up we spent a lot of time with my Grandparents and I have so many memories of their home and all the ‘things’; the ornaments, the crystal glasses, the platters and collections that they used to have through their home. When my Poppa passed away we had to sell and get rid of everything that we couldn’t keep, which was a hard part of the grieving process and a huge part of letting him go.”
Co-written with Nic Manders and Nick Dow during a Parachute writing week, the track came out of a profound feeling of trust within the trio, to explore the deep, vulnerable emotions central to the song.
“Both Nic and Nick were incredible to work with,” says Georgia. “I was so surprised with how well we worked together in a ridiculously short amount of time.”
“All of the strings on the track were played live by Nick Dow, the same day we wrote the song. He is an absolutely incredible pianist, but then in the middle of the session he just popped out to his car, pulled out his violin and went on to play all these crazy string parts! Was one of my most favourite moments of that writing week.”
The accompanying video for ‘Leave Behind’ showcases the enormous and deep feelings that are paramount to the song.
“It’s about self-reflection, about grief and loss and sadness, memory, life and death. The big stuff. These can be overwhelming themes for a music video to tackle if not handled with care, but I’m not afraid of big feelings, and we can turn to minimalist and surrealist artists for guidance - Robert Morris, Robert Smithson, Florence Henri tackle big ideas through their work using real world objects. It’s from this school of thought that I want to draw inspiration,” says Georgia.
“Our main visual thread, then, is the mirror, and reflective and metallic surfaces in various forms... Mirrors obviously make literal the theme of self-reflection. They are fundamentally existential: they invite us to see the self, to see ourselves as other people might see us in the world.”
Georgia Lines is quickly becoming a household name in Aotearoa’s music industry. Her self-titled, debut EP GEORGIA LINES released in 2020, has amassed 1.5 million Spotify streams, with 2021 release ‘Tōrere’ already gaining more than 72,000 streams; a track unveiled as part of 2021’s te wiki o te reo māori. Georgia’s single ‘No One Knows’ also gained Georgia a nomination for Best Music Video at 2021’s AMA’s (Aotearoa Music Awards).
‘Leave Behind’ showcases yet another side to this impressive Kiwi artist. To celebrate the release, Georgia Lines is heading out on a solo tour of New Zealand, taking in Hamilton, Dunedin, Christchurch and Tauranga. Georgia will also perform at a special one-night-only event in Auckland on May 16 with Cassie Henderson and the APO. Held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, this will be a special and intimate evening showcasing the true vibrancy of Georgia’s exquisite vocals.
Georgia Lines - Leave Behind tour:
Wednesday May 11 - Nivara Lounge, Hamilton
Monday May 16 - Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland w/ special guest Cassie Henderson
Monday May 30 - Bark!, Dunedin
Wednesday June 1 - Dark Room, Christchurch
Friday June 3 – Secret location, Tauranga
Tickets on sale now from Under the Radar HERE
Tickets for Auckland show available HERE
